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Northrop Grumman Unveils Beacon Autonomous Testbed Ecosystem
June 24, 2025 | Northrop GrummanEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Northrop Grumman Corporation unveiled Beacon™, its next-generation testbed ecosystem designed to rapidly deliver new autonomous mission capabilities. Beacon provides an integrated environment that mimics relevant mission scenarios. It gives third-party partners an opportunity to test new autonomous solutions with exposure to industry leaders who can scale them.
Beacon brings multiple third-party partners’ mission software together with Northrop Grumman’s proven flight software to connect the best in industry and pave the future of autonomy.
Northrop Grumman designed Beacon as an autonomous test bed ecosystem to quickly mature mission autonomy software in an integrated, operationally relevant environment.
Using Northrop Grumman’s flight hardware, proven autonomous flight software and integration expertise, third-party partners can test and refine their solutions through an open-access approach aligned to government requirements.
Northrop Grumman has strategically teamed with multiple new entrants and companies in the autonomous and AI marketspace to bring together the best of industry and deliver new mission capabilities faster.
Northrop Grumman leveraged internal R&D funds to develop Beacon, one example of how Northrop Grumman is driving autonomous system innovations through the company’s $13.5 billion investment in R&D and infrastructure over the last five years.
Utilizing the Scaled Composites-built Model 437 Vanguard aircraft, now modified for optionally autonomous flight, Northrop Grumman is getting new mission and flight autonomy software airborne and validated faster.
Expert:
Tom Jones, corporate vice president and president, Aeronautics Systems, Northrop Grumman: “Beacon is sixth-generation autonomous software development. It’s backed by our decades of leadership in designing and building operational autonomous aircraft and it’s serving as a bridge across industry to significantly reduce the time and cost it takes to bring new autonomous mission capabilities to our customers.”
“The demand for new autonomous capability has grown exponentially. Northrop Grumman has answered that call by investing to bring together industry partners who are innovating new solutions with those who have the production and operational experience at scale to deliver it.”
Details:
Beacon combines Northrop Grumman’s advanced autonomous software and solutions with an equally advanced digital ecosystem. Beacon will accelerate software deployment, reduce risk and improve readiness for our partners and customers in the development of key autonomous capabilities and support future aircraft programs.
Northrop Grumman designed Beacon to be an open-access autonomous testbed ecosystem aligned to government reference architectures. Partners can test and refine their solutions using Northrop Grumman’s proven flight hardware and integration expertise.
With multiple partners already committed and a series of flight demonstrations planned for this year, Northrop Grumman’s ecosystem connects the best of industry to pave the way for the future of autonomy.
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