USAF: Powerful B-2A Spirit stealth bombers during military exercises in Australia - YouTube

Deployed unannounced by Air Force Global Strike Command to give potential adversaires pause,Bomber Task Force missions emphasise the U.S. Air Force's ability to project combat power anytime,anywhere across the globe.At the same time,they enhance deterrence and defence alongside our Allies and Partners,including extended deterrence,shielding them with the U.S. nuclear umbrella.Northrop Grumman B-2A Spirit (NOC),Boeing RAAF F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters (BA) Boeing P-8A Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft (BA)*RAAF Base Amberley is located in Queensland,Australia.

"AMERICA'S FURY! US Launches POWERFUL Minuteman III ICBM Missile in Midnight launch - YouTube - Vandenburg Space Force Base,California - 5 NOV 2024

Northrop Grumman is developing the successor to the Minuteman III,the LGM-35A Sentinel.Northrop Grumman (NOC)

L3Harris and Northrop Grumman Moving Ahead on F-16 Electronic Warfare Suites - Sept. 19 - Avionics International

L3Harris and Northrop Grumman Moving Ahead on F-16 Electronic Warfare Suites - Sept. 19 - Avionics International: NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.—L3Harris Technologies said that its site in Clifton, N.J., several weeks ago began the build of 166 AN/ALQ-254(V)1 Viper Shield all-digital electronic warfare (EW) suites for F-16 fighters […]*L3 Harris Technologies Inc (LHX),Northrop Grumman (NOC),Lockheed Martin F-16D Fighting Falcon (LMT)

Pacific Perspective:US Air Force. B-2 Spirit bombers. Joint military exercises in Australia.

The drills are takking place at RAAF Amberley near Ipswich,Queensland.The RAAF operates the Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet primarily out of RAAF Amberley.Bomber Task Force missions such as this one are not announced in advance to give potential adversaries pause.Deployed by Air Force Global Strike Command,they emphasise the U.S. Air Force's ability to deter aggression,and,if necessary,defend our Allies and Partners,anytime and anywhere across the globe.The Northrop Grumman B-2A Spirit strategic bombers are a frequent participant in Bomber Task Force missions in both the European and Pacific theatres.*Boeing (BA),Northrop Grumman (NOC)

Northrop completes first flight of Australia's Triton maritime surveillance drone, ahead of 2024 delivery - Avionics International

Northrop completes first flight of Australia's Triton maritime surveillance drone, ahead of 2024 delivery - Avionics International: Northrop Grumman recently completed the first flight of Australia’s multi-intelligence MQ-4C Triton high-altitude, long-endurance maritime surveillance aircraft. The aircraft took off just before noon on Nov. 9, at Northrop’s Palmdale, […] Northrop Grumman (NOC)

Images of US Air Force's new B-21 Raider stealth bomber on its first flight on 10 November 2023

A brief film of the undisclosed first flight is followed by stills and earlier footage of the unveiling.The Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider was escorted by a Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon.A Reuters journalist was monitoring the activity at the Palmdale,California Plant 42 facility in the Mojave Desert.Plant 42 is owned by the US Air Force and operated as a component of nearby Edwards Air Force Base.It is a Government-Owned,Contractor-Operated facility (GOCO).Besides developing classified aircraft,it also services existing aircraft such as the B-2 Spirit strategic bomber.Lockheed Martin (LMT),Northrop Grumman (NOC)

B-21 Taxi Tests Underway, As Bomber Prepares for First Flight - Avionics International

B-21 Taxi Tests Underway, As Bomber Prepares for First Flight - Avionics International: Taxi tests of the Northrop Grumman [NOC] B-21 Raider stealth bomber are underway near Plant 42 in Palmdale, Calif., as the aircraft prepares for first flight. The Air Force issued […] Northrop Grumman (NOC)

U.S. Navy Awards Cockpit Modernization Contract to Northrop Grumman - Aviation Today

U.S. Navy Awards Cockpit Modernization Contract to Northrop Grumman: Northrop Grumman will evolve the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye cockpit and computing architecture with DSSC 6 as part of a new contract awarded by the U.S. Navy. Northrop Grumman (NOC)

Northrop Unveils DARPA Shipboard Drone Concept for Navy Tactical Missions - Avionics International

Northrop Unveils DARPA Shipboard Drone Concept for Navy Tactical Missions - Avionics International: Northrop Grumman unveiled the design of the new autonomous uncrewed VTOL aircraft it will build under a new contract from DARPA. Northrop Grumman (NOC)

