HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Feb. 17, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- The U.S. Army's new Eagle Eyes dual-mode infrared/millimeter-wave radar (IR/MMW) seeker, supplied by Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC), successfully detected, acquired, tracked, and struck a moving multiple rocket launcher during a Jan. 11 engineering flight test.
Engineers from the Army's Precision Fires Rocket and Missile Systems project office and Northrop Grumman's Land Combat Systems business unit conducted the test on the missile range at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. It was the third in a series of developmental tests planned for the Eagle Eyes program.
"These tests have enabled us to refine and mature Eagle Eyes' advanced sensors and algorithms," said Emmitt Gibson, vice president of Precision Munitions at Northrop Grumman. "Integrated with either a loitering weapon or a missile, the seeker will improve substantially the Army's ability to strike discrete, high-value targets, both moving and stationary."
William H. Forster, vice president of Land Combat Systems at Northrop Grumman, added, "The consistent performance of Eagle Eyes in these tests confirms our belief that our tri-mode seeker, which integrates this combination with a semi-active laser for the Joint Common Missile program, is ready for system development and demonstration."
The seeker was integrated with an unpowered precision loitering munition and equipped with a high-density flight data recorder instead of a warhead. It was released from a Cessna aircraft at a tactical altitude.
A preliminary analysis of the data and visual inspection of the target indicated that all test objectives were accomplished. The munition executed the planned top-down direct attack maneuver as designed, and the seeker achieved and maintained dual-mode track, fusing data from the IR and MMW sensors. The test demonstrated that the terminal guidance algorithms worked effectively in guiding the munition into the selected target, which was struck in a vulnerable area.
Eagle Eyes offers onboard sensor fusion for an expanded engagement capability against a wide range of both stationary and moving ground targets, even in adverse weather conditions and against sophisticated countermeasures. It combines advanced millimeter-wave radar with an imaging infrared sensor, providing a co-boresighted, dual-mode seeker in a 5.5-inch-diameter, 8-inch-long compartment.
Land Combat Systems -- Huntsville is a unit of Northrop Grumman's Baltimore-based Electronic Systems sector, a world leader in the design, development, and manufacture of defense and commercial electronic systems and sensors, including airborne radar, navigation systems, electronic countermeasures, precision weapons, airspace management systems, communications systems, space sensors, marine and naval systems, government systems, and logistics services.
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