Northrop Grumman advancing connectivity layer for JADC2 with SATCOM-enabled Freedom Radio technology

SAN DIEGO - Northrop Grumman Corporation was recently awarded an expanded scope of work contract that further enables Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) with the development of a satellite communications (SATCOM)-enabled Freedom Radio. Northrop Grumman’s Freedom Radios provide open architecture, platform agnostic, cyber-secure solutions to support a wide range of integrated communications and networking mission functions across domains.

This new contract expands the scope of a December 2019 AFRL award. The purpose of the contract is to demonstrate a SATCOM-enabled networking radio in a relevant mission environment designed to provide secure and resilient mission data that can be shared from space to multiple receiving platforms in near-real time. This enables warfighters to quickly analyze information, enhance situational awareness and help the DoD realize its vision for an interconnected, JADC2 network.

The foundation of the SATCOM-enabled Freedom Radio is designed using Northrop Grumman’s Integrated Communications, Navigation and Identification (ICNI) system and market-leading Software Development Kit as a method of implementing new, open architecture capabilities onto the company’s series of Software Defined Radios. These advancements are designed to accelerate and rapidly deploy new capabilities, including third-party industry solutions.

Northrop Grumman is planning to conduct a proof-of-concept demonstration for its SATCOM-enabled Freedom Radio later this year. This demonstration will be blending third-party vendor technologies into Northrop Grumman’s core open architectures to support the rapid capability investments made by the DoD to support JADC2 efforts. This collaboration supports Northrop Grumman’s effort to create new advanced networking technologies that benefit the warfighter and all branches of the U.S. military.

Northrop Grumman’s broad portfolio of Freedom Radios are currently used on a number of platforms to help warfighters across multiple branches of the military easily communicate and securely share actionable information across air, land, sea and space.