WINTER 2016

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Chris HernandezSector Vice President NG Next

I couldn’t be more excited about the recent launch of NG Next, Aerospace Systems’ former Research, Technology and Advanced Design organiza-tion. It represents a bold, clear commitment by the company to help redefine the future of U.S. technology leadership. And it provides a unique, unequivocal commitment to help our customers solve their hardest problems related to protecting freedom and ad-vancing human discovery.

At its heart, NG Next is about shaking up the way scientists and engineers look at the world, through a renewed commitment to basic research. In collabora-tion with the brightest minds from academia, industry and our customer community, we’re stepping back to take a more deliberate look at the “why?” and the “how” of engineering science. We want to observe and understand phenomena in emerging fields that could change the face of aerospace, even if we’ve not yet identified the right application for that new knowledge. The journey itself will yield conversations, concepts and questions we might never have pursued otherwise.

In the end, NG Next is about disrupting and transforming the way we deliver aerospace capabilities to our customers, now and in the future.

Our road to success, however, builds on our strength as a disciplined, high-performing aerospace company. Our cus-tomers rely on us to deliver on our commitments, and to execute our programs of record on budget, with unquestioned quality and performance. But they also want to hear our best ideas on what’s next, on what’s possible … without adding new risks to their current programs.

NG Next gives us license to de-light, surprise and yes, amaze our customers. We’re not after “better” — we’re going for that quantum leap that leads to “now possible.” We know we won’t always succeed, of course, but if we don’t fail once in a while, we’re clearly not pushing hard enough.

But we can’t do it alone. NG Next relies on a regular dialogue with the company’s divisions to ensure that our list of “next big things” reflect the needs and long term requirements of their customers. We’re also

counting on talent from across the company to help us grow, to help shape and refine our mission, and to help integrate that knowledge back into the divisions.

Ultimately, our success will be measured by our ability to solve hard problems for the nation, to create exciting work for our employees, and to transform Northrop Grumman’s reputa-tion as a visionary technology company. I can’t wait to see that next chapter unfold.

Thinking About What’s Next . . .

COVER STORY“I get to go to work every day and fire up rocket engines. How cool is that?”

—Michael Lunny Lead Hot-Fire Test Engineer,

Experimental Test Facility, AKA Area 67

Clockwise from left: Area 67 employees Bryan Calungcagin, Kevin Salvini, Kelley Chilcott and Michael Lunny’s

futures are so bright, they gotta wear shades. Cover photo by Alex Evers

WINTER 2016

6 HEADLINES

CONTENTS

8 INNOVATION

20 PERFORMANCE

26 ACROSS THE SECTOR

33 HERITAGE

18 COVER STORY AREA 67

Having Fun Turning Science Fiction Into Science Factual

6 7INSIDE AEROSPACEWINTER 2016

An RQ-4 Global Hawk sits on the runway under heavy skies.

Jose Borges Receives Luminary Award at Great Minds in STEM HENAAC Conference Senior Project Engineer Jose Borges was honored for being an outstand-ing role model in science, technology, engineering and mathematics at the 28th Annual Great Minds in STEM Hispanic Engineers National Achievement Awards Conference in October in Anaheim, Calif.

HENAAC recognizes the best and brightest STEM professionals on a national level who inspire young people to pursue technical careers, with a focus on the Hispanic community. Award winners are peer reviewed and selected by a committee of representatives from industry, government, military and academic institutions.

Borges has provided engineering leadership and guidance on C4ISR initiatives, including electronic countermeasure programs. Addi- tionally, he helped form a diversity team early in his professional career, called Young Employee Success Network, to engage new employees in the workforce.

At Northrop Grumman, he helped start and lead Adelante, the Hispanic employee resource group (ERG), and served as a mentor in the High School Involvement Partnership, which encourages students to pur-sue careers in STEM. Currently, he is an enterprise co-chair for the Connect1NG ERG. He also received a National Diversity Star Award from the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers in 2013.

— Mark Root

Northrop Grumman Flies Optical Bar Camera on RQ-4 Global HawkRecently, Northrop Grumman successfully flew an Optical Bar Camera broad-area synoptic sensor on an RQ-4 Global Hawk. This achievement marked the first time the legacy U.S. Air Force camera was flown on a high-altitude unmanned aircraft. The camera has provided panoramic and unalterable imagery for the warfighter, allies and governments.

The flight was the second of three planned demonstrations of new sensors. Northrop Grumman flew a SYERS-2 intelligence-gathering

sensor in February of this year and plans to fly an MS-177 multi-spectral sensor by year-end.

“The successful flight of the Optical Bar Camera is another significant step in the evolution of Global Hawk. It’s the result of our focus on increasing capability, reducing sustainment costs and fielding the open mission systems architecture that enables faster integration of cutting-edge sensors at lower costs,” said Mick Jaggers, vice president and program manager, Global Hawk program. “We’ve prov-en that our open mission systems architecture and our universal payload adapter work very well and enable Global Hawk to deliver new multi-mission capabilities to the United States Air Force.”

— Greg Lund

2016 Aviation Week Program Excellence Awards Recognize Global Hawk and JWSTNorthrop Grumman received a Pro- gram Excellence award from Aviation Week for leading the industry team building NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. The award honors program

Inside Aerospace © 2016 Northrop Grumman Corporation

All Rights Reserved. Printed in USA

Sector Vice President, Communications Cynthia Curiel

Director, Enterprise Communications Yolanda Murphy

Manager, Employee Communications Ann Akutagawa

Executive Editor Brooke Miner

Managing Editor Chris Boyd

Associate Editor Ann Carney

Creative Director Adam Ugolnik

Art Director Antoinette Bing Zaté

Photography Director Alex Evers

Advertising Director Darrell Brock

Contributors Helen Chung, Warren Comer,

Kevin Gonzalez, Adam Gross, Daniel Hazard, Sally Koris, Greg Lund, Geri MacDonald,

Brooks McKinney, Connie Reese, Mark Root

Editorial Board Ann Akutagawa, Chris Boyd, Darrell Brock,

Ann Carney, Alex Evers, Steve Fisher, Matthew Garth, Sally Koris,

Elizabeth McCann, Lindsay McLaurin, Brooke Miner, Yolanda Murphy,

Rhonda Nelson, Diane Pennington, Brooke Smitherman, Larry Stewart,

Katherine Thompson, Adam Ugolnik, AnnaMaria White, Antoinette Bing Zaté

Inside Aerospace magazine is published for employees by Aerospace Systems Com-munications. Please contact Brooke Miner (brooke.miner@ngc.com) for permission to reprint, excerpt material, request additional copies, or provide story ideas.

All photography courtesy of Northrop Grumman unless otherwise indicated.

teams for exemplifying the best in value creation, leadership, adapting to complexity and executing with excellence, as evidenced by me- trics that gauge program goals. The Global Hawk team was also recognized as a finalist.

The James Webb Space Telescope team, led by Scott Willoughby, vice president and James Webb Space Telescope program manager, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, was the winner of the subsystem research and design category for the completion and delivery of the telescope. The tele- scope subsystem team is led by Dr. Scott Texter, telescope mana-ger, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems.

The telescope subsystem is one of the four main elements of the Webb Observatory. The other elements include the spacecraft, sunshield and Integrated Science Instrument Module. The telescope works with the other elements, supporting Webb’s ability to look back over 13.5 billion years to see the forma-tion of the first stars and galaxies.

