WOODLAND HILLS, Calif.,
Nov. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/
-- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) is applying a
modular, open architecture approach throughout its product
portfolio, allowing for rapid addition of new avionics capabilities
for warfighters.
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As a founding principal member of The Open Group Future Airborne
Capability Environment (FACE™) Consortium, Northrop
Grumman was an early advocate of establishing open architecture
standards to support software portability and interoperability
across avionics systems.
Northrop Grumman will leverage the corporation's expertise in
open architecture to implement FACE™ requirements for
both current and future programs, including the Black Hawk H-60L
Digital Performance Plan program and Tech-Refresh Mission Computers
for the H-1 Upgrade program. Additionally, the company plans to
participate in demonstrations that will promote maturation of the
FACE™ Reference Architecture by enabling companies to
deploy their products in a functional, standardized
FACE™ software environment.
"An open architecture approach is critical to the affordability,
innovation and effectiveness of avionics systems," said
Ike Song, vice president of Northrop
Grumman's Situational Awareness Systems business unit. "We are
using performance-proven solutions from across our corporation to
offer highly flexible, affordable products that support reuse on
various platforms."
Northrop Grumman is already applying the FACE™
Reference Architecture and interfaces to existing programs and
products, including an embedded GPS/inertial navigation system for
the Joint Precision Approach and Landing System and a highly
adaptable mission equipment package. The company's Transport
Services Segment aligns with the FACE™ Technical
Standard requirements and provides a standard interface that allows
portable avionics applications to be integrated with a variety of
architectures and aviation platforms.
Northrop Grumman's Common Mission Management System (CMMS)
establishes a common foundation for affordable control systems to
support a variety of the company's unmanned products. Based upon
open architecture standards and standard off-the-shelf commercial
hardware and software infrastructures, the Northrop Grumman CMMS
product line avoids the need for dedicated, custom-built command
and control systems for individual platforms. Also, the Northrop
Grumman CMMS product line enables pilots to operate a variety of
dissimilar unmanned platforms using the same informational displays
and control features, thereby improving mission effectiveness while
reducing training requirements.
With its expertise in unmanned aerial systems (UAS), the
Northrop Grumman team was instrumental in leading the
FACE™ Consortium's effort to align with the UAS Control
Segment (UCS) information model, establishing a common conceptual
data model and metamodel as a framework that defines rules and
conventions for developing interoperable software components for
unmanned aerial system ground control stations. Further
collaboration under the UCS/FACE™ Memorandum of
Agreement is anticipated in aligning the FACE™ and UCS
standards.
Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing
innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems,
cyber, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and
commercial customers worldwide. Please visit
www.northropgrumman.com for more information.
1113-344
SOURCE Northrop Grumman Corporation