Northrop Grumman's Unmanned Fire Scout Completes Successful Maritime Sensors DemonstrationGLOBE

http://www.irconnect.com/noc/press/xml/nitf.html?d=180307

NEWSWIREDecember 16, 2009
SAN DIEGO, Dec. 16, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Northrop Grumman
Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has successfully completed maritime sensor
demonstrations using a company-owned MQ-8B Fire Scout tactical
Vertical Unmanned Aircraft System (VUAS). Fire Scout was equipped with
the Telephonics' radar and FLIR Electro Optical Infrared system, and
highlighted the versatility of the unmanned helicopter's modular
payload architecture and its flexibility in integrating off-the-shelf
payloads.

The demonstration was performed under a contract awarded in September
by ABS Group, a Systems Engineering Technical Assistance (SETA)
contractor for the U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center.
The test took take place during the week of October 19 in the
Chesapeake Bay conducted from the Naval Air Station at Patuxent River,
Md., Webster Outlying Field.

Following the maritime sensor demonstration, the Coast Guard
participated in a multiple day virtual exercise at the Northrop
Grumman Unmanned Systems Development Center in Rancho Bernardo, Calif.
The exercise took place in the company's simulation Cyber Warfare
Integration Node (CWIN). The simulation operated in a Coast Guard
configuration and generated counter narcotics operations from the
Coast Guard's National Security Cutter.

"We understand the importance of providing the best design,
development and production of unmanned systems. An important part of
this service is to provide the tools to define and develop new
concepts of operations that illustrate how we can successfully
integrate both manned and unmanned systems," said Duke Dufresne,
sector vice president and general manager of the Strike and
Surveillance Systems Division for Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems
sector.

Northrop Grumman Corporation is a leading global security company
whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and
solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, shipbuilding
and technical services to government and commercial customers
worldwide.