“All of the elements require a team effort, and our commitment to collaboration allows us to develop an integrated tool that will inspire

future generations of scientists and engineers,” said Texter. “The degree of complexity and challenges of de-veloping the largest telescope ever built for space are immense, but we continue working together to find innovative solutions to perplexing technical issues that have never been encountered before.”

— Connie Reese

Jose Borges mentors teachers at the 28th Annual HENAAC Conference.

Photo by Grant Martin

HEADLINES

Northrop Grumman engineers are helping polar bears keep their cool.

Photo courtesy of San Diego Zoo Global

By Daniel HazardWILDLIFE

INNOVATION

Northrop Grumman engineers and San Diego Zoo Global scientists are joining forces to gain a better understanding of the Arctic envi- ronment and the increasing threats to polar bears.

Employee teams competing in Northrop Grumman’s Wildlife Challenge have developed new approaches to autonomous flight technology, which San Diego Zoo Global scientists intend to use to expand their observation of climate-change impacts on polar bear populations and sea ice habi-tats in far-off locations.

The Wildlife Challenge is a competi- tion for employees to develop a long-endurance autonomous sys-

tem to help mitigate many of the challenges of operating in the Arctic, with the goal of providing San Diego Zoo Global researchers with new tools to answer critical research questions. Teams from across Northrop Grumman develop-ed and tested their design solutions in preparation for final test flights, which were held in October.

Collecting data in remote areas of the Arctic is challenging due to the terrain and distant latitudes of wild polar bear populations. Conservation experts think technology can help.

“While there has been a tremen-dous effort to study polar bears and changes to their habitat, one of the limiting factors to research is that the Arctic is an extreme environment

that poses many, and historically insurmountable, challenges to work in; especially when the goal is to non-invasively study animals as they move over large areas,” said Dr. Megan Owen, associate director of Applied Animal Ecology at San Diego Zoo Global.

Test flights took place Oct. 27-28. The teams displayed their autono- mous systems’ endurance, payload capacity and low acoustic signature, and validated their ability to operate a full mission package in an Arctic environment. The winning team, Polar Eye, joined San Diego Zoo Global researchers in the Arctic for further research and collaboration in November. Stay tuned for more in the January/February 2017 issue.

9INSIDE AEROSPACE

Carmelle Koren and Oscar Castillo contemplate the problem at hand.

Photos by Alex Evers

By Chris BoydGLOBALLOCAL TALENT,

TOUCHAnother thing most of us take for granted — comfortably using the bathroom — can be downright difficult for those in developing nations.

Mei-Li Hey discovered this during her studies at the University of San Diego (USD), and she wanted to do something about it. Northrop Grumman’s FabLab at the Space Park campus in Redondo Beach, Calif., gave the college senior just that opportunity. Hey, a mechanical engineering major at USD, interned this past summer with the James

Webb Space Telescope program. On her first day, she visited the FabLab and thought, “This is perfect for my project.”

The seeds for the project were planted when Margaret Orech, founder of the Uganda Landmine Survivors Association, spoke at USD. Due to prolonged civil war in Uganda, the countryside is riddled with unexploded landmines. Orech lost her right leg from above the knee down after a bus she was on detonated one of those landmines.

IN THE DEVELOPED WORLD, WE TAKE

MANY THINGS FOR GRANTED, FROM

FAST FOOD TO FAST COMPUTERS.

8 WINTER 2016

CHALLENGE TAKES OFF

“HANDS DOWN, THE GREATEST THREAT TO

POLAR BEARS IN THE WILD IS CLIMATE CHANGE.”

—Dr. Megan Owen Associate Director of Applied Animal Ecology

at San Diego Zoo Global

INNOVATION

10 11INSIDE AEROSPACEWINTER 2016

Using pit latrines was one of the toughest adjustments Orech faced, Hey said, noting that the designs are not made for those with disabilities. “She told us hor-ror stories,” Hey explained. “After leaving the hospital following the explosion, she had to wait four days until her father drove her to the nearest toilet two hours away. Even there, she needed help using the toilet because there are no handicapped facilities.”

Compounding the problem, because of the aforementioned civil war, guerilla warfare and inadequate medical care, one in five Ugandans has a disability of some kind. Hey and her fellow students discovered that building a better bathroom for Ugandans with disabilities was a daunting challenge. It had to be stable, lightweight and portable. “We found that it’s a pretty intricate engineering problem,” she said.

HACKATHONFortunately, Aerospace Systems engineers love a challenge. Hey pitched the idea of a “Simple [Toilet] Seat, Better Lives” hackathon to FabLab Manager Tony Long, who embraced the idea. “It was inspiring to see how many people at Northrop Grumman were so ready to help,” Hey said.

For Long, who was there at the inception of the Space Park FabLab, seeing Northrop Grumman FabLabs extending their reach globally is remarkable. “It exceeded every expectation I ever had, and it totally blows my mind. The work going on keeps increasing the prominence

mechanical technician, was one of those who answered the call to help. He’s worked with the Special Olympics for the past eight years and contributed to the FabLab event that helped artist Raul Pizarro — who is afflicted with muscular dystrophy — continue his painting career.

“If I can help, I’m more than willing and able to assist,” Marsiglia said. “With this project, I started from scratch at the lab. This is a real difficult task to wrap your head around.”

Hey helped to inspire him, Marsiglia said, though he is a regular volun-

and the value of the FabLabs,” he said. “It is just incredible to find these applications to help people around the world.”

On the day of the Hackathon in August, more than 20 volunteers took time on a non-working Friday to create prototype designs. Five groups designed working ideas, and each one has potential, according to Hey. “We are taking bits and pieces from all of them,” she said. “We plan to combine the designs to create a really functional prototype.”

Scott Marsiglia, a 20-year vete-ran of Northrop Grumman and

INNOVATION SPOTLIGHT

MEI-LI HEY - Interned with JWST

program

- FabLab-er

- Project: Designed toilet seats for

Ugandans with disabilities

teer. “She’s got a wonderful heart,” he said. “I understand that there is a need for people to volunteer for projects like this.”

Fellow volunteer Ifechukwu Ononye is a recent aerospace engineering graduate and a newcomer to the company. After hearing about the Simple Seat, Better Lives hackathon, he got on board. “It seemed like a good cause,” he said. “This is a design that will directly help people in need.”

The engineers faced many design challenges. “The hardest part was trying to make something light but stable,” Ononye said.

Ultimately, where the portable toilets are built may prove the toughest challenge, as the coun-try offers limited resources and skillsets. “The biggest constraint is probably that it needs to be made in Uganda,” Hey said. “You have to think of the local materi- als available and what can be done there.”

Despite the difficulties, Hey and her supporters are committed to helping those who face an uphill battle every day of their lives.

“These people have been through so much,” she added. “If just one simple device makes their lives easier, then it’s very worth the work.”

WANT TO HELP? You can donate to the cause by visiting Hey’s fundraising site here: https://www.generosity.com/medical-fundraising/simple-seat-better-lives/x/11800231

“I’VE ALWAYS BEEN INTERESTED IN HUMANITARIAN ENGINEERING. I NEVER REALIZED THIS COULD BE SUCH A MAJOR ISSUE. IT’S SOMETHING EVERYBODY TAKES FOR GRANTED.

