AFRL and Northrop Grumman project will enhance connectivity for the warfighter
NewsOctober 13, 2023
SAN DIEGO. Northrop Grumman and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) are working on a project to integrate commercial space internet into airborne platforms in a bid to advance connectivity for warfighters and support the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) vision for Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2).
The announcement about the joint project says that Northrop Grumman’s open systems processors and antenna products are set to be tested as part of the award to bring beyond line-of-sight capabilities to air and ground forces. When completed, the installation is intended to enable the warfighter to securely share data and synchronize operations within milliseconds around the world; use open architecture, configurable systems to rapidly integrate into airborne platforms and ground vehicles; and present an affordable option for resilient connectivity using commercial space internet constellations across multiple orbits.
Dr. Brian Beal, principal aerospace engineer, Strategic Development Planning and Experimentation Office, Air Force Research Laboratory, said of the project: “We need communications that will be available for the warfighter in any environment. This program will accelerate these technologies onto many platforms across the joint force because that’s how we fight and that’s how we want to operate.”
