Northrop Grumman has signed a licensing agreement with Trex Enterprises to integrate the celestial navigation technology into precision targeting systems provided to the US military and allied forces.
As part of the agreement, Northrop will produce and integrate the celestial navigation capability into ground targeting systems that offer greater accuracy to soldiers during location of targets.
Trex has already developed and matured the core technology to offer a highly accurate celestial navigation subsystem for use in military products and other scientific applications.
Northrop Grumman’s Laser Systems business unit vice-president and general manager, Gordon Stewart, said the integration of celestial navigation technology represents a significant milestone on the precision targeting technology roadmap.
“We will continue to refine and grow the application of celestial navigation for precision targeting across our production laser systems for US and coalition warfighters,” Stewart said.
Trex Enterprises chairman and CEO Ken Tang said the company will partner with Northrop to further advance and mature its celestial navigation technologies and products.
“The synergy between Trex research and development expertise and Northrop Grumman engineering and production capability will surely increase and accelerate benefits to our soldiers,” Tang said.
Having successfully completed formal qualification for its ground soldier targeting system with the celestial navigation enhancement, Northrop is currently delivering systems to support the immediate requirements of deployed warfighters.
Northrop Grumman Laser Systems has to date deployed thousands of portable, lightweight targeting and laser systems, including electro-optical (EO) imaging / ranging systems for target location, laser designators / markers for precise guidance of smart munitions, for ground troops and vehicles.
In addition, the company has installed airborne laser rangefinders and designators onboard several sophisticated manned and unmanned aircraft platforms worldwide.