By Geoff Fein
Northrop Grumman [NOC] is wrapping up maritime testing of its STARLite radar system for unmanned aircraft, while also preparing to deliver the first systems to the Army in October, a company official said.
This week Northrop Grumman conducted flight tests of a maritime variant of STARLite on a company-owned aircraft, John Simpson, manager business development land forces division, told Defense Daily yesterday.
The aircraft is outfitted with the nose from a General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Predator B unmanned aerial vehicle. Simpson noted that the maritime version required some software changes, but other than that it is basically the same system as the one the Army will take delivery of this year.
STARLite is scheduled to fly on Northrop Grumman’s Fire Scout this summer at Yuma, Ariz., Simpson added.
The radar is also linked to the Army’s major modernization program, the Future Combat Systems (FCS). The radar is planned for the FCS Class IV Fire Scout UAV (Defense Daily, April 30).
In October, the Army will take delivery of 165 STARLite systems plus spares, Simpson said.
STARLite features an electronically-scanned array design and has both a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) capability and Ground Moving Target Indication (GMTI), Simpson said.
There are plans for upgrades, including a plan to double the range of the radar by increasing its size to 4-inches-by-16-inches, he said.
To handle the added weight, Northrop Grumman will cut about half the weight from STARLite’s electronic assembly.
The company announced in April 2008 that it had been awarded an initial $42 million contract from the Army’s Communication-Electronics Life Cycle Management Command’s Robotics and Unmanned Systems Program Management Office.
The contract called for Northrop Grumman to deliver 10 STARLite SAR/(GMTI) radars to the Army for the Extended Range/Multi-Purpose (ER/MP) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) radar program (Defense Daily, April 30).