USN orders Link 16 for Viper and Venom modifications
UH-1Y Venom (pictured) and AH-1Z Viper helicopters operated by the USMC will receive Link 16 B kits. (Photo: USMC/Lance Cpl Clare McIntire)
Northrop Grumman obtains a two-year deal to provide Link 16 B kits for UH-1Y and AH-1Z helicopters.
Northrop Grumman on 21 September was awarded a $30.92 million firm-price-incentive-fee contract from US Naval Air Systems Command for 25 Link 16 B kits; three Link 16 B kit spares; and two Link
16 flight training device B kits in support of Bell UH-1Y Venom and Bell AH-1Z Viper helicopter modification efforts for the USMC.
This contract also covers Link 16 systems engineering, programme management and logistics support, the DoD announced.
Northrop Grumman is expected to complete the work in September 2023.
Link 16 is the main US and NATO tactical data link. Shephard Defence Insight notes that it supports the exchange of surveillance data, EW data, mission tasking, weapons assignments and control data.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Air Warfare
-
![Connecting the layers: how networks can secure the future of European air defence]()
Connecting the layers: how networks can secure the future of European air defence
The rise of drones has reshaped the threat landscape for all European militaries. For industry, future defensive strategies must carefully balance a mix of passive and active measures to address the evolving danger, based around a highly integrated and responsive network of sensors and effectors.
-
![October drone digest: France and Lithuania advance loitering munition procurements as global spending surges]()
October drone digest: France and Lithuania advance loitering munition procurements as global spending surges
Recent procurement developments in France and Lithuania highlight the growing demand for loitering munitions, with global annual spending forecast to increase nearly 50-fold between 2020 and 2029.
-
![Germany could secure greater influence through sixth-generation fighter partnership with Sweden and Spain]()
Germany could secure greater influence through sixth-generation fighter partnership with Sweden and Spain
Germany is assessing potential pathways for a future sixth-generation fighter capability, including discussions with GCAP partners and Sweden.
-
![Quantum Systems details 480km/h Ukrainian interceptor as production scales up]()
Quantum Systems details 480km/h Ukrainian interceptor as production scales up
Quantum Systems’s Ukraine-made interceptor SPYS is thought to cost approximately 10 times less than Russia's jet-powered uncrewed aerial systems and is being produced at scale.