Innoflight CEO Says Northrop Contract Represents "More Agile Approach To Space" - Avionics International

Innoflight CEO Says Northrop Contract Represents "More Agile Approach To Space" - Avionics International: Northrop Grumman chose Innoflight as a strategic avionics supplier for the Space Development Agency (SDA) Tranche 1 Transport Layer (T1TL) program. The Space Development Agency is a unit of the US Space Force charged with developing disruptive space technology. Northrop Grumman (NOC)

Northrop Announces Start of Testing for EMRIS Multi-Function Sensor - Avionics International

Northrop Announces Start of Testing for EMRIS Multi-Function Sensor - Avionics International: Northrop Grumman [NOC] said on Feb. 23 that it has begun integration and test of the new ultra-wideband Electronically-Scanned Multifunction Reconfigurable Integrated Sensor (EMRIS) to enable military forces “to accelerate decision timelines and act collectively.” The company has been developing EMRIS at the Linthicum Heights, Md., campus, which began operations as a Westinghouse site decades ago before its …

Orion Program Update:Gateway Milestones

On 5 January 2023,NASA announced that technicians at the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility,New Orleans,had finished welding the pressure vessel,or backbone,of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV),or capsule, for the Artemis IV mission,the first crewed mission to the Gateway lunar space station.Gateway's two initial components,the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) and the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) are being designed and constructed by Northrop Grumman and Maxar Technologies,respectively.Earlier,on 3 January,a new Gateway mockup was delivered to NASA Kennedy Space Center,to facilitate astronaut training on HALO systems.Gateway will be the most distant space station ever built,flying in a near-rectilinear lunar orbit,so crews will need extensive training on its operations.* The Co-manifested Launch Vehicle (CLV),referring to the HALO and the PPE,will be launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket at KSC Launch Complex 39A no earlier than November 2024.Future Gateway modules will include the European Space Agency (ESA)/Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) International Habitation module (I-HAB),which will increase the station's habitability capacity from its initial 30 days up to 60 days;the ESA ESPRIT-Refueler;and further logistics modules.The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) will provide the Gateway External Robotics System (GERS) called Canadarm3.Indeed,one of the four Artemis IV astronauts will be a Canadian.The Blue Origin Human Landing System (HLS) that will potentially transport astronauts on Gateway to the lunar surface is being co-developed by Blue Origin,Northrop Grumman,Lockheed Martin and The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory;while the SpaceX Starship has been selected to transport astronauts to the lunar surface for NASA'S initial lunar landing of the Artemis III return to the moon mission.NASA will award future lunar landing contracts on a competitive basis after Artemis III.* Gateway will provide unique science capabilities,allowing extended views of Earth,Sun,Moon and space not possible from Earth's surface or Low Earth Orbit (LEO).Two of the first three experiments for Gateway will be attached to the station's exterior.They will monitor the Sun's radiation environment and space weather,respectively;while a third experiment will fly inside HALO to study radiation shielding effects and improve radiation physics models for cancer,cardiovascular and central nervous system effects,helping assess crew risk on deep space exploration missions.At the same time,International Space Station missions will continue to be flown.* In HALO,there are accomodations for storing food,water,tools and experiments,plus space for exercise and sleep.It also provides a safe and healthy atmosphere,regulating proper rates of oxygen and nitrogen,while filtering the air for contaminent removal.ESA is providing the HALO Lunar Communication System (HLCS).* The Gateway will be a staging point for sustained lunar exploration and extensibility towards long-term lunar and solar system exploration.HALO itself is 3 meters/9.84 feet in diameter and has three docking ports.It features Time-Triggered Ethernet (TTE) for seamless integration of modules,payloads and subsystem components.* Lockheed Martin (LMT),Maxar Technologies Inc (MAXR), Northrop Grumman (NOC)

U.S. Air Force Kicks Off Launch Control Center Block Upgrades for Minuteman III - Avionics International

U.S. Air Force Kicks Off Launch Control Center Block Upgrades for Minuteman III - Avionics International: The U.S. Air Force 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo. and Northrop Grumman [NOC] began Launch Control Center Block Upgrades (LCCBU) this month to modernize support equipment for the Boeing [BA] Minuteman III ICBMs, the 90th Missile Wing said. The effort began at the Kilo-01 missile alert facility (MAF) near Dix, Neb. and … Northrop Grumman (NOC),Boeing (BA),BAE Systems PLC (LSE:BA)

