Northrop Grumman is reevaluating modern air defence with its Cannon-Based Air Defense (CBAD) system, offering an alternative over traditional missile interceptors.
The defence player's latest initiative is poised to challenge the long-standing reliance on missile interceptors, offering a potentially more versatile and economically viable solution to counteract modern aerial threats.
In a recent social media post, Northrop Grumman revealed that the CBAD system will employ its Bushmaster Chain Guns paired with ammunition to combat a growing array of threats, including swarms of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and cruise missiles.
Traditional missile-based defences, although practical, can come with financial and logistical costs. As adversaries turn to cheaper and more disposable aerial technologies, the economics of using high-cost interceptors to counter low-cost threats have become increasingly untenable. Northrop Grumman’s CBAD system is an effort to address this challenge, offering a scalable, mobile defence solution that can be tailored to different threat levels and operational environments.
CBAD's integration of cannons with ammunition types, including air-bursting and guided munitions, ensures it can adapt to various mission needs. This is important as future conflicts will involve aerial threats targeting assets and infrastructure. The system’s layered terminal defence capability is designed to protect these targets, providing a shield against attacks.
CBAD simplifies logistics, reducing the need for complex supply chains and extensive maintenance associated with traditional missile systems. By leveraging existing cannon technology, Northrop Grumman can streamline production and deployment, ensuring that CBAD is effective and readily available to meet the demands of modern warfare.
Northrop Grumman’s approach acknowledges that future conflicts will likely involve an overwhelming number of low-cost threats. Their response is a system that can be produced, deployed, and sustained at a fraction of the cost of traditional missile defences.
As per GlobalData’s “The Global Missiles & Missile Defense Systems Market 2023-2033” report, the third leading supplier in the North American region will be Northrop Grumman Corp., which is set to hold a 19.7% share over 2023–33.
In other recent Northrop Grumman developments, the company unveiled the XRQ-73 SHEPARD, a hybrid-electric uncrewed aircraft system developed for DARPA's Series Hybrid Electric Propulsion Aircraft Demonstration (SHEPARD) programme. The XRQ-73 is set for its maiden flight by the end of 2024.
