• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUSA 2017: Nomad wanders to Washington

  10th October 2017

  Northrop Grumman displayed the Andros Nomad UGV for the first time at the AUSA 2017 exhibition in Washington DC. The UGV is part of the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  NAVSEA cancels EOD robotic systems solicitation

  10th October 2017

  The US Navy Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) has cancelled solicitations for the Advanced Explosive Ordnance Disposal Robotic Systems (AEODRS) Increments 2 and 3. The circumstances …

• Defence Notes

  Northrop Grumman to acquire Orbital ATK

  21st September 2017

  Northrop Grumman has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Orbital ATK for approximately $7.8 billion in cash, plus the assumption of $1.4 billion in …

• Land Warfare

  Northrop receives full-rate JCREW production contract

  14th September 2017

  Northrop Grumman has received a $57.7 million contract from the US Navy for full-rate production of the Joint Counter Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare …

• Digital Battlespace

  Northrop advances RF technology

  13th September 2017

  Northrop Grumman has received a contract to supply advanced radio frequency (RF) signal generation technology to the US Navy, the company announced on 11 September.The …

• Military Logistics

  Northrop wins E-11A BACN support contract

  7th September 2017

  Northrop Grumman has received a contract worth $265 million from the US Air Force for aircraft maintenance and logistics support of the Battlefield Airborne Communications …

• Land Warfare

  US Army releases active protection roadmap

  30th August 2017

  As the US army contemplates whether it will field an active protective system (APS) for its current fleet of vehicles, the service has unveiled a …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  HII's Proteus demos battle space capabilities

  23rd August 2017

  Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) has demonstrated the performance of its Proteus dual-mode undersea vehicle as part of the US Navy-hosted Advanced Naval Technology Exercise (ANTX) …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  MQ-8B Fire Scout in two-part demo

  18th August 2017

  A detachment from the US Navy’s Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 23 has carried out a two part exercise with the MQ-8B Fire Scout UAS, Northrop …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Northrop Grumman to take part in ANTX

  16th August 2017

  Northrop Grumman will demonstrate new autonomous technologies during the Advanced Naval Technology Exercise (ANTX) at the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) in Panama City this …

• Digital Battlespace

  Northrop to upgrade JSTARS radio terminals

  10th August 2017

  Northrop Grumman has received a contract from the US Air Force to upgrade radio terminals aboard the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) …

• Defence Notes

  Taiwan stitches together F-35 request

  18th August 2017

  Taiwan is preparing to draft a request for price and availability for F-35 fighters to replace its ageing Dassault Mirage 2000 fighters, now numbering 56 …

• Digital Battlespace

  PDR for L-band reflectors completed

  11th August 2017

  Astro Aerospace has successfully completed the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) of the L-band reflectors for two Inmarsat-6 series satellites, Northrop Grumman announced on 9 August. …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  NZ seeks replacement EOD robots

  9th August 2017

  The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) is seeking replacement explosive ordnance (EOD) disposal robots, with an RfP recently issued on 4 August. The requirement covers …

• Digital Battlespace

  Thailand to upgrade more F-5 fighters

  4th August 2017

  The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) has asked the government for approval to upgrade four of its ageing Northrop F-5E Tiger II fighters, including new …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - HALE

  RQ-4 Global Hawk [Japan]

  Background Selection and contract award In 2015, Northrop Grumman’s RQ-4 Global Hawk UAS and E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft were selected by Japan ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  MQ-4C Triton (1-4) [Australia]

  Background Three Contracted Units In June 2018, the Government provided Second Pass (Tranche 1) Approval to procure the first of six air vehicles, supporting systems and ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  MQ-4C Triton (5-6) [Australia]

  Background Four Contracted Units In the summer of 2020, Northrop Grumman announced that the Australian Government provided $333 million for three MQ-4C Tritons and associated GCS. ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Marine Unmanned Expeditionary Tactical Aircraft (MUX TACAIR) (Contracted) [USMC]

  Background MUX umbrella Since 2016, the USMC has sought to acquire a UAV that can be deployed from a vessel, used for various missions, and ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  Long-Range Drones [Norway]

  Background Andøya Ambition On 3 April 2023, the Norwegian MoD released a statement confirming its plans for Andøya, the northernmost island in its Vesterålen archipelago. In addition to ...

• Military UAS - small

  AdvaNced airCraft Infrastructure-Less Launch And RecoverY (ANCILLARY) [US]

  Background Aims & Timeline As stated by DARPA, the ANCILLARY programme aims to develop and fly an X-plane that will provide a “leap-ahead” in long-endurance, VTOL-capable ...

