Northrop Grumman delivers 1,000th distributed Aperture System for the F-35

Northrop Grumman recently supplied the 1,000th AN/AAQ-37 Distributed Aperture System (DAS) sensor for integration on the F-35 Lightning II aircraft. The six infrared DAS sensors on the F-35 provide full spherical situational awareness to the pilot, day and night. The DAS provides a revolutionary capability to autonomously detect and track aircraft and missiles in every direction, while projecting video directly into the pilot’s helmet mounted display and eliminating cockpit obscurities. With DAS, the pilot has an unprecedented view and awareness of the surrounding world. In flight testing, the DAS has demonstrated the ability to expand into additional missions and platforms, including ballistic missile defense, hostile ground fire detection and unmanned aircraft operations. DAS flight demonstrations have included tracking a rocket to over 800 miles (1300km) distance.