Northrop Grumman Corporation has been awarded a $65 million contract by the U.S. Navy to execute the full rate production of Link-16 for the U.S. Marine Corps AH-1Z and UH-1Y aircraft, which will involve the integration of data link hardware across the fleet. Link-16 is a secure data link that allows H-1 crews to share data and communications with other aircraft and users on military networks. This capability is a critical mission enabler as the Department of Defense moves to Joint All-Domain Command and Control.
Northrop Grumman’s mission systems solution for the H-1 fleet is trusted and combat-proven, with more than 450,000 total flight hours. The innovative processes, capabilities and open architecture developed for the H-1 fleet are directly applicable to other platforms and could be utilized in future aircraft development programs such as NAVAIR Vertical Take Off and Landing Family of Systems (VTOL FoS), MUX, and others.
“As lead technology integrator for H-1 Avionics, we are expanding our long-standing partnership with the Marine Corps to modernize electronic systems across the fleet through an open systems architecture approach,” said Lindsay McEwen, vice president, navigation, targeting and survivability, Northrop Grumman. “Link-16 full rate production is the starting point.”
Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense technology company. With 90,000 employees and an annual revenue in excess of $30 billion, it is one of the world’s largest weapons manufacturers and military technology providers. The firm ranks No. 96 on the 2020 Fortune 500 list of America’s largest corporations. Northrop Grumman is made up of four main business sectors: Aeronautics Systems, Defense Systems, Mission Systems and Space Systems. Prior to Northrop Grumman’s reorganization of its divisions on January 1, 2020, the divisions were: Aerospace Systems, Mission Systems, Technology Services, and Innovation Systems.