• ISR/special mission

  E-6 TACAMO Recapitalisation Programme (E-130J) [USN]

  Programme Background The E-6 Take Charge and Move Out (TACAMO) Recapitalisation Programme (E-XX) provides for air vehicle replacement and mission systems modernization to augment and eventually ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  MQ-4C Triton [NATO]

  Background NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum During the July 2026 NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum in Ankara, Türkiye, NATO announced that Denmark, Finland, Germany and Norway ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Marine Unmanned Expeditionary Tactical Aircraft (MUX TACAIR) (Uncontracted) [USMC]

  Background MUX umbrella Since 2016, the USMC has sought to acquire a UAV that can be deployed from a vessel, used for various missions, and ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) [NATO]

  Background Purchase While NATO doesn’t have its own forces and depends on its allies, the alliance does have some of its own assets and equipment. In ...

• Bomber

  B-21 Raider [USA]

  Programme Background Development The US DoD is developing a new long-range bomber called the B-21 Raider, previously known as LRS-B. At least 100 units are ...

• Military UAS - small

  Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) (Increment 1) [USA]

  Programme Background Programme Objective The Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) was to provide a tactical ISTAR capability for US Army Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs). It was ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  RangeHawk (RQ-4 Global Hawk) [US]

  Background Contract award Northrop Grumman announced in May 2026 that it had secured a $325.5 million contract from the US Army to develop the RangeHawk ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  MQ-25 Stingray (16-76) [USN]

  Background Initial requirements The programme looked different when it began. In 2013, the USN awarded four Preliminary Design Review (PDR) contracts to Boeing, General Atomics, ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) (Increment 2) [USAF]

  Background Increment 1 In January 2024, during the first increment of the USAF’s CCA effort, the USAF awarded contracts to Anduril, Boeing, General Atomics (GA-ASI), ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - small

  ANCILLARY

  Northrop Grumman has developed a demonstrator tail-sitter UAV for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) ANCILLARY programme. Northrop states its design is a cost-efficient, multiple-mission capable vehicle built ...

• Loitering munitions

  Jackal

  The Jackal is a turbojet loitering munition designed by Northrop Grumman in partnership with AeroVironment.  It features an open architecture that provides the capability to support ...

• Military - UUVs

  Manta Ray

  Manta Ray is an uncrewed underwater vessel (UUV) developed by Northrop Grumman.

• Major networking projects

  IBCS

  The Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS) is a C2 system designed to integrate current and future sensors. The system also improves ...

• ISR/special mission

  Firebird

  Manufactured by Northrop Grumman, the Firebird is a unique platform that features different cockpit configurations. This feature allows the Firebird to be configured as either an uncrewed ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  H-1 Family of Avionics

  Northrop Grumman produces a family of avionics for Bell H-1-series helicopters.

• Military UAS - MALE

  YFQ-48A Talon Blue

  The YFQ-48A Talon Blue is a Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) from Northrop Grumman and Scaled Composites. Unveiled in December 2025, the system is reportedly lighter ...

• Air-to-surface missiles

  Stand-in Attack Weapon (SiAW)

  The Stand-in Attack Weapon (SiAW) is an air-to-ground weapon that will provide strike capability to defeat rapidly relocatable targets as part of an enemy’s anti-access/area denial ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Model 437

  Scaled Composites, a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman, unveiled the Model 437 in September 2021. The conceptual UAS is derived from a Model 401, or Son of Ares. It ...

• Air: aerial targets

  BQM-74F

  Building on the BQM-74E, the BQM-74F aerial target was developed by Northrop Grumman under a USN contract. Introduced in 2005, it has a new airframe ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  AN/APG-80

  The AN/APG-80 is an X-band active electronically scanned array radar system with approximately 1,000 transmit/receive modules, designed for continuous search and multi-target tracking capabilities in ...

• Guided munitions

  Viper Strike

  The GBU-44/B Viper Strike is an air-launched precision-guided munition (PGM) equipped with a relatively small-shaped charge warhead. It has been optimised for employment in urban ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  X-47B UCAS

  The X-47B is a tailless, strike fighter-sized unmanned aircraft, which was developed as part of the USN's Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstration project. The aircraft ...

• Bomber

  B-21 Raider

  The B-21 Raider is a strategic stealth bomber aircraft being developed by Northrop Grumman to succeed the B-1 and B-2 fleets in the USAF service. ...

• Cannons

  30/40mm Mk44 Bushmaster

  The 30mm/40mm Mk44 Bushmaster automatic cannon is a next-generation chain gun weapon in widespread use. The weapon has been designed for system simplicity, external power, ...