Home Air Northrop Grumman’s SiAW A2/AD missile completes second flight test

Northrop Grumman’s SiAW A2/AD missile completes second flight test

Northrop Grumman's SiAWA2/AD missile in its testbed aircraft ahead of second test flight
Photo: Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman says it has completed the second flight test of its new anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) missile, demonstrating capabilities that will meet key objectives for the upcoming Stand-in Attack Weapon (SiAW) program.

The test was completed utilizing a company-owned CRJ-700 aircraft as the testbed for the air to surface mission computer and sensors.

The company is one of five vendors competing to deliver a missile based on the US Navy’s advanced anti-radiation guided missile-extended range (AARGM-ER) that will be used by the F-35 in A2/AD environments.

Northrop Grumman says it invested to actively mature and test its A2/AD missile design, which meets US Air Force requirements for SiAW and other programs. According to the company, the solution will “bridge current requirements while enabling rapid future upgrades to meet changing mission requirements.”

“As a missile prime, we play a vital role in pioneering the most innovative solutions that increase survivability and lethality against new and emerging adversary threats,” said Mary Petryszyn, president, Northrop Grumman Defense Systems. “Our lean-forward approach enables us to innovate at rapid speeds while reducing cost for our customers.”

This second flight test demonstrated the mission capability of the missile sensor systems combined with the mission computer. This is the first of a new series of company funded flight tests which will continue to test the system with more stressing scenarios in preparation for the missile launch in 2022.

“We have taken significant steps to mature our missile design, providing capabilities for the US Air Force SiAW program and other programs,” said Dan Olson, vice president and general manager, weapon systems, Northrop Grumman. “Leveraging our digital engineering expertise to accelerate timelines, our first complete missile is planned to be built and ready for launch in 2022.”

Northrop Grumman noted its solution leveraged lessons learned on the Navy’s AARGM-ER, engineering manufacturing and development, low-rate initial production and integration work on the F-35 aircraft.