Gizmodo: northrop grumman

Northrop Grumman Death Star Lasers Are Weapons-Grade, Could Be Out in 2008

Adrian Covert — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 20:40:00 EDT

Wired's Danger Room blog is spot on in comparing Northrop Grumman's upcoming solid state laser system to the Death Star. Promised to arrive before the end of 2008, and far earlier than Boeing's 25kW laser, it's supposed to have 100 kilowatts of power (SERIOUS pew pew action) and make use of multiple, less powerful lasers to form one giant one (see also: Voltron).

Northrop Grumman calls the individual components "laser chains," and say they've managed to successfully link two of them together (out of eight). Moreover, they have them running at peak power (30kW) for 5 minutes continuously and 40 minutes non continuously. Wired writes that a laser of this caliber should be able to knock mortars and rockets out of the sky.

Once thought to be significantly less powerful, electric lasers have progressed to the point that they're close to being a suitable chemical laser alternative. Not only that, they're also much safer in real world scenarios, evil villains notwithstanding. With Northrop Grumman assuring the Pentagon these will be ready by the end of the year, I'm getting kinda excited. [Danger Room]

New Secret X-Bomber Is Not So Secret Anymore

Jesus Diaz — Wed, 28 May 2008 07:40:00 EDT

Northrop Grumman is working on a new classified bomber prototype for the Air Force, at an estimated cost—according to their financial statements—of $2 billion. Apparently, the first version will require human/clone/Cylon pilots, with a high-endurance unmanned model possibly following after that. According to military industry magazine DTI, there is a high probability that the New Generation Bomber—concept above—will be following the success of the X-47B unmanned bomber aircraft.

Obviously, the X-Bomber will be much bigger, capable of delivery nuclear payloads, and more conventional bombs than the X-48B in the photo.

Really, these Pentagon people should talk with Steve Jobs. [DTI via Defense Tech]

Northrop Grumman's TouchTable Great For War-Planning Parties

ybaranovsky — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 21:01:45 EDT

If you're looking for something more in your touchscreen table computer than theMicrosoft Surface or Rosie, Northrop Grumman is showing off the TouchTable next week at a conference in London. The device, something that has been used in the defense sector for several years now, is what they call an "integrated collaboration environment," or much sexier, ICE. The TouchTable display lets you move your hand across the table, shift images sideways, zoom out, zoom in—in other words, think of a war-planning table as built by Apple.

There are two versions of the TouchTable, one is a 45-inch screen with 1920x1080 resolution and the other one is an 84-inch screen with 1600x1200 resolution—the latter also includes dual external displays. The table has already been bought by the FAA to install in their "Cyber Security Incident Response Center." It's also going to be used by CNN's Wolf Blitzer in The Situation Room. I'm not sure how much this thing costs, but I'd guess that you'd pretty much have to be a James Bond villain to afford it. [Northrop Grumman via Crave]

SkyGuard Annihilates Incoming Missiles with Giant Laser

Louis Ramirez — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 15:15:05 EST

It sounds like something straight out of a video game, but the U.S. Dept of Homeland Security is considering using Northrop Grumman's SkyGuard to take out incoming rockets before they reach their intended targets. Each SkyGuard costs $150 million to make and is armed with an infrared camera that scans the sky looking for suspicious objects. When something is spotted, its onboard computer checks to see what it is and if it's a rocket/missile, it'll shoot out a laser beam and zap it before it hits land. I can see the military using this on runways to ensure planes land and take off safely, but I don't know if I'd necessarily trust the computer to always be right. Check out the video after the jump.

– Louis Ramirez
Missile-Proofing Runways [via PopSci]