Northrop Grumman said in a release July 3 it successfully demonstrated electronic protection capabilities of the AN/APG-81 advanced electronically scanned array radar system during the recent Northern Edge joint military exercise. The radar, which the company is building for the F-35 stealth fighter, was on board a company testbed aircraft during a complex airborne electronic warfare drill and countered advanced electronic attacks intended to degrade, neutralize, or destroy its capability, according to the company. “This event represents a major milestone in electronic protection testing for the AN/APG-81 in an operationally representative environment.” said Teri Marconi, Northrop’s vice president of Combat Avionics. The APG-81 is currently undergoing flight testing aboard Lockheed Martin’s F-35 avionics testbed aircraft, the CATBird, and is being installed in production F-35s on Lockheed’s aircraft assembly line in Fort Worth, Tex.
A new White House new executive order, “Ensuring American Space Superiority,” emphasizes space security as a high priority for President Donald Trump and underlines the Space Force’s role in not only defending U.S. assets, but also in the attack mission.
