Indian Defence Review

LEMV: Northrop Grumman is extending its range of ISR capabilities with its Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) is a revolutionary aviation concept that will shape the future of ISR. The company is developing an aerodynamic design with less drag than competing designs, uses existing proven hull materials, has a type-certified engine and off-the-shelf sensors.

Northrop Grumman was awarded a $517 million agreement, in June 2010, to develop up to three LEMV systems for the US Army. Under the agreement, the company will design, develop and test a long-duration hybrid airship system within an 18-month time period – a very aggressive schedule. Within four months of signing the agreement, Northrop Grumman demonstrated its strong commitment to the customer by completing three important program milestones – including the. Preliminary Design Review, which looks at the hybrid air vehicle design, ground station infrastructure, and ground and airborne system software. The next major milestone for the programs is the Critical Design Review, at the end of the first quarter of Fiscal Year 11.

Longer than a football field, taller than a seven-story building and the capability to remain airborne for more than three weeks at a time, LEMV delivers a high level of fuel efficiency. The program leverages Northrop Grumman’s longstanding leadership in developing innovative unmanned air vehicles, C4ISR weapon systems and leading edge systems integration. LEMV is the unblinking, persistent eye for the emerging market space of airships for the military and homeland defense arenas.

Northrop Grumman has designed a system with plug-and-play capability to readily integrate into the Army’s existing common ground station command centers and ground troops in forward operating bases—the main objective is to provide US military users with persistent ISR capability to increase awareness of the ever changing battlefield.

LEMV will sustain altitudes of 20,000 feet for a three-week period, and it will operate within national and international airspace. It will be forward-located to support extended geostationary operations from austere operating locations using beyond-line-of-sight command and control.

X-47B UCAS-D: Northrop Grumman is building two strike fighter-sized, long-range, high endurance aircraft, designated the X-47B UCAS-D, for the US Navy. In 2009, the X-47B underwent a series of successfully, progressive structural, functional proof and calibration tests to verify the integrity of all flight control surfaces, major structural load paths, main landing gear structure and tailhook assembly.

In the 2013 timeframe, the aircraft will demonstrate that a long-range, low-observable, flying-wing unmanned combat aircraft can operate safely from aircraft carriers (launch and recovery), and refuel in-flight to achieve ultra-long mission persistence.

F/A-18: Northrop Grumman designed the prototype YF-17 fighter that has become the US Navy’s multi-purpose combat aircraft – the F/A-18 Hornet. The company now is responsible for producing the F/A-18’s shipset for prime contractor, The Boeing Company, .– for the single-seat F/A-18E, the two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornet as well as the EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft. Each shipset consists of the center/aft fuselage section, twin vertical tails and all associated subsystems. To date, the company has delivered 500 Super Hornet and Growler shipsets. Throughout the life of the program, the skilled Northrop Grumman workforce has continued to maintain high standards of quality and affordability, with all deliveries 100 percent on schedule or ahead of schedule.

ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS: Northrop Grumman is a leading developer, manufacturer, integrator and supporter of a variety of advanced electronic and maritime systems to international customers for national security and non-defence applications.

The company’s versatile Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radars are extending capabilities for searching, mapping and targeting missions – all with no moving parts. The AN/APG-80 radar is designed to search continuously for and track multiple targets within the forward hemisphere of the F-16 aircraft. As a result of increased operational flexibility, pilots will be able to simultaneously perform air-to-air search-and-track, air-to-ground targeting and aircraft terrain-following. 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. Additional advances of the APG-80 agile beam radar include much greater detection range, high-resolution synthetic aperture radar imagery, and a two-fold increase in reliability compared to conventional, mechanically scanned radars.

Its ability to operate at low ground speeds allows Fire Scout to move with soldiers in the field, and easily acquire and track targets in complex and urban terrain.

Northrop Grumman’s Multi-Role Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) surveillance radar is an advanced airborne surveillance sensor and provides peninsular protection enabling sophisticated air-to-air and maritime coverage and integrated friend-or-foe identification. The MESA radar provides air-to-air coverage, air-to-surface coverage, integrated identification friend or foe, special track beams and focused sector operation.

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

To The Sea

Currently, Northrop Grumman is the US’s sole industrial designer, builder, and refueller of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and one of only two companies that design and build nuclear-powered submarines. The company is also one of the nation’s leading providers and life-cycle supporters of major surface ships for the US Navy, US Coast Guard, international navies, and commercial vessels.

