Open Standards-Based Architecture Derived from SAGE

The US Air Force has contracted Northrop Grumman to develop a next-generation, open standards-based SIGINT sensor for high altitude ISR missions.

Under the Global High-altitude Open-system Sensor Technology (GHOST) programme, the company will deliver a design of a prototype sensor – including airborne and ground components – with an innovative, platform-agnostic hardware and software architecture that can be scaled and configured to fly on a variety of manned and unmanned aircraft.

“Leveraging our SAGE [space awareness and global exploitation] technology and 45 years of SIGINT mission expertise, our platform-agnostic GHOST sensor is a next-generation intelligence data collection and exploitation system,” explained Ben Davies, VP/GM, Networked Information Solutions. The GHOST sensor will provide the Air Force with an agile architecture to meet today’s ISR needs, while supporting rapid system enhancement, testing, accreditation and integration at the speed of relevance long into the future, as the dynamic battlespace changes.