Northrop Grumman Corporation and Rohde & Schwarz announced on 4 December 2023 that they had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at the Berlin Security Conference in Germany on 30 November to collaborate on future resilient communications systems across Europe, including multi-function technologies and upgrades for fifth- to fourth-generation aircraft interoperability.
The MoU addresses current and future challenges to connect European and US assets in the air, ground, sea and space domains and establishes a framework that enables the parties to:
- strengthen technology development for more resilient, trusted secure multi-function capabilities to connect platforms across domains;
- enable collaboration on strategic multi-domain connectivity for air-to-air and air-to-ground communications and to integrate with ground-based air defence systems;
- develop new opportunities that complement each party’s strengths, delivering best-of-breed solutions in support of Germany’s National Security Strategy, NATO goals and European Union defence objectives.
Adil Karim, Northrop Grumman’s vice president for strategy and mission solutions, was quoted in a joint press release as saying, “Working together with German industry underscores the importance of rapidly developing solutions that European forces need today. This collaborative framework brings together decades of experience needed to protect our allied defence forces against today’s multi-layered threats.”
Hansjörg Herrbold, vice president for secure communications at Rohde & Schwarz, added, “Interoperability between existing and next-generation platforms is an essential success factor for the development of European security and defence capabilities. With our large footprint in ground- and air-based communication systems, we are looking forward to connecting the most advanced platforms by bringing together both companies’ experience and capabilities.”
