MANASSAS, Va. --- Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation announced today that Northrop Grumman Corporation’s Integrated Systems Sector has awarded the company a contract valued at more than $16 million for the fabrication of design, test and production tooling in support of the U.S. Air Force’s new RQ-4B Global Hawk unmanned aerial reconnaissance system.
The tooling will be used by Aurora, a subcontractor to Northrop Grumman on the Global Hawk program, to build aft fuselage composites, v-tails and nacelles for the new RQ-4B model. Northrop Grumman has begun developing and producing the RQ-4B Global Hawk following a recent award by the Air Force for advanced procurement activities and long-lead hardware.
Aurora’s tooling fabrication will support Northrop Grumman’s production of three RQ-4B air vehicles at its Palmdale, Calif., manufacturing facility as part of the third lot of Global Hawk’s low-rate initial production (LRIP). Aurora has produced structural components for all Global Hawk vehicles delivered to date during the LRIP phase.
“We selected Aurora because they have strong expertise in the development and manufacturing of affordable tooling for aircraft production,” said Carl O. Johnson, vice president and Global Hawk program manager, Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems Sector. “Aurora also provides state-of-the-art ISO 9001- 2000 certified composite and metal aerostructures manufacturing at their West Virginia facilities, with proven success in producing major assemblies for the Global Hawk program.”
Aurora is ISO certified and in full compliance with ISO 9001-2000 requirements. The company’s primary manufacturing plant in Clarksburg, West Virginia, is a 65,000 square foot facility that houses state-of-the-art composite and metal bonding manufacturing equipment, including an autoclave, water jet cutter, numerically controlled milling machines and non-destructive inspection capabilities. A 40,000 square foot expansion to the current facility is underway to house all composite manufacturing operations.
“This latest award continues our design support of Northrop Grumman on the Global Hawk program,” said Aurora president John Langford. “As a member of Northrop Grumman’s Global Hawk team since 1994, we provide about one-third of the exterior structure for Global Hawk and we look forward to continuing our important contribution to the mission of this larger version of the Global Hawk UAV.”
Aurora Flight Sciences is a leading supplier of unmanned air vehicle (UAV) designs, components, metal and composite structures, and flight services for government, industry, and academic institutions. The company operates facilities in West Virginia, Northern Virginia, and California. Aurora specializes in high-altitude, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL), and high- performance UAVs, and also provides rapid-turnaround prototyping of advanced UAV designs.
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Aurora Flight for Global Hawk Design, Test and Production Tooling
