The Air Force has awarded Northrop Grumman a contract valued at $54.9 million to develop and flight test a signals intelligence sensor payload for USAF’s MQ-1 Predator that also will serve as “the foundation for the US Army’s Guardrail modernization signals intelligence upgrade,” said Imar Bitar, a Northrop VP in an April 22 release. “We see significant savings and risk reduction when common sensor capabilities are fielded on different operational platforms,” added Bitar. Northrop expects to develop and flight-test the Airborne Signals Intelligence Payload 1C, which will be a “scaled, modular derivative of the ASIP sensor” developed for the U-2 manned reconnaissance aircraft and Global Hawk UAV, by May 2009, moving it to the field in 2010. The company would then produce a preliminary design for an “expanded ASIP-2C version” for used with the larger brother of the Predator, USAF’s MQ-9 Reaper.
Hawaii F-22s Wrap Up Deployment to Japan
April 9, 2021
F-22s and Airmen from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, forward deployed to Japan for almost one month to train with Japanese and U.S. Marine Corps aircraft as part of a “dynamic force employment” operation. The Raptors from the Active-duty 19th Fighter Squadron and Air National Guard 199th Fighter Squadron deployed…