Northrop Grumman is showing Products and Capabilities from four sectors, Aerospace, Electronics, Information and Technical Services at AUSA National 2010
These include:
Advanced EHF Payloads (AEHF)
Advanced EHF (AEHF), the nation’s next generation military strategic and tactical relay system, will deliver survivable, protected communications to U.S. forces and selected allies worldwide. The system provides the joint, interoperable, assured connectivity for warfighters in operations in all levels of conflict — a capability not available through other planned military communication networks. AEHF provides much greater capacity and more flexible coverage than its predecessor, Milstar, while assuring operational continuity through compatibility with the Milstar constellation.
AEHF delivers the flexible connectivity-on-demand needed to achieve 21st century objectives — swift, decisive outcomes based on information dominance. On-orbit processing provides the flexibility needed to rapidly establish and reconfigure networks to meet dynamic command and control requirements. Electronically steerable antenna beams and flexible channel-to-beam mapping allows the delivery of capacity when it’s needed, where it’s needed. EHF frequencies, onboard digital processing, and highly directional antennas reduce the probability of jamming and intercept, assuring secure, reliable communications. Satellite crosslinks enable flexible global communications without the need for fixed site ground gateways.
Airborne Surveillance Minefield Detection System (ASTAMIDS)
Northrop Grumman Corporation’s Airborne Standoff Minefield Detection System (ASTAMIDS) program is being expanded, at the request of the U.S. Army, beyond its initial counter-mine mission to include reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition (RSTA) and target designation applications.
The added capabilities for the RSTA program are valued at an additional $26m to the $55m previously awarded to the company.
The ASTAMIDS program is slated to operate on the Army Future Combat System RQ-8B Fire Scout Class IV unmanned aerial vehicle, an unmanned helicopter being developed by Northrop Grumman, and be day or night capable. ASTAMIDS carries an integrated, multi-sensor, electro-optical infrared/multi-spectral imaging payload to detect patterned surface-emplaced mines, patterned recently buried mines and randomly scattered mines. The payload has the capability to detect obstacles, combat vehicles and other combat targets, including camouflaged targets. ASTAMIDS uses the latest quad-prism aperture-splitting technology with the aid of an integrated illuminator and target laser rangefinder and designator. The Army is developing change-detection algorithms, which will be inserted into the Future Combat System program, to address improvised explosive devices and single on-route mines by processing ASTAMIDS imagery.
With only a minor lens modification to the current design, the Army’s ASTAMIDS counter-mine RSTA program can also support alternate unmanned aerial vehicle higher-altitude mission applications. This lens modification will add only minimal additional weight to the 75-pound gimbaled payload thereby providing a significant weight savings over today’s larger electro-optical infrared gimbaled payloads and providing the user with additional mission options.
AN/APR-39 Radar Warning Receiver (RWR)
The electronic battlefield becomes more complex every day, dominated by an array of multispectral (RF/IR/EO) threats that jeopardize aircrew survival. To survive, aircrews must not only have sophisticated sensors and countermeasures, but a way to manage them as well.
The AN/APR-39 series is a family of RWRs fitted to a variety of fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and naval vessels. Current configurations are APR-39A(V)2, and APR-39B(V)2. Both variants cover the frequency range from C to K band, and provide conventional radar warning.
APR-39A(V)2 Threat Warning