Northrop Grumman is planning to conduct an aerial refueling demonstration performed by two Global Hawk HALE UAVs, under a DARPA funding. Illustration: Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman, National Air and Space Agency (NASA) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) are planning to demonstrate aerial refueling of a NASA Global Hawk autonomous aerial vehicles by a sister ship.  The program will be designated KQ-X.

The agency allocated US$33 million for Northrop Grumman, to conduct the autonomous refueling demonstration within the next two years. The demonstration perform the first-ever fully autonomous rendezvous, rejoin, station keeping, aerial refueling, and formation separation of two unmanned aircraft.  The flight will be conducted at altitudes typically flown by the Global Hawk’, hence, overcoming inherent limitations of high altitude flight in thin atmosphere and limited control authority associated with long-endurance aircraft. “The importance of aerial refueling is clear in the way military aviation depends on it today,” said Jim McCormick, the DARPA program manager for KQ-X. ”This demonstration will go a long way towards making those same advantages a reality for the next generation of unmanned aircraft.” A successful outcome will allow developers of future unmanned aircraft to produce more cost-effective systems that rely on aerial refueling for the most demanding missions.

Northrop Grumman will retrofit two of the high altitude long endurance (HALE) UAVs, one aircraft pumping fuel into the other in flight through a hose-and-drogue refueling system. The aerial refueling engagement will be completely autonomous. Engineering work will be accomplished at the Northrop Grumman Unmanned Systems Development Center in Rancho Bernardo, California. Pilots from NASA, NOAA, and Northrop Grumman will fly the Global Hawks from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, also in California. Sargent Fletcher, Inc. and Sierra Nevada Corporation are major KQ-X subcontractors.

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Canberra will be the lead ship of the Australian Navy new amphibious landing dock ship class

Saab will supply the Sea Giraffe Agile Multi-Beam (AMB) radar to equip the Australian Canberra class amphibious ships. The value of the order is US$15.6 million.

Sea Giraffe AMB 3D naval multi-mission radar from Saab Microwave

The Sea Giraffe AMB system comprises a multi-mission capable surveillance systems providing simultaneous air defense, air and sea surveillance, air/land integration, military air traffic control and rocket, artillery and mortar alert. Saab’s Sea Giraffe naval surveillance radar is in operational service on the Australian and New Zealand Anzac Class frigates. The Giraffe radars are currently in production and in use with armed forces including Sweden, France, Estonia and the UK. HMAS Canberra is the lead ship of two new amphibious landing dock ships to be delivered in 2012 – 2014, replacing the current amphibious support vessels operated by the Royal Australian Navy.

Australia has also leased from Saab a land based Giraffe ABM radar to provide early warning from mortars and rocket attacks for troops deployed to Uruzgan, Afghanistan. The lease contract value is approximately $32 million including operations and support. It is considered as an interim measure until more radars are acquired and fielded.

Canberra will be the lead ship of the Australian Navy new amphibious landing dock ship class

Saab will supply the Sea Giraffe Agile Multi-Beam (AMB) radar to equip the Australian Canberra class amphibious ships. The value of the order is US$15.6 million.

Sea Giraffe AMB 3D naval multi-mission radar from Saab Microwave

The Sea Giraffe AMB system comprises a multi-mission capable surveillance systems providing simultaneous air defense, air and sea surveillance, air/land integration, military air traffic control and rocket, artillery and mortar alert. Saab’s Sea Giraffe naval surveillance radar is in operational service on the Australian and New Zealand Anzac Class frigates. The Giraffe radars are currently in production and in use with armed forces including Sweden, France, Estonia and the UK. HMAS Canberra is the lead ship of two new amphibious landing dock ships to be delivered in 2012 – 2014, replacing the current amphibious support vessels operated by the Royal Australian Navy.

Australia has also leased from Saab a land based Giraffe ABM radar to provide early warning from mortars and rocket attacks for troops deployed to Uruzgan, Afghanistan. The lease contract value is approximately $32 million including operations and support. It is considered as an interim measure until more radars are acquired and fielded.

The roll out of the first X-47B UCAS-D. Photo: Northrop Grumman

The first flight of the U.S. Navy’s X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstrator has been postponed by several months and will take place at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. in the second quarter of next year (2010). Originally, it was scheduled for late 2009. Naval Air Systems Command UCAS-D program office (PMA-268) and the aircraft designer Northrop Grumman continue pre-flight testing of the aircraft to ensure the system’s readiness to fly early next year.

According to Capt. Martin Deppe, program manager in Patuxent River, Md., the thorough pre-flight tests are required to build confidence in this ‘new class of aircraft’. “The Navy is breaking new ground here, and given both the resulting technical complexity and strategic importance of this program, we’re taking a closer look before first flight to sort out any integration issues. We intend to do it right.” The X-47B will be the first unmanned jet aircraft to take off and land aboard an aircraft carrier. It also will be the first all-new aircraft of any kind to operate on the flight deck in more than 30 years.

Deppe said. The current tests include the X-47B ground-based check-outs, surrogate aircraft flight testing, and lab-based integration testing. Low-speed taxi testing is expected to commence in December 2009. Despite this delay, Deppe is confident the program will remain on-schedule for sea trials in 2012. The unmanned aircraft will demonstrate that a long-range, low-observable, flying-wing unmanned combat aircraft can operate safely from aircraft carriers and refuel in-flight to achieve ultra-long mission endurance.

UCAS-D Marks ‘Sea Change’ in Naval Strike, ISR Capabilities

The introduction of unmanned combat aircraft on board aircraft carriers will open revolutionary new capabilities for military aviation and naval aviation capability in particular. Scott Winship, Northrop Grumman vice president and Navy UCAS-D program manager defines the new capability as ‘sea change in military aviation’. Captain Martin Deppe, the U.S. Navy Unmanned Combat Aircraft System Program Manager explains the Navy’s vision “We look forward to a time when we can introduce a new long range, persistent, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) — strike capability to the carrier decks of tomorrow.”

The first Unmanned Combat Air Systems (UCAS) developed by Northrop Grumman for the U.S. Navy was unveiled on December 16, 2008 at the company’s manufacturing plant at Palmdale, California. The new aircraft, designated the X-47B is the first of two aircraft Northrop Grumman will produce for the Navy to demonstrate unmanned combat aircraft operations from the deck of an aircraft carrier. The Navy awarded the demonstration contract to Northrop Grumman in 2007 and aircraft assembly was completed in just over a year.

Following the roll out, the UCAS will undergo subsystem and structural testing through 2009, leading to the first flight scheduled in fall 2009. Carrier suitability tests and demonstration will be carried out during the sea trials planned to begin in late 2011.

The X-47B UCAS is produced by Northrop Grumman and industry teammates including Dell, Eaton Aerospace, GE Aviation, GKN Aerospace, Goodrich, Hamilton Sundstrand, Honeywell, Lockheed Martin, Moog, Parker Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, Rockwell Collins and Wind River.