INNOVATION

13INSIDE AEROSPACE12 WINTER 2016

Will Rogers Middle School students experienced a fun day on Oct. 7 at the Aerospace Systems Fabrication Laboratory (FabLab) in Redondo Beach, Calif. They learned about 3-D printing and assembled the pieces for prosthetic hands, which will be donated to needy children. Such active learning is precisely the goal of the Northrop Grumman Foundation Teachers Academy, which partners with the National Science Teachers Association to promote these kinds of real-world science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM) experiences for teachers and students.

“This is much better than antici- pated,” said Tracy Tegtmeier, science teacher and Northrop Grumman teacher fellow.

“The kids are having a good time. They’re engaged and asking questions, and there are plenty of people here to show them how to do things.” Tegtmeier recently participated in the academy, where she spent a week in Maryland with other teachers, learning to teach STEM lesson plans, and then returned for the rest of the training program in Redondo Beach. “I can’t believe how much Northrop Grumman has support-ed this with people and time. As a company, what a great example!” said Tegtmeier. “The kids expe-rience the FabLab and now know places like this exist. They think, ‘I want a job with big places [where] I can play!’”

October’s STEM event was organized by Barbara Johnston, leader of Helping Hands Adventurers and director of the Mechanical Systems & Environmental Laboratories Center of Excellence. Part of the nonprofit Enabling the Future, Helping Hands Adventurers is an all-volunteer organization that builds and designs prosthetic

hands and arms. They have produced nearly 45 hands, including the ones in process assembly with the Will Rogers students. Asked how she felt about the students’ reactions, Johnston said, “I’m surprised how the kids just jumped right into it. No fear. They’re the perfect age for exploring new things.” The prosthetic hands the volunteers have created are primarily for children. They have a local recipients list, but also have sent batches to India, Nigeria and Uganda. As Tegtmeier explained,

“We do project-based learning and com-munity service. They are hooked by helping others.”

Also volunteering with the students was Jory Statner, South Bay chair for the Victory Over Impairment and Challenge Enterprise (VOICE) employee resource group (ERG), which is committed to enhancing disabil-ity awareness among Northrop Grumman employees. “The stu-dents are creating a product for other children — likely their same age,” he said. “They know it’s not a toy. It’s meant to improve the quality of life of the recipient.”

HELPING HANDS

Jon Upton helps kids assemble prosthetic hands.

Photos by Alex Evers

“You get a new perspective from the kids,” said Statner, who works in technical project management. “These designs aren’t perfect, and students will happily point out some of the limitations. They’re not going to sugarcoat it; they’ll give you their perspective on the functionality.”

Eighth-grader Jayden Vazquez said, “Seeing the 3-D printing is amazing. I don’t get a chance to do things like this.” Helping Hands Adventurers is making a difference in people’s lives — on many levels.

Volunteers are always welcome. You can join Helping Hands Adventurers by contacting Barbara Johnston or the VOICE ERG by contacting Jory Statner.

Did you know?The 3-D printed prosthetic hands

project is in line with Northrop Grumman’s culture. After World War II, Jack Northrop

established a prosthetics department at the company to design and produce lightweight,

precision artificial limbs.

PROSTHETICS ARE IN OUR DNA

By Kevin Gonzalez

”THE HANDS WILL HELP MAKE SOMEONE’S FUTURE BETTER.

—Chris Kyeremateng Eighth-grader, Will Rogers Middle School

15INSIDE AEROSPACE

By Chris Boyd

young engineers and a consummate professional.

“Harvey was somebody who made a difference to our company, our customers and the world.”

But Berger, ever the modest master- mind, is quick to credit others for his success.

“I’ve been successful because of having a multitude of colleagues who were incredibly smart and willing to share their expertise,” he said.While he says he’ll enjoy retirement and spending more time with his wife, Alita, perhaps travelling to destinations across the globe, Berger will miss Northrop Grumman. “The thing I enjoy the most here are the details, delving into the thorough analysis,” he said, “and the interesting assignments, the good work and the feeling I am contribut-ing to something that’s important.”

Northrop Grumman can lay claim to Berger. Harvey Berger. Before he retired Sept. 30, Berger, 71, devoted nearly half a century of genius — 47 years — to some of legacy TRW’s, Northrop Grumman’s and the nation’s most vital programs.

Berger has worked on the James Webb Space Telescope, the global communications satellite Astrolink and the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System, or NPOESS, and many other civil space, NASA and Department of Defense programs. Since 1998, he has been a private sector advisor to Study Group 3 within the Radiocommunication Sector of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a United Nations agency responsible for coordinating global use of the radio spectrum. Berger is accountable for several revisions and new ITU recommendations relating to Earth-space, terrestrial, airborne-Earth and airborne-space radiofrequency propagation.

“If someone would have asked me when this all began, I would never have imagined such a journey,” said Berger, a New York City native who graduated with both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in electrical engineering from Cornell University.

In 1994, Berger, who holds 21 patents, became a TRW Tech Fellow, later taking on the title NG Fellow. “It was a really big honor,” he said. “There were only about a dozen out of thousands of people.”

At Space Park in Redondo Beach, Calif., where Berger spent most of his career, he worked alongside current Northrop Grumman Chairman, CEO and President Wes Bush.

“I worked on a program where I architected a critical communications link, wrote the requirements and watched it being deployed,” he said.

MYTHICAL REPUTATIONTo those who crossed paths with him, Berger is legend. Stuart Linsky, sector vice president of Engineering and Global Product Development, refers to him as the Oracle of Delphi for satellite communications links.

When Linsky ascended the ranks and had less time to devote to engineering problems on the shop floor, he remembers Berger coming into his office simply to share technical insights to satiate Linsky’s curiosity. “He was always just so generous with his time and his technical understanding of things,” Linsky said.

Linsky and Berger worked together on Astrolink, a commercial fixed-price development program that Linsky describes as needing innovative solutions so costs didn’t get out of control. “And the solutions had to be right. Well, Harvey didn’t make mistakes,” he said. “The amount of cost avoidance that Harvey was responsible for was really remarkable. He moved the needle on that.”

It was reassuring just to have Berger around on a project — even competitors appreciated his presence because he got to the heart of the technical truth, Linsky said. “I’m not sure I can properly communicate his technical strengths. He’s a very rare person,” he said. “We don’t have another Harvey Berger — not even close. He really was that good.

“Not many people live up to mythical status, but once you got to know Harvey, he actually exceeded it.”

“His technical prowess was beyond reproach. Harvey wasn’t just replicating work others had done but was at the leading edge,” said Jeff Grant, sector vice president and general manager of Space Systems. “He was a mentor to many

14 WINTER 2016

This page: Portrait of a future aerospace legend. Opposite: Harvey Berger receives the TRW Chairman’s Award for Innovation in 1999 from Joe Gorman, chairman & CEO, TRW, Inc.

Photos courtesy of Harvey Berger

IN AEROSPACE SYSTEMS

SAY FAREWELL TOTHE MOST INTERESTING MAN

The British have James Bond. Americans have Ethan Hunt of “Mission Impossible” fame. Dos Equis has “The Most Interesting Man in the World.”

INNOVATION

16 17INSIDE AEROSPACEWINTER 2016

Their conclusion: technology alone would continue to deliver evolutionary changes in mission capabilities, but it would take breakthroughs in basic research to realize revolutionary changes in how we addressed and resolved our customers’ hardest problems.

