Northrop Grumman, SAN DIEGO: Northrop Grumman Corporation has received a $90 million contract, to be completed in September 2009, from the U.S. Air Force to integrate a new airborne surveillance radar on the Global Hawk unmanned aerial system (UAS) to provide unprecedented situational awareness to battlefield commanders.
Northrop Grumman and Raytheon Company are jointly developing and producing the radar under the Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program (MP-RTIP). MP-RTIP is an advanced air-to-surface/air-to-air radar that will deliver long-range, very high-resolution synthetic aperture radar, ground moving-target indicator capabilities and air target-tracking capabilities. Northrop Grumman also is the prime contractor MP-RTIP.
This contract will include the integration of the MP-RTIP radar into the Global Hawk system, including the air vehicle and ground stations, to support the air-to-ground radar mission. The radar's air-to-air capability may be added as a future upgrade.
Testing of the pod that will house the radar has already begun. The pod was flown on the high-altitude Proteus test aircraft April 27 to test the aerodynamic effects of adding the pod to the aircraft. The pod contained mass simulators to replicate the weight and characteristics of the radar.
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