Tag Archives: NorthropGrumman

Northrop Grumman’s MQ-4C Triton long-range drone completes first flight (video)

Posted on by

DNP Northrop Grumman's MQ4C Triton longrange drone completes first flight

Northrop Grumman's MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft is one step closer to serving the Navy in reconnaissance and surveillance missions, having just completed its first flight. The drone spent 80 minutes in the air, reaching an altitude of 20,000 feet. That's child's play compared to the aircraft's full potential: according to the Navy, it can soar at up to 60,000 feet and stay airborne for as long as 30 hours, due in no small part to its 130-foot wingspan. By 2015, the Triton will undergo operational testing and evaluation, and the Navy hopes to add additional aircraft to its existing fleet (currently just two strong). Check out the long-range spy plane in action just past the break.

Filed under:

Comments

Source: Defense Tech

US Navy’s X-47B is the first unmanned plane launched from an aircraft carrier (video)

Posted on by

US Navy's X-47B is the first unmanned plane launched from an aircraft carrier (video)

After limbering up with taxi tests since December, the X-47B unmanned combat air system has finally taken off from an aircraft carrier, making it the first pilotless plane to have successfully done so, and with a catapult launch to boot. Despite the craft's ability to fly on its own, it was controlled by a human aboard the George H.W. Bush after it was flung from the ship. Once in the air, the Northrop Grumman-built craft was guided back for a landing on a runway planted on terra firm. Now that the bird's proved it can handle launches at sea, other excursions will put the automatic navigation and landing features through their paces. Hit the break for a video of the X-47B taking to the skies.

Filed under: ,

Comments

Source: IEEE Spectrum, US Navy (YouTube)

Navy launches first drone squadron, comprised of ten Fire Scout MQ-8Bs

Posted on by

DNP Navy launches first squadron with both manned and unmanned aircraft

The US Navy has officially introduced unmanned aircraft along with eight newly manned helicopters into its squadron, making it the latest military branch after the Army and the Air Force to embrace the drone. Indeed, ten of the 18 aircraft to be deployed are Fire Scout MQ-8Bs, an unmanned chopper the Navy wishes to operate from combat ships set in the Pacific in about a year. Built to track targets, the Fire Scout lets troops see what's happening over potentially dangerous areas, allowing them to regroup and rearm if necessary. The drone isn't without its fair share of detractors of course, especially after the occasional communication failure, but here's hoping that these Linux-operated copters will remain well within human control.

Filed under:

Comments

Source: Associated Press

Northrop Grumman, Cassidian run Euro Hawk UAV through its first full test flight (video)

Posted on by

Northrop Grumman, Cassidian fly highaltitude Euro Hawk UAV for the first time video

Europe isn't quite as firmly on the bleeding edge of UAVs as the US. Northrop Grumman and EADS-run Cassidian just brought the continent one step closer through the first full test flight of Euro Hawk. A new take on the Global Hawk HALE with a new mission system from Cassidian, it should be the continent's first military UAV that mates both long flight durations with high altitude: the two partners expect Euro Hawk to collect strategic intelligence from up to 60,000 feet and for as long as 30 hours before it needs to touch down. There's more testing to go before active service begins -- the initial flight only lasted eight hours, for example -- but the unmanned flyer should eventually keep watch over German troops and territories well past the limits of human endurance.

Continue reading Northrop Grumman, Cassidian run Euro Hawk UAV through its first full test flight (video)

Filed under: ,

Comments

Source: Cassidian

US Army’s LEMV spy blimp spotted hovering over New Jersey, may take up cargo duties (video)

Posted on by

US Army's LEMV spy blimp spotted hovering over New Jersey, may take up cargo duties video

The US Army's not-so-secret Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) spy blimp is better at staying hidden than we thought... if unintentionally. Although it was due to fly the friendly skies of Lakehurst, New Jersey in mid-June, Northrop Grumman's usually unmanned surveillance was only just caught floating over the Jersey Shore as part of a maiden flight on August 8th. The conspicuous, delayed test run proved that the LEMV could take off, steer and land smoothly, and started a series of exercises that should culminate in combat trials over Afghanistan at the start of 2013. Northrop's KC Brown Jr. tells Wired that there's a possible (if purely coincidental) consolation for missing another deadline -- the airship could be used in a pinch for carrying as much as seven tons of supplies without getting into harm's way, albeit at a fairly glacial 30MPH. The successful first flight won't be much consolation to Mav6, whose Blue Devil 2 was scuttled at the last minute after technical issues; it's nonetheless a relief for US troops, who may get weeks at a time of constant intelligence on enemy movements. Catch a short snippet of the early LEMV journey after the break.

Continue reading US Army's LEMV spy blimp spotted hovering over New Jersey, may take up cargo duties (video)

Filed under: ,

US Army's LEMV spy blimp spotted hovering over New Jersey, may take up cargo duties (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 06:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceWired  | Email this | Comments

Northrop Grumman Unveils US Navy’s MQ-4C BAMS Triton unmanned aircraft

Posted on by

Northrop Grumman Unveils US Navy's MQ4C BAMS Triton unmanned aircraft

If Broad Area Maritime Surveillance, or war gadgets are your bag, then things just got real. Northrop Grumman has just unveiled the MQ-4C BAMS Triton, the latest addition to the US Navy's Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Force. The spy plane was more than four years in development, has a wingspan of 130.9 feet, and is able to cover more than 2.7 million square miles in a single mission. As you will have been unable to avoid noticing, the unmanned aircraft definitely inherited some of the RQ-4 Global Hawk's dome-like DNA, and will edge towards active service after completing functional requirement reviews and system development and demonstration flights. Want to bone-up on the full spec? Hit the more coverage link for the numbers. In the meantime, we're wondering if they might extend the research.

Northrop Grumman Unveils US Navy's MQ-4C BAMS Triton unmanned aircraft originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 Jun 2012 17:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Gizmodo  |  sourceNavy.mil  | Email this | Comments

Army spy blimp to launch within weeks: 300 feet long, $500 million, ‘multi-intelligent’

Posted on by

Image

It can't go faster than 34MPH and it's already a year late for its planned deployment in Afghanistan, but Northrop Grumman's Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) is now set for its maiden flight. The test run is scheduled for sometime between June 6th and 10th over Lakehurst, New Jersey, whose residents ought to be forewarned that it is not a solar eclipse or a Death Star, but simply a helium-filled pilotless reconnaissance and communications airship that happens to be the size of a football field. After floating around for a while, the giant dirigible is expected to journey south to Florida, where it'll be fitted to a custom-built gondola that will carry the bulk of its equipment, and by which time her enemies hopefully won't have come into possession of an air force.

Army spy blimp to launch within weeks: 300 feet long, $500 million, 'multi-intelligent' originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 08:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceWired  | Email this | Comments