Avionics suite designed by NGC to bolster F-35 warfighting capability
NewsJanuary 13, 2021
FALLS CHURCH, Va. Northrop Grumman Corporation has received a contract award from Lockheed Martin Corporation to enable new functionality to protect the 5th Generation F-35 Lightning II multi-role fighter.
As part of a collaborative arrangement between Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems, and Lockheed Martin, the three companies will integrate Northrop Grumman’s AN/ASQ-242 Integrated Communications, Navigation and Identification (ICNI) and BAE Systems’ AN/ASQ-239 Electronic Warfare/Countermeasures (EW/CM) system for optimal operational utility.
Northrop Grumman's ICNI system provides F-35 pilots with more than 27 fully-integrated operational functions. Using its software-defined radio technology, Northrop Grumman's design aims to allow the simultaneous operation of multiple critical functions while reducing size, weight and power demands on the advanced F-35 fighter.
These functions include Identification Friend or Foe (IFF), automatic acquisition of fly-to points, and various voice and data communications such as the Multifunction Advanced Data Link (MADL).
The BAE Systems' AN/ASQ-239 system is an electronic warfare suite that is designed to provide fully integrated radar warning, targeting support, and self-protection to detect and defeat threats and enable the F-35 to reach well-defended targets.