So began an odyssey for Hernandez’ former Research, Technology and Advanced Design organization that started with a renewed focus on basic research, and culminated in late September with its official rebranding as NG Next. What has emerged is an organization that uses basic research, applied technology, advanced design and rapid prototyping to create a vibrant future capabilities pipeline for the company.

At its heart, NG Next is not just an organization but also a collabo-ration among Northrop Grumman employees, customers, scientists

and engineers from industry and elite research universities. It focuses on solving our customers’ hardest problems, specifically those that enhance national security or advance human discovery. NG Next addresses both near-term, customer-defined needs as well as technologies and mission concepts that are 10 to 15 years from maturity, far beyond the scope of the sector’s

or its customers’ current planning cycles.

But NG Next is no ordinary research and development organization. Its 350 full- or part-time employees conduct research into technologies that are riskier, less well defined or nonexistent … in an environment where setbacks are tolerated, even expected, in the name of achieving revolution- ary change.

According to Tom Pieronek, NG Next vice president of basic re- search, the organization provides a logical and powerful complement to the traditional work of the sec-tor’s divisions.

“The sector is profitable and well positioned in the aerospace industry because its divisions consistently execute their pro-grams of record on cost and on schedule with solid customer support,” he said. “NG Next pro-

“NG Next exists solely to benefit Northrop

Grumman divisions,” said Hernandez. “Our No. 1 goal is to create

capabilities and opportunities that will

deliver future programs of record to them.”

INNOVATION

In spring 2014, Tom Vice, president, Aerospace Systems, and Chris Hernandez, sector vice president, NG Next, began discussing how the company could help ensure sustained U.S. technology leadership.

According to Hernandez, NG Next is also an incubator for diverse career opportunities.

“The number and variety of tech- nology development contracts NG Next handles can provide powerful training for the divisions’ up-and-coming program managers,” he said. “If you spend a year or two with us, you could be exposed to as many as five programs or technology development efforts. I guarantee it will enhance your general program management skills.”

In the end, explained Kevin Mickey, NG Next vice president of advanc-ed design, the new organization provides both a model and a cata-lyst for Aerospace Systems to become its most competitive, low-est priced, technically appropriate self.

vides the agility and flexibility to make investments in new or adjacent opportunities that will make the divisions even more successful in the future.”

NG Next comprises several functional groups: its basic research team pursues ques-tions of fundamental science; the applied technology team maps the most promising technology or science pursuits onto customers’ hardest problem sets; the advanc-ed design team develops air and space systems to carry those new technologies: and it depends on Northrop Grumman’s Scaled Composites subsidiary to fabricate, integrate and flight test prototype systems to demonstrate these technologies. NG Next also includes a team focused on warfare analysis and simulation, and a cognitive autonomy initiative called DART 1956.

“We’re creating an envi- ronment that fosters creativity, experimenta- tion, rapid development and demonstration while cross-pollinating it with the discipline and skill sets of traditional pro-grams,” he says. “The result is a partnership well equipped to pro-vide the right blend of technology, capability and program processes, now and in the future.”

Materials Processes Tech Evan Nguyen makes 3D-printed magic in the lab at NG Next.

Photos by Alex Evers and Michael Regan

By Brooks McKinneyNEXTNEXT

IS NOWIS NOW

IS NOW

18 19INSIDE AEROSPACEWINTER 2016

COVER STORY

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fails to fire,” said Lunny. “Testing reveals the redesigned MRE-1 feed tube shunt performs flawlessly and is a solution for programs like the James Webb Space Telescope that operate in challenging thermal environments.”

Bryan Calungcagin, area lead for Area 67, oversees daily operations. In a past life, he served on a pit crew for a private Porsche rac-ing team. Today, he waxes poetic about advanced fire-barrier test-ing. “The mobile test stand was built to test space and aircraft fire protection materials with an FAA-certified jet fuel burner. I was lead test conductor for a team that showed fire protection materials could withstand a temperature of a 2,200-degree-Fahrenheit jet fuel flame.” The surface of Venus cooks at a frosty 860 degrees Fahrenheit in comparison.

Kevin Salvini, test engineer, takes solace from that fact as he works on the Venus Atmospheric Maneuverable Platform, which is designed to unlock the secrets of our sister planet notable for its runaway greenhouse effect and clouds of sulfuric acid. Salvini, a FabLab aficionado, helped Chilcott build a prototype of the spacecraft.

“This solar-powered, neutrally buoyant aircraft will loiter

above Venus for over six months while collecting

vital scientific data.”

Chilcott has logged 29 years in Area 67 and was awarded a patent for smart tire sensor technology; he worked with a team to develop air bag safety restraints and sleep sensor systems. Those endeavors changed the automobile industry, but the Thermal Acoustic Power Converter could change space exploration.

“We took the idea of cryocool- ers and turned it on its head. Put power in a cryocooler, you get cold out,” said Chilcott. “So what if you put waste heat in? You have the potential to get power out, and at fantastic efficiency with minimal moving parts.”

Michael Lunny, lead hot-fire test engineer, has a passion for propulsion that burns hot in his blue eyes. “I get to go to work every day and fire up rocket engines. How cool is that?” Northrop Grumman’s legacy in propulsion technology connects to the future through the redesign of its MRE-1 technology.

“We tested a new shunt concept to dissipate heat away from the hot parts of the thruster so it never

Success feels tangible in Area 67. Today’s team may operate in relative anonymity, but there’s always the hope that the next big break will lead to a culture-changing seismic shock. This is where Jerry Buss toiled as a chemical engineer before buying the Los Angeles Lakers and bring-ing “Showtime” to the world. Here is where the pintle engines were designed and built by Jerry Elverum before carrying every astronaut to the moon and the crew of Apollo 13 safely back to Earth after a system failure.

Awesome meets math and science at Area 67. Bring on the doubters and the cynics. Bring on the future.

Area 67 will build it.

“It’s like the TARDIS. It just keeps going and going,” says Kelley Chilcott. He greets a visitor with a smile as broad as his home state of Montana, one that belies the serious work that goes on at Building 67 (officially the Experimental Test Facility, or ETF) in Manhattan Beach, Calif.

Like the TARDIS, science fiction legend Dr. Who’s expansive time machine that doubled as a claustrophobic London police box, Building 67’s benign facade masks a fantastical reality. That’s why the gonzo team of dreamers laboring among the maze-like corridors nicknamed their home Area 67.

They not only carry out a myriad of research and prototyping here and at sites across the country, but also service the machinery that enables their work. Among the machine shop and vacuum chambers, bunkers for explosive/radiation testing and the clean room with the laminar flow tunnel, limitless experimentation beckons.

The future is now at Area 67.

Photos by Alex Evers

Photo courtesy of U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Kyla Gifford

engineering and technical direction. Since then, Northrop Grumman has worked on every aspect of the ICBM system (Ramo-Wooldridge was acquired by TRW, which was acquired by Northrop Grumman).

The company served as the prime contractor on the recently conclud- ed ICBM Prime Integration Contract (see sidebar), managed every up- grade of the Minuteman III missile and now serves as the Ground Subsystems Support contractor — the largest current contract supporting the ICBM system.

According to Carol Erikson, vice president and capture lead for GBSD, “We have a unique understanding of the end-to-end system based on our history. And we are ready to compete for the opportunity to remain the Air Force’s valued industry partner in supporting the nation’s next-generation ICBM program.”

