Northrop Grumman Corporation has reportedly supplied a new airborne broadband capability to the U.S. Air Force E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) aircraft fleet.

 

The company has deployed the Internet Protocol (IP) -based Beyond-Line-of-Sight (BLOS) communications system in the first two aircraft. The system provides chat, e-mail, web-browsing capabilities and access to the U.S. Department of Defense secure network.

 

In September, Northrop received an Urgent Operational Need (UON) program request to support the warfighter's requirement to communicate on a global scale using Internet-based technology. The company thus developed the BLOS capability upgrade in response to this request. The BLOS product include critical information assurance (IA) designs, which ensure the integrity, security and correct accessibility of classified communications.

 

Stu Schreiber, Northrop Grumman's BLOS program manager said in a statement that this is the first airborne implementation of IA concepts in a communications design. The company was able to create a robust airborne mobile network that can provide IP addressing across the fleet, communicate globally and ensure security and information integrity.

 

Schreiber noted that the BLOS capability will allow Joint STARS operators to connect with personnel anywhere in the world using either data or voice communications via existing satellite and IP infrastructures.

 

Dave Nagy, vice president of Northrop Grumman's Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance programs explained that as an UON, the program was given the highest priority within the Joint STARS community. Their development team pulled together a detailed design, parts acquisition of more than 500 different items, developed software and customized networking protocols, and integrated the system within four months.

 

Also, this precedent-setting effort included a robust product development schedule, where system architecture, hardware design, software development, customer design reviews and flight testing were all completed within four months.

 

Although, this kind of system design and development (SDD) program normally takes around 20-22 months to complete, the entire effort was condensed into a nine month effort thanks to an incredible level of contractor and government focus and dedication.

 

Concurrent installation of BLOS retrofit kits has been initiated to ensure earliest possible availability of the system to the warfighter. The team is simultaneously completing elements of the SDD design, which were deferred to accelerate the fielding of an initial operational capability.