The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Blackjack programme has awarded Northrop Grumman a contract for Phase 2 development of an advanced software-defined positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) payload, with options to build units destined for space flight.
The PNT payload work is led by Northrop Grumman’s Future PNT Systems Operating Unit in Woodland Hills. The team supports the DARPA Tactical Technology Office’s stated goal of achieving capable, resilient and affordable national security space capabilities from low Earth orbit (LEO).
“Northrop Grumman’s software-defined Positioning, Navigation and Timing technology will offer military users an agile new signal from LEO that is not dependent on existing satellite navigation systems,” Nicholas Paraskevopoulos, chief technology officer and sector vice president, emerging capabilities development, Northrop Grumman, said in a September 16 statement.
The PNT payload features Northrop Grumman’s Software Enabled Reconfigurable Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Embedded Architecture for Navigation and Timing (SERGEANT) capability.
The Phase 2 development effort is valued at US$13.3m if all options are exercised through emulation, critical design and build.
Read more about NATO’s transport aircraft move land forces to the eastern flank of Europe Nepal ATR Crash: What we know so far
This is a premium article and requires an active Key.Aero subscription to view.
I’m an existing member, sign me in!Premium Key Aero subscribers get access to read all our magazines online as soon as they leave the editor’s desk.
Sign In
8th October 2021
