Northrop Grumman Developing Advanced, Integrated Ground Surveillance Systems for Multiple Platforms
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates--- Northrop Grumman Corporation's Integrated Systems and Aerostructures (ISA) sector is highlighting breakthrough technological achievements in airborne ground surveillance (AGS) at Dubai 2000, including the capability to integrate that data with command, control and combat infrastructure.
"We are well aware that all nations are concerned for the integrity of their borders, and particularly what is occurring beyond them," said Martin E. Dandridge, ISA vice president-Airborne Ground Surveillance and Battle Management Systems. "There is nothing more valuable than to be able to watch the movement of a potential adversary's military forces on the ground as they move, where they move, and at the moment they move. We have that technology available today."
At Dubai 2000, Northrop Grumman is highlighting this technology, which can be used in platforms ranging from business to mid-sized jets and integrated with unmanned aerial vehicles. Two key Northrop Grumman systems will be discussed in Dubai: (1) the U.S. Air Force Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) and its pre-planned product improvements, such as the next-generation Radar Technology Insertion Program (RTIP), now in development and (2) the RQ-4A Global Hawk high-altitude endurance unmanned aerial reconnaissance system.
"We are the only company in the world that has scaleable AGS technology," said Mr. Dandridge. "We can adapt this technology to fit specific customer requirements. This AGS capability can be placed in almost any size aircraft. In the 14 years since we first began Joint STARS development, we've proven the value of AGS and we've developed a range of products to meet nearly any nation's needs."
One of the key capabilities Northrop Grumman has is integration of leading-edge AGS systems into a nation's self-defense infrastructure. Company officials said it is critically important to include an AGS platform in an integrated "system of systems". This maximizes the operational utility of airborne assets and provides situation awareness and forewarning of potential threats in time to act upon them.
"We pioneered AGS technology and today we are setting new standards with RTIP in probability of detection, target location accuracy, minimum detectable velocity of ground vehicles, coverage area, target recognition and more," Mr. Dandridge said. "But getting value from AGS means transmitting great volumes of information to people on the ground and in the air. With this information, they can decide how to respond to threatening ground movements on the other sides of their borders and tailor a measured response. We and our teammates have developed advanced data links and other communications tools that disseminate ground-moving target and other information throughout complex command and control networks. That's how battles are won and, perhaps more beneficially, how battles can be avoided."
Another significant technological component of airborne ground surveillance that Northrop Grumman will discuss is the new RQ-4A Global Hawk high-altitude endurance unmanned aerial reconnaissance system. Global Hawk is a powerful surveillance asset designed to enable the warfighter to achieve information dominance throughout the battle space with impressive capabilities.
The aircraft can fly 13,500 nautical miles nonstop. Operating at an altitude of 65,000 feet, it can remain aloft for as along as 38 hours. Its sophisticated, all-weather, night and day sensors include synthetic aperture radar, electro-optical and infrared systems. The aircraft can search an area of 40,000 square miles in just 24 hours and see targets with one foot of resolution from as far away as 150 miles.
Global Hawk has effectively demonstrated its ability to operate autonomously, conduct prolonged missions within the demanding regimes of high altitude, navigate accurately over extremely long distances, and automatically react in an appropriate manner to both planned and unexpected contingencies through its dynamic re-tasking capability.
Delivery of essential information collected by Global Hawk into a force's command and control infrastructure in near-real time is conducted through a redundant system of satellite and line-of-sight data links. These communication links connect the aircraft and its sensors to a ground segment designed to deliver formatted, immediately useable imagery directly to a field commander's intelligence staff and simultaneously to a national security imagery exploitation system. When integrated with Northrop Grumman's scaleable AGS systems, Global Hawk becomes a vital element of an integrated combat infrastructure and a key component of a system of systems. Together, they can provide the warfighter with the essential intelligence needed to achieve information dominance.
Whether in battle or stopping combat before it occurs, foreknowledge is the key weapon that allows a nation the opportunity to pursue diplomatic solutions to conflict and still have adequate time to prepare a military response.
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Northrop Grumman Developing Advanced, Integrated Ground Surveillance Systems for Multiple Platforms
