• Digital Battlespace

  Northrop Grumman ESM officially designated AN/ALQ-240(V)1

  5th October 2012

  Northrop Grumman’s Electronic Support Measures (ESM) system for the US Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft has officially been designated the AN/ALQ-240(V)1. Assigning nomenclature is an important …

• Digital Battlespace

  Northrop Grumman to extend BACN connectivity

  27th September 2012

  Northrop Grumman has been awarded a contract modification by the US Air Force (USAF) to add beyond-line-of-sight command and control (BLOS C2) capabilities to the …

• Naval Warfare

  Boeing receives US Navy P-8A Poseidon order

  25th September 2012

  Boeing has received a contract from the US Navy for 11 P-8A Poseidon aircraft, which will take the total fleet to 24 and bolster the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  More STARLite radars for US Army MQ-1C Gray Eagle UAV

  20th September 2012

  Northrop Grumman will supply an additional 44 STARLite wide area surveillance radars for the US Army's MQ-1C Gray Eagle unmanned aircraft system under a contract …

• Defence Helicopter

  AFA 2012: Northrop Grumman to offer AW101 for US programmes

  18th September 2012

  Northrop Grumman plans to offer the AgustaWestland AW101 for two key US helicopter programmes, under a teaming agreement announced at the Air Force Association's Air …

• Digital Battlespace

  Key milestone reached for AOC Weapon System programme

  18th September 2012

  The US Air Force’s (USAF’s) Air Operations Center (AOC) Weapon System modernisation programme has reached a significant milestone following the successful completion of an integrated …

• Digital Battlespace

  SmartNode Pod linked with US Army HARC system in demo

  14th September 2012

  Northrop Grumman has announced that it has successfully completed a series of ground and flight tests in which its SmartNode Pod was linked with the …

• Military Logistics

  Northrop Grumman awarded KC-390 navigation system contract

  11th September 2012

  Northrop Grumman announced on 11 September that it has been awarded a contract to supply the hybrid global positioning system (GPS) and inertial reference system …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  ILA 2012: Northrop Grumman prepares for EuroHawk test flights

  11th September 2012

  Northrop Grumman is getting ready for the first test flights of the EuroHawk SIGINT platform inside German airspace, it has been revealed. The first EuroHawk …

• Digital Battlespace

  Northrop Grumman submits CAC2S proposal

  6th September 2012

  Northrop Grumman has submitted its proposal for the development and integration phase of the US Marine Corps (USMC) Common Aviation Command and Control System (CAC2S). …

• Defence Helicopter

  PZL-Swidnik reveals optionally piloted version of the SW-4

  4th September 2012

  PZL-Świdnik has taken the covers off an optionally piloted version (OPV) of its SW-4 light helicopter at the MSPO event in Kielce, Poland on 3 …

• Digital Battlespace

  Northrop Grumman's BACN reaches mission milestone

  31st August 2012

  Northrop Grumman has announced that its Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) has reached a significant milestone, having completed 3,000 missions flying aboard the E-11A Bombardier …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Cubic to produce new MQ-8C data link

  21st August 2012

  Cubic Defense Applications has announced that it received a contract from Northrop Grumman to produce a new multiband digital data link system for the MQ-8C …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  LEMV successfully completes first flight

  13th August 2012

  Northrop Grumman has confirmed, along with Hybrid Air Vehicles Limited, that the US Army’s Army's Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) has successfully completed its first …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2012: Army highlights LEMV milestone

  9th August 2012

  In her keynote address to AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems North America, Lt Gen Mary Legere, Deputy Chief of Staff, G2, US Army, highlighted this week’s first …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Data links

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

  The TACAMO Recapitalisation Programme (E-130J) will replace the ageing E-6B Mercury and transition the US Airborne Strategic NC3 capability between aircraft. E-130J mission equipment will ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | E-6 TACAMO Recapitalisation Programme (E-130J) [USN]

  The TACAMO Recapitalisation Programme (E-130J) will replace the ageing E-6B Mercury and transition the US Airborne Strategic NC3 capability between aircraft. E-130J mission equipment will ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | E-6 TACAMO Recapitalisation Programme (E-130J) [USN]

  The TACAMO Recapitalisation Programme (E-130J) will replace the ageing E-6B Mercury and transition the US Airborne Strategic NC3 capability between aircraft. E-130J mission equipment will ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | E-6 TACAMO Recapitalisation Programme (E-130J) [USN]

  The TACAMO Recapitalisation Programme (E-130J) will replace the ageing E-6B Mercury and transition the US Airborne Strategic NC3 capability between aircraft. E-130J mission equipment will ...

• 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 - fixed-wing, 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 - fixed-wing, 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 - fixed-wing, 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 - fixed-wing, 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 ...

• 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 ...

• UAS: communication systems

  UAS: communication systems | RangeHawk (RQ-4 Global Hawk) [US]

  Northrop Grumman received a US$325.5 million US Army contract in May 2026 to develop and acquire the RangeHawk HALE UAV, a modified RQ-4 Global Hawk designed ...

• UAS: flight control systems

  UAS: flight control systems | RangeHawk (RQ-4 Global Hawk) [US]

  Northrop Grumman received a US$325.5 million US Army contract in May 2026 to develop and acquire the RangeHawk HALE UAV, a modified RQ-4 Global Hawk designed ...

• UAS: communication systems

  UAS: communication systems | MQ-4C Triton (28-68) [USN]

  The USN is estimated to have acquired 27 Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Tritons under various contracts worth a combined US$6.31 billion. However, the original scale of ...

• UAS: flight control systems

  UAS: flight control systems | MQ-4C Triton (28-68) [USN]

  The USN is estimated to have acquired 27 Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Tritons under various contracts worth a combined US$6.31 billion. However, the original scale of ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, 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, Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  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.

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, 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, and ...

• AEW&C, Maritime patrol

  E-2 Hawkeye

  The E-2 Hawkeye AEW&C; aircraft has gone through several iterations and can be operated from land, as with Egypt and Mexico, or from a carrier, ...

• 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 - fixed-wing

  Talon Blue

  Talon Blue, or YFQ-48A, is a Collobrative Combat Aircraft (CCA) from Northrop Grumman and Scaled Composites. It was initally known as Project Talon. Unveiled in December ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, 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. ...