Northrop Grumman Corporation (NGC) will highlight a wide range of its global security capabilities and programs at the Singapore Air Show (14-19 February), including airborne early warning and control systems, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), fire control radars and infrared countermeasures.
The company will feature its family of Q-4 High Altitude Long Endurance aircraft such as the MQ-4C Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Unmanned Aircraft System (BAMS UAS), and E-2D Advanced Hawkeye.Based on the combat-proven RQ-4 Global Hawk UAS, the BAMS UAS is a versatile maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance system to support a variety of missions while operating independently or in direct collaboration with fleet assets. When operational, BAMS will play a key role in providing Commanders with a persistent, reliable picture of surface threats, covering vast areas of open ocean and littoral regions, significantly augmenting the use of other manned assets to execute surveillance and reconnaissance tasks.
The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye program couples a newly designed electronically scanned radar with a matching suite of sensors, avionics, processors, software and displays to provide the most technologically advanced command and control capability available worldwide. The AN/APY-9 radar with a two-generation leap in capability is the backbone of this aircraft and provides greater flexibility and significantly improved detection and tracking over all terrains. To date, Northrop Grumman has delivered 7 E-2Ds to the U.S. Navy. The program is on track for Initial Operational Test and Evaluation in 2012 and Initial Operational Capability in the U. S. Navy fleet in 2015.
NGC’s Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) programs will also be featured. A model of the corporation's newest AESA fighter sensor, the Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR), will be on display. SABR is designed as a retrofit for existing Block 52 and previous F-16 aircraft and is scalable to fit other aircraft platforms and mission areas.
As the world's sole supplier of fire control radars for fifth-generation fighters, NGC supplies the AESA fire control radars for the F-35 and F-22. In addition, a range of sensor systems will be highlighted, including directional infrared countermeasures; AN/APR-39B(V)2 suite of integrated sensors and countermeasures; the LITENING advanced airborne targeting and navigation pod; and the electro-optical Distributed Aperture System through the F-35.
As a principal and founding member of the F-35 industry team led by Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman is responsible for the design and production of centre fuselages for all three variants of F-35 aircraft: conventional takeoff and landing; short takeoff, vertical landing; and a carrier variant. Northrop Grumman completes the F-35 centre fuselages – the core structures around which the aircraft are built - at its Palmdale, California, facility.
Additionally, NGC produces the aircraft's communications subsystems; develops mission systems and mission-planning software; leads the team's development of pilot and maintenance training system courseware; and manages the team's use, support and maintenance of low-observable technologies.
NGC will also showcase its Electronic Support Measures system and Early Warning Self Protection that are currently part of the U.S. Navy P-8A airborne maritime patrol program. The S-Band long-range AN/TPS-78 mobile radar system will also be highlighted.
