Northrop Grumman announced this week that it has received a $90 million contract from the Air Force to integrate the radar onto the high-altitude Global Hawk UAV. Testing on the pod that will house the Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program synthetic aperture radar began in April on board the Proteus test aircraft. The contract will include integration of the radar into the Global Hawk system, including the air vehicle and ground stations, and will be completed in September 2009.
The Air Force has embraced new technical approaches like open mission systems and rapid software updates for cutting-edge aircraft like the B-21 and Collaborative Combat Aircraft. Increasingly, though, the service is also working to apply these to its older, “legacy” aircraft, officials said this week.