SAN DIEGO, Aug. 5, 2009 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has successfully demonstrated a communications relay payload for a government customer during multiple flights of its Bat(tm) unmanned aircraft system (UAS).
Ideally suited to an irregular warfare environment, Bat(tm) offers real-time ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance), communications and strike capabilities in a system that is affordable, organic and persistent. Bat(tm) is runway independent, fully autonomous, and can be launched and recovered from land, air and sea.
The flight demonstrations occurred June 23-26, 2009 at Naval Air Facility El Centro, Calif. Northrop Grumman also demonstrated the Bat(tm) system's reliability with five flights over the four-day period.
"We are extremely pleased with the results of these flights, which were conducted in a realistic, desert theater setting," said Corey Moore, vice president of Advanced Concepts - Air and Land Systems for Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector.
Northrop Grumman is integrating several new payloads, a common ground control architecture and air vehicle upgrades that include a new engine, a new launcher capability and several air vehicle capability enhancements.
The communications relay payload was demonstrated on an air vehicle with a wingspan of 10 feet. The Bat(tm) product line features wingspans ranging from 6.5 to 33.2 feet.
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a leading global security company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, shipbuilding and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide.
CONTACT: Jim Hart
Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems
(310) 331-3616
james.f.hart@ngc.com
Rene Freeland
Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems
(858) 232-2847
rene.freeland@ngc.com