Northrop Grumman Corporation, a leading global security company, will showcase its wide range of electronic warfare (EW) solutions at the Defense Sensors Technology Conference which begins today in Abu Dhabi.

The two-day conference is being organised by Tangent Link at the Abu Dhabi Officer's Club. The event being held in association with the UAE Armed Forces aims to discuss operational considerations in EW sensor exploitation, intelligence production and information dissemination.

Northrop Grumman as the principal VIP sponsor at the event will highlight its wide range of industry-leading capabilities in EW interoperability and EW's contribution to the overall surveillance picture among its airborne early warning and control systems.

Brigadier General Saeed Obaid Al-Kaabi, chief of staff of the combined UAE Armed Forces said, 'The aim of the inaugural EW conference is to focus on the needs of the EW and intelligence community and offer an opportunity for industry to demonstrate its advanced technical solutions; solutions that might well have a practical application for the Armed Forces of the UAE as it seeks to build and develop its joint C4ISR capabilities, and in particular EW architecture.'

'I am delighted that a prestigious company such as Northrop Grumman has agreed to support the event as the principal VIP sponsor and look forward with great interest to a challenging two day conference and one that I hope will lead to a better and more productive engagement with industry,' he added.

Steve Goldfein, Northrop Grumman's director of Strategic Analysis and Douglas Raaberg, director of Business Development for Air Force & Air National Guard Programs will address the conference on EW interoperability.

The conference address will focus on the company's world-leading capability in airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye.

The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye program has modernized the E-2 weapon system by providing a new, more powerful radar and other avionics systems to create an advanced AEW&C. The EW capabilities of the E-2D contribute to both the tactical target identification and critical threat data collection.

'The UAE represents an important partnership for Northrop Grumman and we recognize the country's changing needs particularly in electronic warfare and homeland defence,' said Jerry Spruill, director, AEW&C International Programs, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems sector.

'The 21st century battle space has dramatically changed and electronic warfare is a vital element in staying one step ahead of the threat. The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye's robust capabilities provide access to the battle space, degrade the enemy's capability to attack, and, most importantly, save lives,' he remarked.

Northrop Grumman has had an active presence in the Middle East for more than a decade with its regional headquarters in Abu Dhabi and has well-established partnerships with the UAE and other countries in the region in support of a variety of defence and civil programmes.

In 2008, the company further expanded its industry footprint by opening an office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.-TradeArabia News Service