Northrop Grumman Introduces New Coherent Doppler Radar System for Patrol Vessels and Small Combatants

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Oct. 26

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) today announced the introduction of a new family of X-Band Coherent Radar (XBCR) systems designed primarily for offshore patrol vessels (OPV) and other smaller combat ship platforms.

The SeaGuard XBCR systems are being developed by Northrop Grumman's Sperry Marine business unit, in cooperation with Australian company CEA Technologies Pty Limited, and are expected to be available for deliveries in early 2012.

The system's Doppler signal processing enables detection of aircraft and helicopters at ranges of 20 nautical miles over sea or land at altitudes up to 6,000 feet, as well as high- and slow-speed surface targets such as rigid-hull inflatables or periscopes. It also provides superior clutter suppression, increasing the probability of detection of small targets under extreme weather conditions.

Multiple user-selectable operating modes provide optimum performance for different mission requirements, such as berthing, short- or long-range surface or air search, and periscope detection. Special navalized features include red first strike to identify fast-moving targets, helicopter control vectors and search-and-rescue operations.

"The affordability and performance of the XBCR system make it an ideal replacement for magnetron-based radars in a wide range of platforms, satisfying multiple application-specific requirements, especially in the littoral warfare environment," said J. Nolasco DaCunha, vice president of Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine. "The integration of proven digital signal-processing techniques ensures consistent performance at sea and over land, generating confidence in both the operator and platform commander. The solid-state nature of the radar provides savings in through-life support with a modular design developed to achieve exceptional availability, reliability and maintainability."

CEA Technologies specializes in the design, development and manufacture of advanced radar and communications solutions, having supplied civil and military systems into land, maritime and air environments. The company's product range includes phased array radar for surveillance and missile fire control applications, integrated communications, antenna design as well as harbor and coastal surveillance systems. The company's head office is located in Australia's capital city of Canberra, where the majority of CEA's staff is located. The company also has production and manufacturing facilities located across the country and currently exports to the USA, Europe, Middle East and Pacific regions.

Sperry Marine is a business unit of Northrop Grumman's Naval and Marine Systems Division. Headquartered in Charlottesville, Va., and with major engineering and support offices in New Malden, United Kingdom and Hamburg, Germany, Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine provides smart navigation and ship control solutions for the international marine industry with customer service and support through offices in 16 countries, sales representatives in 47 countries and authorized service depots in more than 250 locations worldwide.

Northrop Grumman Corporation is a leading global security company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, shipbuilding and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman.com for more information.

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