The Soviet Union had installed nuclear-armed missiles on Cuba, and in turn, the United States set up a naval quarantine around the island nation. It was a standoff that marked one of the most dangerous moments in the Cold War, and it was resolved only when the Soviets removed the missiles.

A key factor in resolving this issue was the nation’s intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system, a formidable strategic deterrent with vastly more capability than the adversary’s system. It has been nearly 60 years since the ICBM became operational, and integrating current technological modifications costs more than designing, developing, deploying and operating a new land-based strategic deterrent.

As a result, the U.S. Air Force has decided to replace virtually the entire ICBM system, including the weapon systems command and control; flight, launch and ground

systems; and cyber elements. The new system will be called the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD).

The Air Force plans to award two Technical Maturation and Risk Reduction (TMRR) contracts in 2017. Northrop Grumman assem- bled experts from within the entire company to write the TMRR proposal, which was submitted in mid-October.

In 2020, the Air Force plans to down-select to one contractor responsible for the subsequent phases of GBSD, including develop- ment, production, deployment and maintenance of the system through 2075. The total value of the program is estimated at $60 billion.

Northrop Grumman has been the Air Force’s ICBM industry partner since its earliest days, when Gen. Bernard Schriever asked the Ramo-Wooldridge Corp. to provide system

PERFORMANCE

THIRTEEN DAYS IN OCTOBER 1962 NEARLY RESULTED IN A NUCLEAR WAR.

21INSIDE AEROSPACE20 WINTER 2016

In June, Northrop Grumman completed 18 years as the prime contractor on the ICBM Prime Integration Contract (IPIC), supporting the missile system’s sustainment and modernization. Under this multi-billion dollar contract, the company:

/ Supported 24/7 mission readiness for the entire ICBM weapon system.

/ Supported the land-based nuclear deterrent ICBM force by assemb- ling and maintaining a team of more than 1,200 subcontractors working anywhere from 30 to 50 contracts at any given time, at 50 locations across the United States.

/ Provided assessment and engi- neering services in maintaining ICBM readiness, reliability, availa- bility, accuracy and survivability.

The U.S. Air Force customer rated the company’s performance as “Excellent” for the final program periods of performance, consistent with ratings earned over the life of the contract. This included years during which the company provided valuable program insights, best practices and lessons learned — enabling a seamless transition of the lead integration role back to the Air Force at the program’s conclusion.

“Through our sustainment efforts, and highly successful moderniza- tion and life-extension programs, the ICBM force is capable of provid- ing effective strategic deterrence through 2030,” said John Parker, vice president and general manager, Global Logistics and Moderniza- tion division, Northrop Grumman Technology Services. “Northrop Grumman is proud of our role sup- porting the Air Force in providing the nation the land-based leg of the nuclear triad, and we look forward to future opportunities supporting the Air Force and Department of Defense with our one-of-a-kind legacy of ICBM expertise.”

A SUCCESSFUL CONCLUSION

“THE MINUTEMAN ICBM SYSTEM HAS SERVED THE NATION AS THE LAND-BASED

LEG OF THE NUCLEAR TRIAD FOR MORE THAN 60 YEARS. IT IS ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL THAT

WE MODERNIZE IT TO MEET 21ST CENTURY THREATS. WE’RE LOOKING AT GBSD AS AN

OPPORTUNITY TO BRING INCREASED SAFETY, SECURITY AND EFFECTIVENESS TO THE

NATION’S STRATEGIC DETERRENCE.”

—Carol Erikson Vice President and Capture Lead for GBSD

By Sally KorisINTERCONTINENTAL BALLISTIC MISSILE SYSTEMTHE NATION’S NEXT-GENERATION

By Allie Disken

JWSTJWSTPERFORMANCE

By Connie Reese IS A HIT IN MUSIC CITY

23INSIDE AEROSPACE22 WINTER 2016

Science Communications, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center; Dr. Kelly Holley-Bockelmann, astro-physicist, Vanderbilt University; and Nathaniel Kahn.

The panelists provided insight into the making and engineering of JWST, its science missions and how it will rewrite textbooks.

“This film tells the story about JWST in such a unique way, in a way that I think students and teachers can really connect with,” said Dr. Straughn. “I’m hopeful that it makes a big impact on our STEM leaders of tomorrow in classrooms throughout the country.”

“This is an exciting time, and Northrop Grumman is proud to be at the

Conference attendees were treated to an exclusive screening of the Northrop Grumman Foundation sponsored film, “Into the Unknown: The James Webb Space Telescope.” The 40-minute behind-the-scenes documentary by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Nathaniel Khan describes NASA’s James Webb Space Tele- scope’s (JWST) technology through the eyes of the people who are building it.

The film explores first-time in- novative developments created specifically to help the Webb Tele- scope propel to its final destination — 1 million miles from Earth. Shown in the planetarium of Nashville’s Adventure Science Center, the film was projected onto a dome-shaped screen, enhancing the depiction of the story and fascinating aspects of Webb.

“We introduced this film at the con- ference to provide teachers with an

forefront of creating and develop-ing innovative technology that will revolutionize our understanding of the universe and our place in it,” said Willoughby.

The Northrop Grumman Foundation sponsored this year’s NSTA Confer-ence for the fifth consecutive year, hosting a booth and distributing educational material. “Last year, the foundation and NSTA launched the Northrop Grumman Foundation Teachers Academy to enhance teacher confidence and classroom excellence in STEM while increasing teacher understanding about the skills needed for a STEM-literate workforce,” said Carleen Beste, director, corporate citizenship and manager, Northrop Grumman Foundation. (Learn more about the academy on page 17.)

Selected from across the country, the 25 middle school teachers in the academy participated in a

yearlong immersion to enhance teacher and classroom excellence in STEM. Teachers were selected based on their desire to use real-world applications in the classroom.

To learn more about science and space exploration, and share that knowledge with future generations, is a responsibility that the founda- tion, the company and the JWST team greatly value. “Into the Un-known” was scheduled to be released in November 2016 and will be viewable via the Norhrop Grumman website:

http://www.northropgrumman.com/CorporateResponsibility/CorporateCitizenship/Education/IntoTheUnknown/Pages/default.aspx

educational tool to help students bet- ter understand space and increase their interest in science and tech-nology,” said Sandra Evers-Manly, Northrop Grumman vice president, Global Corporate Responsibility and president of the Northrop Grumman Foundation.

Immediately following the screening, attendees were welcomed to Nashville by Congressman Jim Cooper from Tennessee’s 5th District. “Science teachers have the most important jobs: shaping the minds of students who are tomorrow’s scientists. We were honored to host the NSTA con-ference in Nashville,” said Cooper.

Also on the agenda was a special presentation by a panel of experts. Presenters included Scott Willoughby, vice president and JWST program manager, Aerospace Systems; Dr. Amber Straughn, associate director, Astrophysics Science Division and deputy project scientist for JWST

(Left to right) Dr. Kelly Holley-Bockelmann, Dr. Amber Straughn and Scott Willoughby field audience questions.

The home of country music, delicious barbecue and Southern hospitality — Nashville, Tenn.,— was the host destination for this year’s National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) conference, attended by nearly 8,000 science educators from across the country.

—Sandra Evers-Manly Vice President, Global Corporate Responsibility

and President, Northrop Grumman Foundation

THE FILM IS VISUALLY STUNNING AND A WONDERFUL WAY TO TELL THE WEBB STORY

FROM THE VIEW OF THE SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS WHO ARE MAKING THIS

INCREDIBLE ACHIEVEMENT POSSIBLE.

