Northrop Grumman is developing a digital testbed aircraft to accelerate platform systems development.
The digital replica of the company’s Bombardier CRJ-700 testbed airframe — Digital Shadow — will enable the developers to virtually test digital representations of various products and systems such as fighter radars, simulating their current and future capability configurations and collecting performance data.
Digital Shadow is a “virtual mission systems integration lab” that allows the developers to “correlate digital sensor representations with their physical design,” which helps them validate system and performance models.
Enables ‘Rapid Iteration and Assessment’
The virtual testbed simulates flight scenarios and sensor combinations not possible in a physical testbed, which reduces the development timeline and cost and helps warfighters to enhance their mission capabilities.
Northrop Grumman vice president of airborne multifunction sensors Roshan Roeder said, ”Our Digital Shadow testbed will enable the rapid iteration and assessment of various mission systems configurations and trades via digital models across the entire lifecycle.”
“Extending the digital thread and developing a digital twin of our test aircraft allows us to rapidly collect valuable data of our mission systems all while reducing cost, schedule, and risk.”