Northrop Grumman is among five winners of the Defense Department’s Drone Dominance Program Lethality Prize Challenge, positioning it as a preferred payload provider for small drones.
- The $1 billion Drone Dominance Program aims to rapidly deploy low-cost, consumable unmanned aerial systems and mission systems at the scale and speed warfighters need.
- DOD plans to field over 200,000 drones by 2027. The Lethality Prize Challenge identified preferred providers to produce payloads for them.
- Northrop Grumman will deliver its Common UAS Payload, an off-the-shelf fuze and effects module.
- The payload integrates across unmanned aerial, maritime and ground platforms, delivering 360-degree lethality in extreme environments through mature energetics and rugged electronics.
- The company has invested over $2 billion in solid rocket motor and munition technologies and facility modernization to meet the program’s accelerated timelines.
“The Drone Dominance Program demands payloads ready to integrate and deploy immediately – no delays, no redesigns,” said Tanya Santers, director, fuze and warheads, Northrop Grumman. “Our Common UAS Payload meets this need with speed, safety and interoperability in mind, enabling military dominance now and into the future.”
The Common UAS Payload aligns with DOD’s Modular Open Systems Approach, featuring standard interfaces that integrate across diverse platforms and mission sets. It also supports the U.S. Army’s Purpose-Built Attritable Systems requirements for flexibility and rapid integration at reduced lifecycle cost.