Sensors
AESA Sensors
In recent years we've seen a ground swell of people thinking "AESA is good" and "all AESAs are equally good" – that they've become homogenous. Northrop Grumman gets batched into the competition in the same manner. And that's not correct. There's a different discipline in the way we've approached our AESA developments which is significant for two reasons. First, it keeps us relevant in the modern battlefield. Second, it ties our engineering to our manufacturing through a generational-architecture mindset that allows us to get efficiencies in manufacturing across all the domains of AESAs that we build. We've based our approach on generational leaps in technology and capability, so we're not piecemealing our architecture across the enterprise with separate, unique parts, which would make it more expensive and less efficient from a manufacturing standpoint. It's about generating an "electronically scanned" culture.
Electronic Attack
Seeing, but not seen. That's the advantage of Northrop Grumman's ALQ-218 system. It's the most advanced Electronic Attack receiver for both air-to-air and surface-to-air threats. Even in a dense signal and jamming environment, the ALQ-218 can look through the clutter to locate, identify and line up jammer transmitters according to potential threats.
DIRCM Systems
Northrop Grumman's IRCM systems have been saving lives for nearly five decades. The current, 5th generation, combat-proven system is a modular open system architecture framework that functions automatically by detecting a missile launch, determining if it is a threat and activating a high-intensity laser-based countermeasures system to track and defeat the missile. Northrop Grumman is not sitting back. We continue to invest in next-generation technology to keep us and our industry partners at the forefront of this capability.
Distributed Aperture System (DAS)
Northrop Grumman has developed the only 360 degree, spherical situational awareness system in the electro-optical distributed aperture system (DAS). The DAS surrounds the aircraft with a protective sphere of situational awareness. It warns the pilot of incoming aircraft and missile threats as well as providing day/night vision, fire control capability and precision tracking of wingmen/friendly aircraft for tactical maneuvering.
Open Architecture (OA)
In today's dynamic threat environment, which is characterized by insurgent and irregular warfare, customers can no long rely on single-technology solutions. Open architecture allows for both flexible and adaptable solutions to predict, identify, circumvent and eliminate a wide range of threats across a multitude of platforms Because we started early to nurture and expand programs that encouraged exploration and development based on OA, it now finds itself well-positioned within the industry to develop and offer OA options that meet or surpass customer needs, often at a fraction of the cost.