“HHHHH

—Scott Willoughby Vice President and JWST Program Manager

IT IS IMPORTANT FOR US TO INSPIRE FUTURE GENERATIONS OF ENGINEERS

AND SCIENTISTS, AND WE HOPE JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE

WILL DO JUST THAT. ”HHHHH

25INSIDE AEROSPACE24 WINTER 2016

By Warren A. Comer

B-21 April 18, a small Japanese patrol boat found the task force but was destroyed. There were concerns that a message might have been sent to other ships, and the decision was made to launch early.

Doolittle’s plane was the first to take off, with others quickly trailing single file from the deck. The aircrews joined in separate formations as they made their way to their targets. Everyone knew taking off short of their planned takeoff point reduced their chances of safely making it to airfields in China. The success of their mission was now more important than their own lives.

As the Raiders approached their targets, they began to encounter heavy ground artillery fire, with few threats from the air. Their gamble caught the Imperial Military by surprise, with only one aircraft able to attack its targets.

The raid wasn’t meant to deal a devastating blow but was a huge morale boost to the American public, paving the way for future victories.It’s only fitting that this legacy be imparted to the next generation of airmen, and those who support them, as they fly the B-21 Raider on future missions to protect our nation.

On Sept. 19, the U.S. Air Force officially named the B-21 bomber the Raider. The name comes from a well-known group of airmen known as the Doolittle Raiders, who courageously set out on the most daring bombing mission ever conceived during World War II. During the early days of U.S. military involvement in World War II, the country had been caught off guard, suffering a string of devastating defeats. Most far-flung outposts in the Pacific had been lost in mere weeks, with forces in the Philippines surrendering in April 1942, just over five months after the Imperial Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

This string of events left much of Asia, and even Australia, open to possible invasion. With Germany virtually in control of Europe and much of North Africa, the Axis powers appeared to hold every advantage. Americans longed for good news that would bring them hope.

America’s enemies at that time view- ed the United States as ill-prepared to defend itself. Americans were seen as isolationists, too weak to stand up for themselves and their allies.

That’s when a plan was devised that seemed so bold and crazy, it might not even be possible.

A group of 80 U.S. Army Air Corps B-25 Mitchell bomber crews, led by Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle, would launch an extremely long-range attack off the deck of an aircraft carrier against military and industrial facilities in Tokyo. The mission was so far from any Allied airfields that the 16 B-25s would have to fly directly to China in hopes of finding a safe landing.

The Doolittle Raiders knew they might not make it back. If their mission were successful, it would have far-reaching effects on American morale and prove that mainland Japan was not impervious to attack.

The airmen understood the mis- sion carried significant risks and a high potential for failure. Aircraft engineers in Minneapolis had to devise innovative ways for the B-25s to carry more than 1,000 gallons of fuel while reducing their total weight to allow them to fly extreme distances. Additionally, the bombers weren’t designed to take off from an aircraft carrier, leaving little margin for error.

Modifications of the B-25s started in February 1942 in Minneapolis, with training taking place the following month. After a little more than three weeks, Doolittle concluded they were ready.

On April 1, 1942, the aircraft were loaded onto the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8), and the ship set sail from San Francisco.

Roughly 200 miles from the plan-ned takeoff point for the B-25s on

PERFORMANCE

THE LEGACY CONTINUES

THE

RAIDER:

THROUGHOUT THE YEARS, THE DOOLITTLE RAIDERS HAVE COME TO SYMBOLIZE COURAGE AND A “CAN-DO” ATTITUDE. THEY CREATED A LEGACY OF DELIVERING SUCCESS, EVEN IN THE FACE OF IMPOSSIBLE ODDS.

Left to right: Doolittle Raiders Lt. Henry A. Potter (navigator), Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle (pilot), Staff Sgt. Fred A. Braemer (bombardier), Lt. Richard E. Cole (copilot) and Staff Sgt. Paul J. Leonard (flight engineer/gunner) in April 1942.

Photos courtesy of the U.S. Air Force

By Brooke Miner

ACROSS THE SECTOR

Where were you in 1966? Maybe you were working for another company. Maybe you were still in school. Maybe you hadn’t been born yet.

That year, employees Eddie Anderson and Tom Shepard began careers with entities that would eventually become Northrop Grumman. And both arrived in Beverly Hills, Calif., on a sunny afternoon this November to celebrate their 50-year service anniversaries. They were in good company; nearly 100 employees who started here in 1991 were also in attendance, celebrating their 25-year anniversaries.

A lot can happen in 25 years — even more in 50. Longtime employees have seen tremendous change and progress during their time at Northrop Grumman, and each has a story to tell. Here are a few of them.

Name: Eddie Anderson What he does: Multimedia Manager Years of service: 50

Words of wisdom:

“Take note of the enormity of what we do as far as supporting the troops and scientific advancement. It’s important work.”Career highlights: “Obviously, when we landed on the moon, that was a highlight. We also supported the people who were working on the conclusion of the Apollo 13 flight — everyone was in and working that weekend to provide support. The X-29 and E-2D rollouts were big highlights. And the sunset of the F-14 and its last flight. I was at the first flight and the last flight.”

27INSIDE AEROSPACE26 WINTER 2016

This page (left to right) Tom Shepard, Tom Vice and Eddie Anderson in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Nov. 5. Opposite: Todd Beals

Photos by Michael Regan

LONGTIME EMPLOYEES Celebrate — and Reflect

Name: Tom Shepard What he does: Software Engineer Years of service: 50

Words of wisdom:

“Work hard. Enjoy yourself. It’s later than you think!”Career highlight: “I’ll never forget the company’s willingness to ‘cut me some slack’ when my children were younger. I was a single parent with five children attending five different schools, so when they got sick, I had to go pick them up. They’re all healthy and grown now with children of their own. My older brother was diagnosed with leukemia years ago. In a procedure similar to a bone marrow transplant, I donated stem cells, which rebuilt his bone marrow and got him extra years on Earth. I was given time off for this lifesaving procedure, and my brother is still alive. Both my brother and I are very grateful and will never forget this.”

Name: Todd Beals What he does: Program Manager Years of service: 25

Words of wisdom:

“Be open to new experi-ences — even those outside your comfort zone. This is a big com-pany, and it’s getting bigger all the time. You’re not doing the same thing for 25 years. You grow, and the company benefits.”Career highlight: Working on Global Hawk before, and after, 9/11. “One day we were working on flight testing, and then all of a sudden — boom — we were deploying these assets. Early on, a lot of engineering folks had to fill in for field support answering questions. We set up a call center to handle calls from the field. Global Hawk went into service right before the holidays, but we still needed to man the call center. They sent around a sign-up sheet and I saw Hermann Altmann [then Global Hawk’s chief engineer] had already penciled himself in for Christmas morning. I told myself, if he’s coming in on Christmas Day, you can find time to come in and contribute. That was a great leadership lesson.” (The air-craft is celebrating an anniversary of its own this year — learn more on page 33.)

29INSIDE AEROSPACE

Cal Poly students make adjustments to their UUV.

28 WINTER 2016

And it isn’t just for engineers. Business, management, computer science, physics and math students participate as well.

