Northrop Grumman has demonstrated a gateway radio terminal that can relay communications between fourth- and fifth-generation aircraft.
Northrop Grumman’s Freedom 550 terminal was used during an Open Mission Systems (OMS) flight trial led by Lockheed Martin, according to a Northrop Grumman news release. “During the flight test at Edwards Air Force Base, California, the Northrop Grumman Freedom 550 terminal was used as part of a gateway to link a fifth-generation F-22 Raptor, which uses the stealthy Intra-Flight Data Link (IFDL), with a fourth-generation F-18 Hornet communicating via Link-16, the standard data link used by many military platforms. The Freedom 550 was on board a Lockheed Martin U-2 Dragon Lady, providing the IFDL connection to the F-22, and used OMS standards and applications to integrate with the rest of the OMS systems on the platform.”
The demonstration “verified that Northrop Grumman can integrate an OMS solution with another prime contractor’s system.”
