Robot maker · registered
Northrop Grumman (Autonomous Systems)
Scoped entry: covers only Northrop Grumman's autonomous systems and physical-AI programs — MQ-4C Triton and RQ-4 Global Hawk HALE UAS, MQ-8 Fire Scout, Manta Ray XLUUV, and the Beacon autonomy testbed ecosystem flying the Model 437 Vanguard. The wider defense prime (B-21, missiles, space, munitio...
Northrop Grumman's aeronautics unit builds and fields uncrewed autonomous aircraft at production scale: the MQ-4C Triton HALE maritime ISR UAS reached US Navy initial operating capability in September 2023 and was delivered to the Royal Australian Air Force in 2024. In June 2025 the company unveiled Beacon, an open autonomy testbed ecosystem using the Scaled Composites Model 437 Vanguard modified for optionally autonomous flight, with a first cohort of AI-autonomy partners (Applied Intuition, Autonodyne, Merlin, Red 6, Shield AI, SoarTech) announced July 2025. Its Manta Ray extra-large uncrewed underwater glider completed full-scale in-water testing for DARPA in early 2024. Scoped entry — signals gated to the autonomous-systems program only.
Company overview
Identity and operating footprint
Robot models
Specifications remain vendor-claimed
Manta Ray
- Extra-large glider-class uncrewed underwater vehicle (XLUUV) for long-duration, long-range, payload-capable persistent undersea operations; full-scale prototype completed in-water testing off Southern California in Feb-Mar 2024
Long-endurance autonomous underwater vehicle using buoyancy-driven gliding, propellers and control surfaces; field-transportable in subsections
Claim source
Model 437 Vanguard (Beacon testbed)
- Scaled Composites-built jet modified for optionally autonomous flight, serving as the flying testbed of the Beacon autonomous testbed ecosystem for validating third-party mission and flight autonomy software
Optionally-crewed autonomy flight-test aircraft with Northrop-developed autonomy subsystems
Claim source
MQ-4C Triton
- Uncrewed high-altitude, long-endurance aircraft for persistent maritime ISR&T; the US Navy's only HALE maritime patrol UAS, also operated by the Royal Australian Air Force
Autonomous multi-intelligence maritime surveillance aircraft with 24+ hour endurance class missions
Claim source
MQ-8C Fire Scout
- Autonomous helicopter UAS providing ship-based ISR&T for the US Navy with 12+ hour endurance class missions
Uncrewed vertical-takeoff-and-landing reconnaissance rotorcraft operating from surface combatants
Claim source
RQ-4 Global Hawk
- High-altitude, long-endurance strategic surveillance UAS with 30+ hour endurance, operated by the US Air Force, NATO (AGS), Japan and South Korea
Autonomous HALE ISR aircraft flying pre-planned and remotely supervised missions above 60,000 ft
Claim source
Deployment log
Announced and cited only
Company timeline
Milestones and announcements
Source ledger
8 unique public sources