• Naval Warfare

  IMDEX Asia: USS Fort Worth makes itself at home in Changi

  19th May 2015

  The Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) USS Fort Worth departed San Diego on 17 November 2014 to begin her 16-month rotational deployment to Singapore, arriving …

• Naval Warfare

  IMDEX Asia: USN confirms LCS deployment plans

  16th May 2015

  The US Navy (USN) has publicised its plans for Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) forward deployments to Singapore, with a spokesperson confirming to Shephard that four …

• Defence Helicopter

  USAF Ospreys to deploy to Japan in 2017

  13th May 2015

  The Pentagon has announced it will begin deploying its first squadron of Bell Boeing CV-22 Ospreys to Japan in 2017. The specially modified tiltrotor aircraft …

• Digital Battlespace

  Northrop Grumman introduces SABR-GS radar

  11th May 2015

  Northrop Grumman has introduced its Scalable Agile Beam Radar – Global Strike (SABR-GS) developed for the US Air Force B-1B Lancer. The development of the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  US AFRL tests MuSICA software

  8th May 2015

  The US Air Force Research Laboratories (AFRL) has completed a round of flight tests of the Multiple Sensor Integrated Conflict Avoidance (MuSICA) standard collision avoidance …

• Defence Helicopter

  Japanese Osprey buy moves a step closer

  7th May 2015

  The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified the US Congress on 5 May that it had cleared a sale of 17 Bell Boeing V-22B Osprey …

• Digital Battlespace

  Northrop navigation systems for Canadian coastal vessels

  29th April 2015

  Northrop Grumman has received a contract to design and provide gyrocompass navigation systems for 12 Royal Canadian Navy Kingston-class maritime coastal defence vessels (MCDVs), as …

• Digital Battlespace

  Northrop supports DoD's new cyber strategy

  27th April 2015

  Northrop Grumman announced its support for the US Department of Defense's (DoD) new cyber strategy that was released on 23 April. The strategy aims to …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  X-47B demonstrates autonomous aerial refuelling

  24th April 2015

  The X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstration (UCAS-D) aircraft successfully demonstrated fully autonomous aerial refuelling (AAR), as announced on 22 April. The demonstration was conducted …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Triton UAS flies with MFAS search radar

  23rd April 2015

  The US Navy’s MQ-4C Triton UAS flew with the new Multi-Function Active Sensor (MFAS) search radar on 18 April. The MFAS radar provides a 360-degree …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Northrop Grumman to open UAS-focused facility

  21st April 2015

  Northrop Grumman has leased the anchor position at the new Grand Sky Technology Park in Grand Forks County, North Dakota, for a UAS-focused facility, it …

• Digital Battlespace

  Northrop demonstrates new PTW processor

  20th April 2015

  Northrop Grumman has successfully demonstrated a space-design Protected Tactical Waveform (PTW) processor, the company announced on 15 April. The PTW processor has up to 20 …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Raytheon to deliver Korean Global Hawk ground segments

  1st April 2015

  Raytheon has been awarded a contract to deliver ground systems in support of four Global Hawk UAS purchased by South Korea, the company announced on …

• Digital Battlespace

  Northrop realigns ISR&TS division

  1st April 2015

  Northrop Grumman has realigned its Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Targeting Systems (ISR&TS) division to focus on its airborne and space ISR business. The realignment, which …

• Defence Helicopter

  Quad A 2015: Sikorsky-Boeing JMR TD supplier team announced

  31st March 2015

  The complete supplier teaming arrangement for the Sikorsky-Boeing SB>1 Defiant Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator (JMR-TD)has been announced at Quad A, Nashville. During the show Doug …

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, ...