Northrop Grumman completed the first ever demonstration of a Group III (small, tactical) unmanned aircraft system (UAS) equipped with radar jamming technology at the Naval Air Weapons Station in China Lake, Calif., the aerospace and defense manufacturer said Thursday.
The demonstration integrated an internal miniature electronic attack payload on the Bat, a catapult launched unmanned aircraft used for tactical missions. To test the payload, the operators jammed radars during the Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1) Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) event.
"Bat continues to demonstrate capabilities that can normally only be achieved by larger, more expensive unmanned aircraft," said George Vardoulakis, Northrop Grumman’s vice president of medium range tactical systems.
Pandora, a low-cost electronic attack payload small-scale version of Northrop’s digital APR-39 systems, was integrated into the Bat to complete the demonstration.