Northrop Grumman joins L-3 in DARPA program to help AC-130s attack targets in bad weather

Advanced radar designers at the Northrop Grumman Corp. Electronic Systems segment in Linthicum, Md., will build and flight test a prototype imaging radar system that enables U.S. aircraft to engage maneuvering ground targets through clouds, dust, and other obscurants.

Northrop Grumman is doing the work under terms of a $5.6 million contract from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in Arlington, Va., for the Video Synthetic Aperture Radar (ViSAR) System Design and Development program, which seeks to develop a prototype radar that can detect and track moving targets through clouds with the same ability that current infrared targeting systems have in clear weather.

Northrop Grumman joins the L-3 Communications Corp. Electron Devices segment in San Carlos, Calif., on the ViSAR System Design and Development program. L-3 won its contract in July.

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