Northrop Grumman Corporation and NASA are collaborating to develop and test options for integrating large, uncrewed aircraft systems into the National Airspace System (NAS). They will focus on air cargo operations and is part of a NASA subproject called Air Traffic Management-eXploration (ATM-X) Pathfinding for Airspace with Autonomous Vehicles (PAAV) subproject. 

Tom Jones, Corporate Vice President and President of Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems made the following comments. “Partnering with NASA, we will detail requirements and solutions to make it possible for autonomous aircraft, in this case being air cargo, to be integrated seamlessly and safely into national airspace. Our work together will improve airspace access and transform how uncrewed systems are used to transport goods across U.S. airspace and help establish airspace integration critical to future manned unmanned teaming efforts.” 

Through this partnership, Northrop Grumman and NASA will develop and test solutions for moving large unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace system. There will be an emphasis on air cargo operations. An exchange of data and information to define technologies and procedures for remotely piloted systems will occur to support this long-term goal. The work will include coordination with the FAA, flight readiness reviews, and developing a test plan for simulations and flight demonstrations (Northrop Grumman). 

Northrop Grumman is a technology company. They have been a leader in the development and operations of advanced autonomous systems and future autonomous air capabilities. The company has technical expertise in military aviation and autonomy. Northrup Grumman developed the first framework that allows military commanders to control multiple uncrewed aircraft simultaneously.

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