Northrop Grumman is building the LPD 17 San Antonio Class, the newest addition to the US Navy’s 21st Century amphibious assault force. The LPD 17 platform is ideal for both preserving peace in the region, as well as providing on-demand long-range humanitarian relief to people in need.

Longer than a football field, taller than a seven-story building and the capability to remain airborne for more than three weeks at a time, LEMV delivers a high level of fuel efficiency.

The 684-foot-long, 105-foot-wide ships are used to transport and land marines and/or relief workers, with their equipment and supplies by embarked air cushion or conventional landing craft and Expeditionary Fighting Vehicles amphibious assault vehicles, augmented by helicopters or vertical take-off and landing aircraft and assault vehicles, augmented by helicopters or other rotary wing aircraft.  The ships will support amphibious assault, special operations, or expeditionary warfare. Survivable in even the harshest conditions, this uniquely capable amphibious transport ship has outstanding medical and evacuation facilities and more than enough room to transport and support hundreds of military personnel and their equipment or relief workers and evacuees, and with airlift capabilities to match and situation.

And Into Space

Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor developing the James Webb Space Telescope, the world’s next-generation space observatory and successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. The most powerful space telescope ever built, Webb will observe the most distant objects in the universe, provide images of the very first galaxies ever formed and see unexplored plants around distant stars. Northrop Grumman will design and build the deployable sunshield, provide the spacecraft and integrate the total system.

Leading the design and development effort for the space agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center. When launched in 2014, the James Webb Space Telescope will peer into the past to a time when new stars and developing galaxies were first beginning to form. The Webb telescope’s infrared instruments will measure and capture images and spectra of galaxies that formed billions of years ago.

The company’s versatile Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radars are extending capabilities for searching, mapping and targeting missions – all with no moving parts.

The Webb telescope will use unprecedented near-infrared instruments and angular resolution to discover and study planetary systems like our own, analyze the molecular composition of extrasolar planets’ atmospheres, and directly image Jupiter-size planets orbiting nearby stars.

And In-between

Northrop Grumman’s Training Solutions Division has worked closely with thousands of civilian sector professionals, soldiers and commanders over the span of several decades in both the domestic and international arenas. Its training programs are based on up-to-date scenarios and real life situations. The National Level Exercises provide realistic exercising of most senior leaders, allowing them to make sound tactical and strategic decisions during actual crisis situations. Through these exercises, by the time elected and non-elected officials see action, they have, in a sense, already been there.

Providing training applications in live, virtual and constructive training environments, Northrop Grumman offers a full range of training services, from individual training products and courseware to full life-cycle training programs. The company is committed to providing a diversity of training applications and works daily to make them more valuable to its customers.

Providing training applications in live, virtual and constructive training environments, Northrop Grumman offers a full range of training services, from individual training products and courseware to full life-cycle training programs.

GLOBAL RELATIONSHIPS: Northrop Grumman is proud of the successful relationships it has built, and continues to build, around the world. A key element of Northrop Grumman’s growth is its commitment to the international marketplace. The company has a range of industry-leading capabilities available for international markets and sells products and services to customers in 25 nations.

India represents one of the largest potential growth markets for defence products in Asia and Northrop Grumman is prepared to meet the current and future requirements of the armed forces with its state-of-the-art technologies and advanced capabilities. The company, while involved in a variety of cooperative projects in India, is focused on the critical maritime security and surveillance sector.

Northrop Grumman is proud to have been a trusted supplier to the Indian armed forces and Indian industry for more than 25 years. The company supports India in a variety of defence and civil applications including air traffic control communications systems and radars, unmanned ground vehicles for the Indian Army and marine navigation systems for the Indian Navy. It brings significant, relevant capabilities for homeland defence modernization and command & control, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C2ISR).

The company continues to expand its presence in India through strategic industrial partnerships and in 2007, opened offices in New Delhi to better meet India’s growing demand for homeland defence upgrades, aerospace and commercial capabilities and technologies. At the same time, Northrop Grumman is building stronger working relationships with the Government of India, Indian armed forces military staffs and potential industry partners. Northrop Grumman is committed to working with India to be the trusted provider of the most advanced technology and capabilities to ensure the defence of India’s national security.