Northrop Grumman announced it will use the Model 437 aircraft, developed by its subsidiary Scaled Composites, to test its Beacon autonomy ecosystem in 2025. The Model 437 is believed to be the first aircraft with primary structures, including wings, produced through continuous carbon fiber additive manufacturing, underscoring advancements by Northrop Grumman's Digital Pathfinder and Advanced Manufacturing teams.
Beacon builds on more than 500,000 autonomous flight hours, integrating advanced autonomy software in a digital environment designed to accelerate deployment, reduce risk and strengthen readiness for future aircraft programs.
Six industry partners — Applied Intuition, Autonodyne, Merlin, Red 6, Shield AI and SoarTech — will test and refine their solutions using the Model 437 platform during a series of flight demonstrations this year.
According to Eric Barnes, Northrop Grumman fellow in advanced manufacturing, the aircraft was built using the company's patented Scalable Composite Robotic Additive Manufacturing (SCRAM) process, eliminating the need for hard tooling, secondary cures or autoclaves. Plasma Arc Directed Energy Deposition of titanium was also incorporated into the primary wing structure, reportedly a first for a defense application, delivering up to a 30% reduction in cost and schedule timelines compared to conventional methods.
Source: www.northropgrumman.com
