Northrop Grumman has given more details of the solution it is competing with in the first phase of the US Army’s Improved Threat Detection System (ITDS) programme, noting in a 26 August 2024 press release that its ITDS solution would feature the Advanced Tactical Hostile Engagement Awareness (ATHENA) sensor to protect the army’s current and future aviation assets.
A next-generation missile warning sensor providing always-on, 360° situational awareness, the ATHENA sensor delivers high-resolution, surround video and wide-band threat detection that can quickly geolocate incoming threats, including anti-tank guided weapons, small arms, rocket-propelled grenades and medium- and large-calibre machine guns.
“ATHENA can see where pilots can’t, even looking through an aircraft floor,” Dennis Neel, Northrop Grumman’s survivability development programmes director, was quoted as saying in a company press release. “The sensor delivers safety in flight through advanced threat warning capabilities and situational awareness previously limited to larger aircraft, making missions safer for pilots and aircrews.”
ATHENA is also a form/fit replacement for legacy aircraft sensors, allowing it to be seamlessly integrated into an aircraft with flare or laser-based countermeasure systems, such as the Common Infrared Countermeasures (CIRCM) system, which is used to protect the army’s AH-64, CH-47 and UH-60 helicopters.
The US Army announced in July 2024 that its Project Manager Aircraft Survivability Equipment (PM ASE) and Army Contract Command – New Jersey had recently entered into an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) with both Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin for a potential ITDS missile warning solution.
ITDS is currently funded and approved for Phase 1 of the OTA effort to conduct a technology demonstration and maturation effort to evaluate vendor solutions and technical maturity. The initial technology demonstration builds on multiple ‘Sensor Rodeo’ industry demonstration events and independent government assessments and will focus on design maturation, demonstration testing, sensor characterisation and flight test, digital simulation modelling assessments, aircraft integration strategies, and technical readiness assessments.
The OTA is a five-year vehicle constructed with options for Phase 2 and Phase 3 to allow for vendor downselects and integration with additional platforms and supports a streamlined contracting vehicle to support rapid acquisition.