Maybe best of all, the project shows students what it might really be like to work at Northrop Grumman. “When I was a kid, my uncle, who worked at the Palmdale site, gave us a tour and I got to see the B-2,” said Sleigh. “Ever since then, I’ve known the name ‘Northrop.’ When this project came up, I thought, if I get to put Northrop Grumman on my resume, you bet I’ll be there. It connects you to this world-renowned company, and you can’t put a price on that.”

Kicked off in fall 2011, the project initially involved a UAV locating a target and transmitting its coor-dinates to a ground station, which passed them on to a UGV. The UGV, in turn, navigated to the target. The following year, the project’s complexity went up a notch. A se-cond UAV dropped a bottle of water at a location established by the first UAV, and a UGV navigated to the target location and verified the package’s delivery.

This year’s project incorporated yet another layer: a UUV. “I noticed what a great pool Cal Poly Pomona had, and I thought, wouldn’t it be interesting if we added an unmanned submarine?” said Norm Eng, vice president, Global Products, and one of the project’s executive champions. “UUVs present control problems that don’t exist on the air side, so it adds another level of depth to the mission.”

Cal Poly Pomona student and former Northrop Grumman intern Thomas Sleigh experienced those problems firsthand. “One of the requirements was to send a signal to communi-cate with the submarine while it’s underwater, and we found that the signal would disappear within a foot,” he said.

This opportunity to work on a pro- ject that closely emulated a real-world situation is one of the most

valuable aspects of the collaboration. Systems Engineer Kevin La, a Cal Poly Pomona graduate and former Northrop Grumman intern, has been involved with the project since its first year. “It’s one thing to be in class, to learn about a concept or theory,” he said. “This is a realistic, relevant application of it.”

Furthermore, the experience directly affected La’s decision to come to Northrop Grumman after graduation. “The coolest part was that Northrop was willing to invest this much in us, and they came out to provide supervision. There were definitely other projects on campus, but the level of engagement with this one really stood out.”

True to its name, the project provides endless opportunities for collaboration — not to mention encouraging two schools that are usually friendly rivals to set aside their competition and cooperate.

“They’re driving toward a common project goal, and it’s an opportunity for the students to learn leadership as well as technology,” said Eng.

ACROSS THE SECTOR

After four, five, maybe even six years of daily lectures, more reading than you thought possi- ble, blurry-eyed late nights and bottomless coffee cups, it’s time. You’re graduating from college. But what does your chosen career actually entail? Well … you’re going to find out soon enough.

A group of dedicated students from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, will have a leg up in that regard, thanks to the Northrop Grumman Collabora- tion Project. This multiyear effort gives students a chance to get their hands dirty and solve engineer-ing and business problems in the context of an actual mission involving unmanned ground (UGV), aerial (UAV) and underwater (UUV) vehicles.

“IT WAS EYE-OPENING TO ENCOUNTER PROBLEMS LIKE YOU’D HAVE IN A REAL WORK ENVIRONMENT. THE HARD

PART WAS FIGURING OUT HOW WE WERE GOING TO DO IT USING THE SKILLS WE’D LEARNED, BREAK IT DOWN AND

PUT IT TOGETHER TO GET A PRODUCT THAT WORKED.”

By Brooke Miner

BRIDGEA

REAL WORLDTO THE

—Thomas Sleigh Cal Poly Pomona student and

former Northrop Grumman intern

By Geri MacDonald

The UAV Challenge brought participants from across the globe to Australia in September.

Shortness of breath sets in. You’re experiencing the onset of anaphylaxis, and the epinephrine injection (EpiPen) that could save your life is damaged. With little time to spare, you call for emergency assistance.

Twenty minutes later, you hear the buzz of an unmanned aircraft zeroing in on your location using your cell phone’s GPS. It hovers over an autonomously located clearing. Close but at a safe distance, it drops four EpiPens.

This scenario is similar to two that played out during September’s Northrop Grumman–sponsored UAV Challenge competitions in Brisbane and Dalby, Australia. The annual event’s objective is to create awareness about UAVs’ potential to provide novel, cost-effective solutions to real-world problems, and it attracts participating teams from around the globe.

The first scenario assigned was the Airborne Delivery Challenge. The second was called Medical Express. The Airborne Delivery Challenge involved 17 teams from high schools from Australia, China and the United

States. Their mission was to save “Outback Joe” — a lifelike mannequin who is routinely the subject of these scenarios — from anaphylactic shock by delivering an EpiPen via radio-controlled aircraft.

Systems Engineer Hannah Scherer, a member of Northrop Grumman’s Global Engineering Rotation pro- gram who’s currently stationed in Australia, was on the panel of judges for the high school competition.

During the Medical Express Challenge for adult competitors, Outback Joe was in need of help once again. After a remote medical consultation over the Internet, Joe’s doctor found his condition suspicious and requested a blood sample. The teams were tasked to fly their UAV to Joe’s farm, pick up the sample and return to base within an hour.

This task sounds simple in theory, but in practice it would prove to be no small feat. The teams encountered rain, wind, loss of communications, a UAV stuck in a tree and one motor having vertical lift issues — practical problems engineers wrestle with all the time.

Originally developed to promote UAVs’ significance to Australia, the UAV challenge is a joint initiative between Queensland University and Technology (QUT) through its Australian Research Centre for Aerospace Automation, and Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO). CSIRO and QUT have been joined by other partners over the years, including the Queensland government, Aviation Development Australia Limited and AUVS-Australia.

Northrop Grumman sponsored these ambitious exercises because they highlight the ever-growing role UAVs play in both military and civilian life. From surveillance and intelligence gathering, to mapping requirements and search and rescue efforts, UAVs are transforming the way military, first responders and others are meeting the demands of their jobs. Much lighter than traditional aircraft and able to remain airborne longer, UAVs present a vast array of possible applications. The exploration of them is just beginning, and Northrop Grumman is helping lead the way.

30 WINTER 2016 31INSIDE AEROSPACE

Imagine you’re hiking on Tasmania, an isolated island off Australia’s south coast, near the Derwent River, far from civilization. The solace is suddenly broken when you’re stung by a jumper ant — a venomous native insect.

AUSTRALIA

THE CHALLENGE HELPS DEMONSTRATE THE USE OF UAVS FOR CIVILIAN APPLICATIONS,PARTICULARLY IN

SITUATIONS WHERE LIVES COULD BE LOST. SEEING THESE TEAMS WORK TOGETHER WAS INSPIRATIONAL,

AND I THINK THEY LEARNED A LOT IN THE PROCESS.

—Hannah Scherer Systems Engineer, Member of Northrop Grumman’s

Global Rotation Engineering Program

“”

ACROSS THE SECTOR

32 WINTER 2016

By Ann Carney

“Our members care about making the community a better place,” says Marszal. “They donate their own time to come out and support worth- while causes. They do it because they want to, and because they know it makes a real difference.” Whether it’s a beach or roadside cleanup, a Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk, a Toys for Kids drive or supporting such company initiatives as United Through Reading or Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day, NGWIN is there.

And because networking is an NGWIN priority as well, members often hold fun get-togethers. Recently, they enjoyed “Painting with a Twist” night at a local shopping mall. Maybe not all the paintings turned out as masterpieces, but the success of the gathering was definitely a work of art.

In January, NGWIN will host its second annual Executive Leadership Breakfast. At this event, employees register to attend and are seated with four or five fellow employees at individual tables. During the break-fast hour, eight Northrop Grumman directors and vice presidents take turns visiting each table and chatting with employees about virtually any topic. “It’s kind of like a speed-dating setup,” explains Marszal. “It worked well last year, and we look forward to hosting it again in early 2017.”

