Northrop Grumman plans to consolidate its unmanned systems business in Rancho Bernardo, shifting a large though undisclosed number of jobs to this area from the company’s plants in Bethpage, N.Y., Melbourne, Fla.
“We are working through the transition and do not have numbers on the growth of our workforce locally,” Cyndi Wegerbauer, a Northrop spokeswoman, said last week.
The change is happening because Northrop decided to consolidate various aerospace units from around the nation and create five centres of design and integration excellence. The center for unmanned systems will be headquartered in Rancho Bernardo, where most of Northrop’s 4,200 local workers are employed. The plant will add Northrop’s MC-4C Triton programme from Bethpage and the NATO Airbourne Ground Surveillance unit from Melbourne.
The company said those programmes have 850 workers combined, but it is unclear how many positions will be transferred to Rancho Bernardo.
This site has long been an industry leader in unmanned aircraft systems design and development,” said Jim Zortman, Vice-President of Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. “Transitioning all unmanned aircraft system programme, management and development efforts to one site reinforces the company’s commitment to this viable market.”
Northrop’s unmanned systems division is best known for the Global Hawk. But the company also hopes to do a lot of business with the Navy through the development of the MQ-4C Triton, a high-flying surveillance UAS that could be ready by 2015. The Triton– a variant of Global Hawk — will be able to reach an altitude of at least 60,000 feet and travel at speeds exceeding 350 mph.
Image: Triton – Artist’s Rendering – Northrop Grumman
Source: U-T San Diego
Let me understand this. The Rancho Bernardo team produced Global Models 30 & 40 which performed so poorly that the Air Force has been trying to kill them off. The Bethpage team is working to fix Global Hawks problems and adapt in for the Navy’s Triton program. So now Northrop is going let the producer of the failed Global Hawk to have its way with Triton? Smart move?
Burt – the Air Force is not trying to kill off the Block 40. Variants of the Global Hawk (EuroHawk, USN’s BAMS, used by non-military organizations) are doing fine. Rancho Bernardo also has the successful Fire Scout, not to mention their other UAS programs. Moving the other programs into a singe CoE is an intelligent strategy. Keeping them in geographically remote locations with no real sharing of knowledge is not.
According to Aviation Week, February 19, “The so-called Block 40 aircraft, built on the high-flying Global Hawk platform, is, at least for now, being proposed for termination to pay bills for higher-priority programs ” Just google “Global Hawk Block 40 In Budget Crosshairs.” “In early talks on the forthcoming fiscal 2014 budget request, the U.S. Air Force is proposing to close the book on Northrop Grumman’s Global Hawk franchise, canceling the ground surveillance variant.”
I think you need to look a little closer at the facts. Global Hawk is performing fine especially for a developmental system rushed to field by combat needs. The problem is not the system but the developmental cost overruns. Ironically, they are trying to mothball the blocks 30 now that the developmental costs are largely sunk.
No, the problem is not the Global Hawk but the USAF dysfunctional procurement problems. (Tanker, F-22, F-35, CRH, and now LAS protest) The USAF decision to can the brand new Global Hawk (and PAY to keep it in storage!!!) and then poor billions into the 50+ year old U-2 with less capability and restricted to a pilots limits is short sighted at best. Just wasteful to all taxpayers.
And thus the reason why the USAF decision has been overturned and the service directed to relook at their strategy.