RESTON, Va., April 26, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) will demonstrate the military applications of Fast File Transfer, a spin-off of technology originally developed for Hollywood, during the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Partners Conference, April 25-28 in Dallas.
Fast File Transfer is patent-pending technology developed by Northrop Grumman's Mission Systems sector to move large files over the Internet with greater reliability and speed than existing applications or technologies. It was originally developed to meet a requirement for encrypted-data-transfer technology so that those involved in making movies and television shows can see the footage from disparate locations, discuss what they see over a computer network, and make changes in real time.
Most recently, the Office of the Secretary of Defense's Joint Combat Camera Center, which provides film of military operations, is using Fast File Transfer to send large video files and imagery from the tactical site back to their headquarters for news releases. Using Fast File Transfer, the Joint Combat Camera Center and the U.S. Navy recently beamed footage of tsunami relief efforts to the Pentagon for release to news agencies. The result was a transfer of video imagery from the photographer to the Pentagon, and subsequent release to news agencies, in record time.
With the success of Fast File Transfer in the tsunami relief efforts, the Navy decided that Fast File Transfer was an excellent solution for moving files off of a ship over a Transmission Control Protocol link. The Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) approved Fast File Transfer for onboard ship use earlier this year.
Northrop Grumman envisions military commanders using Fast File Transfer in situations requiring large image and video files to command and control troops and equipment, or in areas where large data files need to be exchanged but critical communications equipment is scarce.
Northrop Grumman also plans to market Fast File Transfer to other Defense Department agencies, civil government organizations, as well as to commercial media outlets, bandwidth providers and Internet service providers.
"We see a wide range of military and commercial uses for this technology, and we look forward to demonstrating its effectiveness for our military customers," said Otto Guenther, vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman Mission Systems' Tactical Systems Division. "We see this as an opportunity to solve a Defense Department-wide problem of transferring large image and video files from remote areas with limited network and communications equipment available."
The DISA Partners Conference demonstration will consist of three computers, one each for the client and server side of Fast File Transfer, and one that will emulate the Internet. The demonstration will simulate the sending of files over the Internet and directly compare Fast File Transfer to File Transfer Protocol, the current standard.
"Fast File Transfer is much more reliable and faster than typical solutions for transferring files over the Internet" said Robert Miller, Northrop Grumman's Fast File Transfer program manager. "To date, we've not had a single transfer failure with Fast File Transfer."
Northrop Grumman Mission Systems, based in Reston, Va., is a global integrator of complex, mission-enabling systems and services for defense, intelligence and civil government markets. The sector's technology leadership and expertise spans areas such as strategic systems, including ICBMs; missile defense; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; command and control; technical services; and training.