Article Posted on : - Jan 31, 2011

The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye programme will be equipped with most technical advanced command and control capability available worldwide

LONDON (BNS): Northrop Grumman Corporation is all set to highlight the industry-leading range of capabilities in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) including airborne early warning and control systems for maritime reconnaissance, fire control radars and unmanned aerial vehicles, at the Aero India 2011 exhibition.

The 8th edition of ‘Aero India 2011’ will start from February 9-13 at the Air Force Station Yelahanka, Bengaluru. The show is organised by the Indian Ministry of Defence, Defence Exhibition Organisation and managed by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

"ISR systems are critical to effective homeland security and our leadership in multiple-domain ISR strongly positions Northrop Grumman to help create solutions for India's coordinated national defence structure," Bill Schaefer, vice president, business development, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems sector, said in a company statement.

The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye programme couples a newly designed electronically scanned radar with a matching suite of sensors, avionics, processors, software and display's 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.

The first E-2D to enter the US Navy fleet was delivered in July 2010 and aircrew training is currently underway. An E-2D Advanced Hawkeye crew work-station will be among the exhibits to demonstrate the benefits of the E-2D for military and civil applications. India is among the very first countries for which the Advanced Hawkeye capability has been released.

The company will also highlight the models of the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Unmanned Aircraft System (BAMS UAS), the Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) and Fire Scout, vertical unmanned aircraft system (VUAS) multi-role UAV on display.

The MQ-4C BAMS UAS is based on a maritime derivative of the combat-proven RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft with sensors and is a multi-mission maritime ISR system that will provide a continuous on-station presence while conducting open-ocean and littoral surveillance of targets. Construction of the first BAMS UAS aircraft began in September 2010.

Northrop is also developing up to three LEMV long endurance hybrid airship systems for the US Army. This system is designed to be optionally manned, providing the flexibility to operate with or without a crew onboard and sustain altitudes of 20,000 feet for a three-week period, to provide persistent ISR capability. Final testing of the first LEMV is planned for the end of 2011.

The MESA surveillance radar is an advanced airborne surveillance sensor and provides national protection, enabling sophisticated air-to-air and maritime coverage and integrated friend-or-foe identification. It is the first of its type with potential capabilities that have yet to be exploited.

The company's industry-leading Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) programmes will also be featured with a full-scale model of the corporation's AN/APG-80 fire control radar for the F-16IN Super Viper multi-role fighter aircraft. The AN/APG-80 shares common architecture with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter's AN/APG-81 radar and is the only AESA fire control radar in India's Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) competition with operational experience.

Northrop Grumman's STARLite, a small, lightweight wide area surveillance radar used for supporting tactical operations, will be highlighted. STARLite features synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and ground moving target indicator (GMTI) capabilities for unmanned and manned aerial vehicle applications.

The company will also feature Multi Spectral EW simulation products. These products are used for simulating complex EW environments that cover the entire spectrum of conflict from radio frequency to infrared and the Integrated Battle Management System (iBMS) which provides the next generation of command and control and enhanced situational awareness.