Northrop Grumman Corporation showcased its wide range of electronic warfare (EW) solutions at the Defense Sensors Technology Conference which was held in Abu Dhabi this past week.
The two-day conference was organized by Tangent Link at the Abu Dhabi Officer's Club in association with the UAE Armed Forces. It discussed operational considerations in EW sensor exploitation, intelligence production, and information dissemination.
Brigadier General Saeed Obaid Al-Kaabi, Chief-of-Staff of the combined UAE Armed Forces said, 'The aim of the inaugural EW conference is to focus on the needs of the EW and intelligence community and offer an opportunity for industry to demonstrate its advanced technical solutions; solutions that might well have a practical application for the Armed Forces of the UAE as it seeks to build and develop its joint C4ISR capabilities, and in particular EW architecture.'
Steve Goldfein, Northrop Grumman's Director of Strategic Analysis and Douglas Raaberg, Director of Business Development for Air Force & Air National Guard Programs addressed the conference on EW interoperability focusing on the company's leading capability in Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) E-2D Advanced Hawkeye.
The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye program has modernized the E-2 weapon system by providing a new, more powerful radar and other avionics systems to create an advanced AEW&C. The EW capabilities of the E-2D contribute to both the tactical target identification and critical threat data collection.
'The UAE represents an important partnership for Northrop Grumman and we recognize the country's changing needs particularly in electronic warfare and homeland defence,' said Jerry Spruill, Director, AEW&C International Programs, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems sector.
'The 21st century battle space has dramatically changed and electronic warfare is a vital element in staying one step ahead of the threat. The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye's robust capabilities provide access to the battle space, degrade the enemy's capability to attack, and, most importantly, save lives,' he remarked.
Northrop Grumman has had an active presence in the Middle East for more than a decade with its regional headquarters in Abu Dhabi and has well-established partnerships with the UAE and other countries in the region in support of a variety of defence and civil programmes.
In 2008, the company further expanded its industry footprint by opening an office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