B-21 Raider Rollout Livestream - Edwards Air Force Base

CENTCOM Commander Boards Nuclear Missile Submarine

U.S. Central Command commander General Michael "Erik" Kurilla,US Army,boarded the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS West Virginia (SSBN 736) on 19 October 2022 at a secret location in international waters of the Arabian Sea.Also coming aboard was Vice Admiral Brad Cooper,commander of U.S. 5th Fleet and NAVECENT.The Arabian Sea is between Oman,Yemen and Somalia to the west,and India to the east.General Kurilla got a hands-on briefing on the submarine's capability.The USS West Virginia traverses the globe as a member of U.S. Strategic Command and the seaborne leg of the nuclear deterrent triad. Said General Kurilla: These submarines are the crown jewel of the nuclear triad,and the West Virginia demonstrates the flexibility,survivability,readiness and capability of USCENTCOM and USSTRATCOM forces at sea.* The West Virginia is homeported at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay,Georgia.The Lockheed Martin Space UGM-133 Trident II ballistic missile deployed on the West Virginia is also deployed by the UK's Royal Navy on its Vanguard-class submarines.The Trident II Strategic Weapons System has greater accuracy,payload and range,such that it could be used as a first-strike weapon.* Each of the 14 Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines carries 24 Trident IIs.This will be reduced to 20 in 2023 in accordance with the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) agreed by the US and the Russian Federation.The Trident II can carry a variety of nuclear warheads,ranging from 475 kilotonnes of TNT equivalent all the way down to the tactical nuclear weapon range of 5-7 kilotonnes.* While Lockheed Martin Space is the missile's prime contractor,subcontractors include Boeing (navigation maintenance) and Northrop Grumman (engineering and integration).The missiles will remain in service until 2042 under a life extension plan (D5LE).Indeed,two of the D5LE missiles were sucessfully test-fired from the USS Wyoming (SSBN 742) in 2021.The new US Navy Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine will replace the Ohio-class,and the UK's new Dreadnought-class will supplant the Vanguard-class;but the new submarines will continue to field the UGM-133 Trident IIs.* Boeing (BA),Lockheed Martin (LMT),Northrop Grumman (NOC)

Game-Changer:B-21 Raider To Break New Ground in Deep Strike

The US Air Force intends to develop a sixth generation,long-range fighter jet to escort the new B-21 Raider strategic nuclear-capable bomber deep into enemy territory.The fighter is called "Penetrating Counter-Air" and is to assist the B-21 in supression of enemy air defences.* The B-21,which has a flying wing design similar to the B-2 Spirit bomber,is a subsonic aircraft,that is,flying slower than the speed of sound (Mach 1 is the point that is just beyond the speed of sound).The speed of sound varies depending on air temperature and other atmospheric conditions.The Raider is subsonic because of its large payload capacity of a mix of nuclear and conventional ordnance.It can deliver both the B61-12 tactical nuclear weapon as well as the Long Range Standoff (LRSO) nuclear cruise missile.With its advanced stealth design features and NextGen radar-absorbent coatings,lead contractor Northrop Grumman considers it the most advanced military aircraft ever built.So it will be capable of penetrating the toughest defences to deliver precision strikes in Anti-Access/Area Denial zones.* Six B-21s are currently in various stages of production in Palmdale,California.One of them is scheduled for unveiling to an invited audience in early December 2022,with first flight in early 2023.The Air Force Global Strike Command plans to acquire at least 100 B-21s,though the number may eventually reach about 200.Initial Operating Capability should come in the mid-2020s.Ellsworth Air Force Base,South Dakota is the preferred basing location for the first B-21 main operating base and formal training unit,with Dyess AFB,Texas as an alternate.The Air Force plans to retire the B-2 Spirit and B-1B Lancer bombers first as the B-21 comes online,with the B-52H Stratofortress remaining in service alongside the B-21 till mid-century.* Advanced software development techniques called DevStar will enable the upgrading of the Raider at the speed of relevance,incrementally adding warfighting capablities as opposed to the current massive Block approach.The B-21 will be able to rapidly field capability enhancements to both hardware and software,with enough processing power to quickly process information from onboard sensors and external sources for threat detection.Digital design and engineering make it possible to incrementally improve B-21 characteristics on a continuous basis.Suffice it to say,it is like nothing else ever seen before on the flight line. For example,the Raider will have minimum aircraft signatures in multiple frequency bands.* Subcontractors of the B-21 include Pratt and Whitney (Raytheon Technologies subsidiary);BAE Systems;Collins Aerospace (Raytheon Technologies subsidiary) and Spirit AeroSystems.* BAE Systems ADR (OTC:BAESY),Northrop Grumman (NOC),Raytheon Technologies Corp (RTX),Spirit Aerosystems Holdings Inc (SPR)

