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2015-04-01
NORTHROP GRUMMAN’S MAJOR PUSH OF STEM TRAINING IN UAE
Innovation Challenge largest yet
Northrop Grumman is a driving force for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) training among students in the UAE. It is furthering STEM in many ways including again sponsoring the highly successful annual Innovation Challenge. In a wide-ranging interview JERRY SPRUILL, Sector Director, International Capture Leadership, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, discusses latest STEM development as well as updating the status of the US Navy E-2D Advanced Hawkeye program.
By: Sakha Pramod
Northrop Grumman recently attended IDEX. What were the highlights for the company at this year’s event?
One of our primary goals at IDEX 2015 was to emphasize the importance of furthering science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) training among students in the UAE. We highlighted Innovation Challenge, a competition we sponsor where Northrop Grumman engineers mentor Emirati college students in building unmanned aircraft.
Another major highlight for the company was the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye tactical workstation. The E-2D is an airborne early warning and control aircraft, which provides some of the most advanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) available. The E-2D can track and detect small targets over land, shore and sea, in any weather. Having an advanced airborne early warning capability is crucial for ensuring peace and prosperity, particularly when regional instability is a constant threat.
Northrop Grumman signed a MOU with the Higher Colleges of Technology at IDEX, renewing their joint commitment to STEM in the UAE. How are you going to achieve that?
Northrop Grumman is hugely committed to advancing STEM education in the UAE and around the world, with a focus on high school and college students. In the UAE, the major way we’re advancing STEM education is through Innovation Challenge. Innovation Challenge pairs Northrop Grumman engineering mentors with HCT students to design, build and fly unmanned aircraft. The program ends in a weeklong competition, held in April, where all the student teams come together to compete in oral presentations and flying demonstrations. The winning team gets an all-expense paid trip to the United States, where they’ll visit Northrop Grumman facilities and institutions devoted to STEM. ADASI is also a sponsor; they provide a trip for the second-place winner.
This year, we are celebrating the fifth annual Innovation Challenge, and it’s the biggest competition yet. There are 15 HCT teams representing five emirates, including two Khalifa Bin Zayed Air College teams. The students are bright, and will do amazing things in their future careers. Participating in this competition is impressive – for many students it’s their first time working with robotics, and they’re doing it in addition to their regular schoolwork.
Northrop Grumman is also a signatory member with the American Chamber of Commerce’s Women Achieve initiative. By partnering in this initiative, we committed to furthering STEM education among women in the UAE. It’s a goal we feel strongly about, as does the leadership of the UAE, and we’re dedicated to workforce diversification in line with the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030.
Will the public be able to attend the Innovation Challenge competition?
Yes. The public is invited to come watch the flying competitions on April 21 and 22 at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. They are also invited to the awards ceremony on April 23, which will be held at the Dubai Men’s College. Our website, www.northropgrumman.com/uaeinnovationchallenge has more information. We would love for people to come and experience the hard work that the HCT students and Northrop Grumman engineers have put in over the last five months in order to prepare for competition day.
Why is intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) so important?
Today’s threats aren’t as visible as they once were. Incidents happen much quicker and with less time to react. ISR platforms provide early-warning capabilities so that armed forces can identify threats in time, and act on them appropriately. This is doubly important when regional instability is a factor.
The great news is advancements in radar technology have allowed military users to see potential targets from much further away. Radar resolution and image quality have improved drastically, and when combined with other on-board sensors provide military commanders with a level of awareness not previously available. ISR systems can also play multiple roles, such as aiding in disaster relief and humanitarian efforts.
Has there been any international interest in the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye?
Absolutely. For context, Taiwan, Egypt, France and Japan currently operate E-2Cs, the previous Hawkeye variant. Japan, especially given the regional instability that is a threat to their peace and sovereignty, has a requirement to increase their airborne early warning capabilities. After a rigorous competition, they selected the E-2D to fulfill this requirement based on cost, logistics, and performance. Japan is the E-2D’s international launch customer, and we are very excited to be working with the United States Navy and the Japanese Ministry of Defense to move forward with the acquisition. The United States Navy has also cleared us to discuss E-2D’s capabilities with the UAE and India, and numerous other potential international customers have expressed interest in the system.
The E-2D was designed to operate from an aircraft carrier. Is it suitable for primarily land-based environments?
The E-2 Hawkeye is in use with more customers than any other such system available today. Precisely because it was designed to be operated from the difficult environment of an aircraft carrier, it can be operated from land bases for many years, which is the case with the Japan Air Self Defense Force and many other Hawkeye international operators. It is an extremely flexible system. During Taiwan’s recent Han Kuang military exercises, they had their Hawkeye – known as the E-2K – land and take off on a short and narrow strip of highway as part of an emergency drill.
The E-2D can also assist with a nation’s humanitarian and disaster relief needs. E-2Cs were used to assist in relief efforts following the Great East Japan Earthquake, as well as the 2013 typhoon that hit the Philippines. E-2s are able to act as air traffic control, so when natural disasters wipe out control posts, the E-2 can take over and manage the airspace. This ensures humanitarian relief aircraft can get where they need to go, and that there are no conflicts with air traffic already in the area.
What is the current status of the US Navy E-2D Advanced Hawkeye program?
It’s a very exciting time for the US Navy E-2D program. On March 11, 2015, the US Navy officially deployed the very first squadron of E-2Ds with the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group. This means that it’s the first time the E-2D will serve as the primary early-warning aircraft aboard a deployed aircraft carrier. The U.S. Navy commander of VAW-125, which is the squadron E-2D is assigned to, explained it really well. He said “suppose you’re looking through a pair of goggles, with the E-2C you have 20/20 vision, and with the E-2D you have 20/10.”
The E-2Ds deployed as part of Carrier Air Wing One, which will be heading to the 5th and 6th fleet areas of responsibility. E-2Cs have already been in the gulf region for months, supporting strike operations against Iraq and Syria in the fight against extremism.
Northrop Grumman is on contract to deliver 75 E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes to the US Navy. We are on schedule and the 17th aircraft should be delivered shortly. It is a privilege to partner with the U.S. Navy in manufacturing the airborne early warning system of the future.
You are a world leader in unmanned systems. What are the most recent developments with aircraft such as the Global Hawk?
There are many exciting things happening with our High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) unmanned aircraft, both domestically and internationally. Our HALE platforms are utilized by the United States Department of Defense around the world. Global Hawk saw close to a 40 per cent increase in flight hours from 2013 to 2014, and maintained a perfect safety record last year. Triton, the maritime variant of Global Hawk, has successfully completed its cross-country ferry flights and is focusing on sensor testing.
Internationally, the Republic of Korea, Japan and Australia have all announced their intentions to purchase our unmanned HALE aircraft. Last December, the Republic of Korea awarded Northrop Grumman a $657 million contract award for four Global Hawks. Production has already started with delivery planned to begin in 2018. These are significant achievements, and we look forward to continuing to work closely with the US Government and our allied partners to provide the most advanced intelligence-gathering capabilities available.
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