Perhaps the technological area that best showcases our depth, breadth and ability to take on unique challenges is electronics. Very few can design, create and integrate electronics as small, lightweight, low in power and long in durability as Northrop Grumman Space Technology. Given the constraints of space, our electronics must perform right the first time — and they must last between five and 15 years in stressful environs. From the circuits we create in our special foundry to the way we design and integrate high-performance systems, our electronics let satellites see farther, listen better and last longer than ever before.

In fact, one of the most enduring examples of our electronics capability is Milstar, the military’s advanced space communications system. Equipped with our low- and medium-data rate payloads, Milstar has the broadband capability to serve as a digital switchboard in space, providing jam-resistant, secure, worldwide communications to commanders and forces on the ground, at sea and in the air. For the military’s next generation of highly secure communications, known as the AEHF (Advanced Extremely High Frequency) satellite, we’re providing fully integrated payloads containing digital processors, radio frequency electronics, antenna systems and intersatellite crosslinks.

Today we’re developing advanced photonics and monolithic technologies to increase the military’s communications capacity even further tomorrow. To support the growing need of information-centric warfare, we’re working on ultra-high speed digital processors so our warriors can reliably switch secure communications while maintaining backward compatibility to legacy signals. We’re increasing communication data rates over 100 times through electronics and laser technology while lowering weight and power.

So with a strong legacy in electronics and a promising future, we continue to offer the full range of technologies — from intricate chip designs, through our specialized foundry where we fabricate gallium arsenide and indium phosphide integrated circuits, to a host of advanced materials.  Our electronics will continue to serve the needs of tomorrow’s defense and commercial communications.