Northrop Grumman selected for TERN Phase II
Northrop Grumman has been awarded a Phase II contract for the DARPA-Office of Naval Research (ONR) Tactical Exploited Reconnaissance Node (TERN) programme. The company will now proceed with its work to support the development of new UAS capabilities for maritime missions.
The TERN programme aims to explore new concepts for a long-endurance and long-range aircraft that would operate from a variety of US Navy ships. With current long-endurance UAS, manned aircraft and helicopters requiring aircraft carriers or large, fixed land bases for takeoff and landing, TERN envisions using smaller ships as mobile launch and recovery sites for medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) UAS.
With the goal being to provide long-range ISR and other capabilities from the decks of forward-deployed small ships, TERN will advance technology to enable a full-scale, at-sea demonstration of an R&D prototype UAS from a vessel with the same deck size as an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.
Chris Hernandez, vice president, advanced systems, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, said: ‘Being competitively selected to execute Phase II of the TERN programme allows us to further demonstrate how our system could advance the navy's mission. Our TERN solution taps into the company's proven expertise and experience in developing and deploying operational unmanned systems in harsh and challenging environments at sea.
More from Uncrewed Vehicles
-
![Cummings Aerospace showcases Hellhound loitering munition designed for US Army’s LASSO programme (video)]()
Cummings Aerospace showcases Hellhound loitering munition designed for US Army’s LASSO programme (video)
Cummings Aerospace presented its turbojet-powered Hellhound loitering munition at SOF Week 2025, offering a man-portable solution aligned with the US Army’s LASSO requirements.
-
![SOF Week 2025: PDW unveils attritable FPV drone for SOF operations at scale]()
SOF Week 2025: PDW unveils attritable FPV drone for SOF operations at scale
PDW has revealed its Attritable Multirotor First Person View drone at SOF Week 2025, offering special operations forces a low-cost, rapidly deployable platform for strike and ISR missions, inspired by battlefield lessons from Ukraine.
-
![SOF Week 2025: Teledyne FLIR white paper provides guidance on reusable loitering munitions]()
SOF Week 2025: Teledyne FLIR white paper provides guidance on reusable loitering munitions
Teledyne FLIR is highlighting the emerging requirements for 'recoverable and re-usable' loitering munitions across the contemporary operating environment during this week’s SOF Week conference in Tampa, Florida.
-
![SOF Week 2025: Kraken Technology group debuts K3 Scout USV in North America]()
SOF Week 2025: Kraken Technology group debuts K3 Scout USV in North America
High-performance maritime industry player Kraken Technology Group, based in the UK, has used the SOF Week conference in Tampa, Florida this week to debut its K3 Scout uncrewed surface vessel (USV) to the North American market.
-
![Palladyne AI and Red Cat to demonstrate capabilities for autonomous drone swarms to the US military]()
Palladyne AI and Red Cat to demonstrate capabilities for autonomous drone swarms to the US military
Red Cat and Palladyne AI recently conducted a cross-platform collaborative flight involving three diverse heterogeneous drones.
-
![Jammer resistant drone designs spark search for countermeasures]()
Jammer resistant drone designs spark search for countermeasures
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has driven another stage of evolution for drones and the counter measures to defend against them.
