Northrop Grumman has been named a winner in the US Department of War’s Drone Dominance Program Lethality Prize Challenge, securing its role as one of five preferred payload providers to identify and scale advanced payloads capable of complementing the rapidly growing production of small drones.
The Drone Dominance Program is a US $1 billion (approx. A $1.4 billion) initiative focused on the rapid deployment of low-cost, consumable unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and associated mission systems at the scale and speed required for the warfighter.
“The Drone Dominance Program demands payloads ready to integrate and deploy immediately – no delays, no redesigns. Our Common UAS Payload meets this need with speed, safety and interoperability in mind, enabling military dominance now and into the future," Northrop Grumman, director, fuze and warheads, Tanya Santers, stated.
Under this program, the US Department of War aims to field more than 200,000 drones by 2027, delivering distributed lethal effects while accelerating the US defence industrial base. To drive this, the Lethality Prize Challenge was launched to identify preferred providers to rapidly produce payloads for small drones.
Northrop Grumman will deliver its standardised Common UAS Payload — an off-the-shelf fuze and effects module.
Engineered for integration across a range of unmanned aerial, maritime and ground-based platforms, according to the company, Northrop Grumman’s payload provides 360-degree lethality in extreme environments using mature energetics and rugged electronics.
Northrop Grumman has invested more than US $2 billion (approx. A 2.8 billion) over the past several years dedicated to solid rocket motor (SRM) and munition technologies as well as facility modernisation, positioning the company to meet the Drone Dominance Program’s requirements and accelerated delivery timelines.