NORTHROP GRUMMAN announced on April 3 that it has completed a series of flight tests demonstrating the first production Smart Node Pod (SNP) for the US Air Force. SNP is an aircraft-mounted airborne communications system that allows real-time information to be exchanged among many disparate military and commercial radios and different datalinks, extends the network to the forward edge of the battlefield and relays full-motion video. Northrop Grumman conducted five flights to certify performance characteristics in February in Virginia Beach, Virginia. During the flights, the SNP demonstrated the ability to transmit full-motion video, imagery, voice and digital messages between warfighters both in the air and on the ground via various waveforms and datalinks and its interoperability with the proprietary and open source forward tactical handheld devices. The company is under contract to produce SNP systems for the US Air Force, with deliveries scheduled across mid-summer of this year. Two different pod designs - a single-pod and a multipod architecture - are in production. "This proven, reliable technology gives an extremely capable but lightweight communications, situational awareness, and command and control capability that can be readily mounted on many different military aircraft and controlled by the deployed commander," said Jeannie Hilger, vice president, Network Communication Systems, Northrop Grumman Information Systems.
No comments:
Post a Comment