Undoubtedly, it takes hard work and lots of planning to keep an ERG as active as NGWIN running smoothly. And, although the many ongoing efforts of this organization may seem daunting to some, Firriolo and Marszal agree that hours dedicated to NGWIN are always time well spent.

That adage sums up the high-energy motivation behind Northrop Grumman’s Women’s International Network (NGWIN). An employee resource group (ERG) comprised of members from across the enterprise — nearly 500 members at the com- pany’s Melbourne site alone — the organization’s vision is to inspire women to lead, succeed and excel both personally and professionally. And that vision is put into motion every day.

Christina Firriolo, manager of pro- gram control in Melbourne, Fla., and president of that site’s NGWIN chapter for the past two years, joined NGWIN to engage more with fellow employees, support worth- while causes and sharpen her managerial and professional skills. “I believe ERGs help people become better employees,” says Firriolo. “I have learned a lot and met so many great people who I would not know otherwise. NGWIN is an ideal

way to give back to the community and strengthen your network and leadership skills at the same time.”

Firriolo works with 11 other NGWIN board members. Together, they carve time out of their busy sched- ules to continuously offer an impressive array of learning and outreach opportunities. From sup- porting enterprise-level events, such as a recent Women’s Leadership Series, to coordinating educational STEM activities each month on off Fridays for local middle schools, members of Melbourne’s NGWIN make the most of their time and talents. The results of their collabo-rative efforts benefit them, the company and the community.

Contract Administrator Melissa Marszal is outreach events chair for the Melbourne chapter, and to her, the best part of giving back to the community is working with people who care.

HERITAGE

33INSIDE AEROSPACE

By Greg Lund

GLOBAL HAWK: MIRACLES DO HAPPENOn a day that saw many “miracles” take place, the U.S. Air Force and Northrop Grumman Global Hawk team in the Middle East couldn’t pull off yet another by turning water into wine.

Even if they had, no champagne (or any other celebratory liquor) was allowed. So, they settled for soda, grape juice and cigars to celebrate the miracle of Global Hawk’s first combat sortie on November 20, 2001.

Air Force Col. Ed Walby, a former U-2 pilot and then-command-er of the 12th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, had been on an accelerated Global Hawk deployment path for two months since the 9/11 terror attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The Pentagon needed the best intelligence it could get from the skies over Afghanistan —immediately.

“The Global Hawk landed in coun-try in November, and in 10 days we prepared for a mission to support our warfighters on the ground in Afghanistan,” said Walby, now retired and living in Montana. “A lot of things had to go right for us to be successful on our first mission, so we called them miracles — some little, some big. But they all happened, and the mission was a success.”

Ironically, he had been in a meeting at the Pentagon on Sept. 10, 2001, when the go-ahead was given to speed up efforts to operationalize Global Hawk five years ahead of its planned Initial Operational Capability date. One day later, the need for Global Hawk’s capabilities became pronounced.

Originally designed to support the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s evaluation of high-altitude, long-endurance aircraft, the Global Hawk demonstrator first flew on Feb. 28, 1998. Development contin-ued through 2001, when a Global Hawk system flew a historic mission from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to Royal Australian Air Force Base, Edinburgh, Australia — the first time an unmanned system had crossed the Pacific Ocean nonstop. At that time, no one realized the trans-Pacific flight would become the norm when the Global Hawk system was deployed to support Operation Enduring Freedom.

TIME WELL SPENTACROSS THE SECTOR

IT’S NOT ABOUT HAVING TIME; IT’S ABOUT MAKING TIME.

NGWIN members in Melbourne join the fight against breast cancer.

Photo by Ezra Miller

HERITAGE

Infographic by Gloria Sola

35INSIDE AEROSPACE34 WINTER 2016

Northrop Grumman employees were forward-deployed too, working alongside their Air Force counter-parts to get Global Hawk in the air and keep it flying to provide the critical pre-strike and post-strike data necessary for effective combat operations. The team was led by Avis Anderson, now Northrop Grumman director of Product Support for Global Hawk, Triton and NATO programs.

“Certainly there was a fear of the unknown, going into a strange place and not knowing what you would encounter; nobody wants to go to a war,” said Anderson, who volunteered to lead the small team of contractors. “But we had to go. The Air Force needed the system experts.”

Global Hawk had been developed by a team at Teledyne Ryan Aero-nautical. That’s where Anderson started his 32-year career in aerospace, working his way up to factory manager before being given an opportunity to lead the initial manufacturing of the Global Hawk platform in 1995. Credited with driving the first rivet into this futuristic airframe, Anderson and his team were successful in taking this concept from the drawing board into physical reality.

The team’s performance in those difficult conditions won high praise from Walby in a letter to Northrop Grumman leadership:

“The initial cadre of deployed per-sonnel proved to be nothing less than the finest group of dedicated professionals I have ever had the opportunity to work with in my 26 years of field operations.”

SUPPORTING NATIONAL DEFENSE

1998

Global Hawk’s first flight supporting the Defense

Advanced Research Projects Agency

2001

Global Hawk’s first deployment while still officially in test status

2003

Global Hawk becomes the first UAV to receive

authorization to fly in U.S. National Airspace

2006

Global Hawk formally stands up a permanent

presence outside the United States

2007

Global Hawk is the first autonomous aircraft to support Southern California wildfires

2010

Global Hawk is first to survey the damage following the Haiti

earthquake

2011

Global Hawk provides critical monitoring of

infrastructure in Japan following a major tsunami

2013

Global Hawk supports first responders in the Philippines following

Typhoon Haiyan

PROVIDING DISASTER RELIEF

Global Hawk program selected for the first of three consecutive U.S. Air Force Roche Sustainment Awards

2013

Global Hawk demonstrates payload and mission

flexibility flying the legacy SYERS - 2 sensor and

OBC camera

2016

BACNA “gateway” that connects radios for ground troops and aircraft, relaying and translating for both voice and data networks

MULTI-INT:Provides simultaneous optical, radar and signals intelligence gathering, flying missions where no other high-altitude asset can reach

WIDE-AREA SURVEILLANCE:Provides all-weather capability and can track thousands of targets at the same time

The Global Hawk airframe can provide different capabilities depending on mission requirements.

2016

Global Hawk real-time weather data is first used

to upgrade a tropical storm to a hurricane

category

GLOBAL HAWK WENT TO WAR AND NEVER CAME HOME. IN THE

ENSUING YEARS, IT HAS BECOME THE PRE-EMINENT INTELLIGENCE,

SURVEILLANCE AND RECONNAISSANCE PLATFORM IN THE WORLD.

—Mick Jaggers Program Lead, Global Hawk Program

and Vice President, Northrop Grumman

“

BAE Systems GKN Aerospace Janicki Industries Orbital ATK Pratt & Whitney Rockwell Collins Spirit AeroSystemsw w w. B 2 1 R a i d e r. c o m

© 2016 Northrop Grumman Corporation

THE NAME AMERICA’S ADVERSARIES WON’T SOON FORGET.

Northrop Grumman congratulates the U.S. Air Force on naming the newest long-range strike

bomber: the B-21 Raider. This designation honors the legacy and power of the Air Force’s

unique long-range strike capability. We’re proud to lead a world-class team delivering

the B-21 Raider—a system vital to national security. THIS IS WHAT WE DO. AGAIN.