Northrop Grumman has recently carried out successful demonstration of its future ultra-lite electronic attack (EA) prototype system for the US Navy.
The demonstration was conducted in collaboration with the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), as part of the US Navy’s multinational exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC).
The test series was conducted to assess and showcase several key components and capabilities of the ultra-lite EA system.
Conducted aboard a US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, the demonstration involved Northrop Grumman to evaluate various EA capabilities of its new transceiver technology, integrated with the NRL’s expeditionary EA antenna.
Northrop Grumman maritime electronic warfare advanced solutions director Monta Harrell said: “This at-sea demonstration proves Northrop Grumman’s future low-size, weight and power, scaled EA solution can effectively support US Navy missions.
“The lessons learned from the RIMPAC exercise provide real-world insights into our low-risk architectural solution for smaller ships that will revolutionise EA for the US Navy.”
The newly demonstrated system is a scaled-down, onboard EA system designed to provide anti-ship missile defence to smaller naval vessels.
In the next stage, the company will conduct other demonstrations later this month to validate additional concepts of the EA system. It will also examine and verify reliability and scalability of the system.
Northrop Grumman is also under contract to advance the electronic warfare (EW) capability of the US Navy.
In October 2020, the company was selected to provide AN/SLQ-32(V)7 Surface EW Improvement Programme (SEWIP) Block 3 systems for the US Navy.
This Block 3 system also underwent a formal land-based test later in June 2021.