Northrop Grumman and U.S. Air Force Plan B-21 Unveiling in the First Week of December

Northrop Grumman and U.S. Air Force Plan B-21 Unveiling in the First Week of December: Northrop Grumman [NOC] said on Sept. 20 that it will unveil its B-21 Raider stealth bomber for the U.S. Air Force the first week of December at the company’s Palmdale, Calif., plant–a timeline confirmed the same day by Air Force acquisition chief Andrew Hunter during his appearance at a media roundtable at the Air & […]

UH-60V Black Hawk With Northrop Grumman’s OpenLift Cockpit Gets Airworthiness Certification - Aviation Today

UH-60V Black Hawk With Northrop Grumman’s OpenLift Cockpit Gets Airworthiness Certification - Aviation Today: Northrop Grumman said Monday the UH-60V Black Hawk, which is a retrofit of the UH-60L upgraded with the company’s ‘digital cockpit’ suite and OpenLift architecture, has received official certification to fly in all conditions. The Army Systems Readiness Directorate granted an Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) Airworthiness Release for the UH-60V as the program heads into …

Orion Program Update:Gateway Launch Date Scheduled

On 9 July 2021,NASA announced that it had finalised a contract with Northrop Grumman for the development of the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) for the Gateway,a small yet critical space station in lunar orbit that will serve as a waypoint and research platform for deep space exploration,including the Artemis Moon missions and missions to Mars.Under the 935 million dollar fixed price contract,Northrop Grumman will attach and test the integrated HALO with the Power and Propulsion Element by Maxar Technologies.Northrop will also lead the HALO/PPE turnover and launch preparations with SpaceX,which is slated to launch them in November 2024 on its Falcon Heavy rocket.Northrop will also support activation and checkout of HALO during the flight to its near-rectilinear lunar orbit,which will take it to tens of thousands of miles beyond the Moon at its farthest point,yet within easy reach of the lunar surface for sustained lunar exploration missions.Thus the core modules will be deployed and ready for the first crewed mission to Gateway.* According to NASA,the Gateway will facilitate inspirational scientific discoveries at and around the Moon,and provide the chance to further develop and test technology and science needed for crewed missions to Mars.Gateway will have pressurised living quarters with command and control systems,and three docking ports for the Orion spacecraft;lunar landers;and logistics resupply spacecraft.With its internal and external payload accomodations,Gateway will host science investigations and communications with lunar surface expeditions.Indeed,HALO will enable the aggregation of further habitable elements,such as the international module by the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) and ESA.ESA will also provide a refueling module and high-data-rate communications.Immediately after launch,HALO will host the Heliophysics and Radiation Measurement Experiment Suite (HERMES) built by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt,Maryland.HERMES will conduct research outside HALO.* Gateway's unique orbit will allow NASA and its international and commercial partners to conduct unprecedented deep space science and technology investigations,while also enabling sustained lunar exploration missions.* Canada will provide the Canadarm3 robotic arm for Gateway,and Canadian astronauts will be on the crew of the first crewed mission of the Orion spacecraft in lunar orbit,Artemis 2, and a later mission to Gateway,per an agreement signed by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and NASA.* HALO is based on the design of Northrop Grumman's Cygnus spacecraft,which provides logistical support to the International Space Station.* Northrop Grumman (NOC),Maxar Technologies (MAXR)

DARPA Taps Northrop Grumman To Develop AI ‘Assistant’ For Black Hawk Pilots - Aviation Today

DARPA Taps Northrop Grumman To Develop AI ‘Assistant’ For Black Hawk Pilots - Aviation Today: DARPA has tapped Northrop Grumman to develop an artificial intelligence solution that could serve as an “assistant” to UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter pilots, the company said Tuesday. Northrop Grumman, in partnership with the University of Central Florida, will build an AI prototype, called the Operator and Context Adaptive Reasoning Intuitive Assistant (OCARINA), that’s designed to be embedded …