Northrop releases new software, hardware ‘ecosystem’ aimed at CJADC2-style integration

AFA 2024 — Northrup Grumman says it has developed a new product line, coined NG Insight, that it’s calling a “modular ecosystem” of software and hardware designed to connect, well, just about everything.

“So the key is really integrating across different domains, services, partner nations, so it brings together capabilities,” Jenna Paukstis, vice president of the networked solutions division at Northrop Grumman, told Breaking Defense on the sidelines of the Air, Space and Cyber Conference Monday.

Paukstis said the new line, which is essentially a system of systems, includes physical hardware components like open system processors, multifunction apertures and modules that can be plugged into both new and legacy platforms manufactured by anyone, not just Northrop Grumman.

These hardware components can go on airborne platforms, ground-based terrestrial systems, maritime systems and some of the cryptologic and advanced intelligence capabilities which are part of smaller components, can go into space on payloads, she added. 

On the software side, the product line includes tech dedicated to signals intelligence, communications, networking and other non-kinetic effects like electronic warfare capabilities, which Paukstis said can operate in a secure, “resilient” manner, allowing for information sharing in contested and congested environments.

“Now the Air Force, ground and maritime forces, if they can rely on high-speed, low-latency connectivity from space, what missions can they now do with that connectivity?” Pauksitis asked. “So now you can get access to critical data when and where you need it in a secure and adaptable setting.”

These software components also serve both defensive and offensive purposes. Offensively, NG Insight is capable of non-kinetic effects that are “essential for disrupting, deceiving or neutralizing adversarial capabilities, allowing forces to weaken enemy operations while protecting friendly assets,” a Northrup Grumman press release read.

On defense, the release says the ecosystem enables “the rapid interception, processing and analysis of adversaries, providing critical intelligence that can shape battlefield outcomes with speed and precision.”

For all Northrop says the family of systems can do, Paukstis highlighted its flexibility as a selling point.

“So you can think about developing this product line of capabilities that you can then reuse, which helps with the speed. It also helps with affordability. But of course, every customer needs it slightly different, right? So you can put that together and tailor it based on their mission needs.”

The US military has long sought simpler ways to connect countless assets around the world, a key demand of its sprawling Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) program, which works to create an all-seeing, all-connected battle network. Northrop is positioning NG InSight as a one-stop shop solution for CJADC2’s “information layer.”

“To achieve CJADC2 we have to seamlessly integrate 4th and 5th generation platforms and be able to communicate across services and domains with a focus on speed and scalability,” a Northrup Grumman spokesperson said in an email to Breaking Defense. “NG InSight does just that — we increase the ability to ‘Fight Tonight’ by rapidly upgrading existing platforms with near-term technology enhancements for electronic warfare, communications, networking, geolocation, targeting and multifunction sensors.”