EL SEGUNDO, Calif., and FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany, Dec. 19, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) and EADS highlighted important progress in their trans-Atlantic cooperative defense efforts with the first successful demonstration of an EADS electronics intelligence (ELINT) payload aboard a U.S. Air Force RQ-4A Global Hawk, built by Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems sector.
U.S. Air Force and German Ministry of Defense officials conducted the demonstration during flight tests Nov. 17 and 22 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
The Edwards flight test team demonstrated the ELINT sensor's ability to reliably disseminate information via data link from the sensor on board the UAV to the ground station in preparation for a Global Hawk ELINT demonstration scheduled for next spring in Germany.
"EADS and Northrop Grumman started the Euro Hawk initiative two-and-a-half years ago. We are proud to see how far this project has progressed since, and we are proud of our teams and their great work. Euro Hawk is fully supported by the U.S. and German air forces, and it will play a pivotal role in the future European intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance structure, including the recently launched NATO air ground surveillance program," said Dr. Thomas Enders, head of the EADS Defence & Civil Systems Division.
The Northrop Grumman and EADS system concept for Euro Hawk is based on Global Hawk. Euro Hawk conforms to the urgent German demand for airborne, long-range reconnaissance and surveillance. Euro Hawk is being developed as a candidate to replace the Breguet Atlantic 1150 signals intelligence (SIGINT) system that will be phased out of the German military beginning in 2008.
The system will be designed for high altitudes and long flight times for standoff reconnaissance and surveillance. Furthermore, a ground station for data evaluation will be developed for this reconnaissance system to meet German operational requirements.
Both organizations believe that Global Hawk and the Euro Hawk derivative signal a new trend in trans-Atlantic cooperation for the development of high-technology UAV systems. The trend is also symbolized by NATO's recent response to Airborne Ground Surveillance (AGS). EADS and Northrop Grumman applauded NATO's decision to include AGS as a key element of the Prague Capabilities Commitment at the recently held Prague Summit. These milestones represent major advances in the commitment to trans-Atlantic cooperation.
"The Global Hawk German ELINT demonstration illustrates our progress in cooperatively developing robust unmanned systems," said Scott J. Seymour, president of Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems. "In the area of manned surveillance systems, Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems and EADS, together with Galileo Avionica and Thales, have worked diligently to build consensus among NATO members in favor of an advanced AGS capability. NATO's positive decision regarding AGS is a direct result of our combined efforts. This capability will be available for combined NATO operations, as well as autonomous European operations."
EADS, in multinational cooperation, is currently developing the active SOSTAR radar sensor, and Northrop Grumman is prime contractor for the U.S. Air Force's Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program (MP-RTIP). The two companies will work together to develop and build a next-generation radar sensor, leveraging where possible from both SOSTAR and MP-RTIP.
Encouraged by NATO leadership, Northrop Grumman and EADS, along with Galileo Avionica, have taken the industrial lead in this initiative by offering an approach called the Transatlantic Industrial Proposed Solution. This approach will provide a fully integrated solution to this critical surveillance requirement.
"These recent events clearly signal that balanced trans-Atlantic cooperation can be achieved," said Ralph D. Crosby, chairman and chief executive officer, EADS North America. "Industrial collaboration serves both NATO and the EU by providing innovative solutions to emerging military requirements and by eliminating duplication of effort, particularly in the early phases of programs. We are pleased to be on a successful track in this regard."
With revenues of 30.8 billion euros and a work force of more than 100,000 employees, EADS is a leading aerospace and defense company and the second largest company of this industry. It is one of the market leaders in defense technology, civil aviation, helicopters, space technology, military transport and combat aircraft, as well as related services. Furthermore, EADS holds stakes in the civil aircraft producer Airbus, the world's largest helicopter producer Eurocopter, the space company Astrium and MBDA, the world's second largest missile producer.
Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems, headquartered in El Segundo, Calif., is a premier aerospace and defense systems integration enterprise with the capabilities to design, develop, produce and support fully missionized integrated systems and subsystems. Integrated Systems delivers best-value solutions, products and services in support of chosen segments within the broad market areas of battlespace awareness, command and control systems and integrated combat systems.