The test, held in March at Northrop Grumman's outdoor integration test facility in Baltimore, utilized a sub-array of the S-band antenna being developed by the company in support of the Navy's Cobra Judy Replacement (CJR) program. CJR is an integrated, surveillance and ballistic missile data collection radar system designed to support U.S. treaty monitoring activities.

The test demonstrated the full power operation of the antenna, including the full pulse width and duty cycle required for the CJR mission. The demonstration also proved the enhanced capabilities of Northrop Grumman's S-band high power transmit/receive modules.

"This demonstration is a key milestone in the development of an affordable radar technology solution for the U.S. Navy," said John Golombeck, vice president of S-band radar programs for Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems.

The prototype antenna building block was built using standard processes and equipment that will be used during the full-scale production of the antenna. Northrop Grumman is currently building a pilot production unit to provide additional risk reduction as the program transitions into the material procurement and build phase of the CJR contract.

Raytheon (NYSE:RTN) Integrated Defense Systems is the prime contractor for the CJR program, while Northrop Grumman is responsible for the design and construction of the CJR S-band phased array antenna.

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