The U.S. Navy has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation a development contract for the company’s newly designed 57mm guided high explosive ammunition. Designated for use with the Mk110 Naval Gun Mount, the company will test and mature the munition for qualification. The 57mm guided high explosive ammunition has the unique ability to continuously maneuver in-flight as it moves toward a designated target. Designed to defend against fast moving surface threats, drones and swarming threats, the guided 57mm ammunition features an on-board seeker to acquire moving targets and a fuze with the ability to self-select for either proximity or point-detonation mode to best engage and defeat the intended target.
“Our new 57mm guided ammunition is truly innovative in its ability to identify, track and guide itself to a target,” said Dave Fine, vice president, armament systems, Northrop Grumman. “The Navy will gain a greater capability to defend against moving threats and a new level of accuracy to defeat them.”
As the newest addition to Northrop Grumman’s advanced ammunition portfolio, the 57mm round leverages the company’s expertise in guided munitions, such as the Precision Guidance Kit. Utilizing seekers and an aft-maneuver system, the round provides continuous trajectory guidance no matter how often the target may pivot. This new guided ammunition will give the Navy greater stand-off range and a cost-effective solution against small, fast-moving threats, without any weapon system modifications.
Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense technology company. With 95,000 employees and an annual revenue in excess of $30 billion, it is one of the world’s largest weapons manufacturers and military technology providers.[4][5][6] The firm ranks No.?101 on the 2022 Fortune 500 list of America’s largest corporations. As of the end of 2022, Northrop Grumman organized its business around four main sectors, each of which comprises two or more business areas: Aeronautics Systems, Defense Systems, Mission Systems and Space Systems.