U.S. Air Force unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) experts are asking Northrop Grumman Corp. to upgrade the abilities of the Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to resist computer hackers’ attempts to commandeer the unmanned aircraft while in flight.
Officials of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, are awarding a $33.9 million contract modification to the Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems segment in San Diego to retrofit satellite communications links in the Global Hawk UAV fleet.
The contract modification calls for Northrop Grumman to upgrade communications security in International Maritime Satellite links to enable Global Hawk UAVs to improve their defenses against cyber attack.
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Global Hawk, which can fly for more than 24 hours between refuelings, often relies on maritime satellite communications (SATCOM) links to enable ground controllers to maintain contact with the unmanned aircraft. The Air Force operates more than 40 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft.
Air Force officials want to stiffen the Global Hawk’s maritime SATCOM links to prevent computer hackers from breaking through existing data security to take unauthorized control of the long-endurance, high-altitude Global Hawk reconnaissance UAVs.
Recent studies have uncovered some flaws in satellite communications links that could enable cyber warfare attacks to disrupt military operations and ship and aircraft communications.
Source: Military & Aerospace Electronics