Northrop Grumman uses Bombardier CRJ700s for testing fighter jet components

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Northrop Grumman uses Bombardier CRJ700s for testing fighter jet components

Policy

Joanna Bailey Managing Editor | Simple Flying

By Sky Industry News

Jul 8, 2024

Northrop Grumman employs three Bombardier CRJ700 aircraft to test fighter jet noses, radar systems, and avionics. The company operates these testbed aircraft, identified as N804X, N805X, and N806X.

The CRJ700 series of regional jets are commonly used for feeder flights worldwide. Bombardier produced nearly 2,000 of these aircraft between 1994 and 2020, including 330 CRJ700s. Northrop Grumman's use of this type of aircraft to test fighter jet noses marks a notable role change.

Northrop Grumman has equipped one of its Bombardier CRJ700s in a way that allows it to test fighter jet noses, extending the length of its pointy front end even further. This modification is particularly striking on the aircraft bearing the registration N804X. According to ch-aviation data, this plane is 25 years old and first flew on June 17th, 1999. It began as a testbed aircraft for Bombardier itself before joining Northrop Grumman in February 2011.

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N804X's extended nose tests various systems intended for future implementation on fighter jets. In November 2020, Northrop Grumman used this aircraft to test an advanced warfare system for F-16 fighter jets known as the APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR). The company stated at the time: "Northrop Grumman is a pioneer in developing multi-function sensors. Through our iterative development and flight demonstrations, we are focused on agile development with OMS-compliant sensors and commercial practices to prove the rapid integration of capabilities across mission sets."

Northrop Grumman operates two additional CRJ700s as testbeds:

N805X is a 20.9-year-old example that previously flew for Lufthansa CityLine from 2003 to 2015 before joining Northrop Grumman.

N806X is a 23.3-year-old jet that began its career at French regional carrier Brit Air in 2001 before transitioning through several airlines until it joined Northrop Grumman in 2018.

In 2022, Northrop Grumman announced the development of a Digital Shadow testbed—a digital replica of the real CRJ700 testbed aimed at replacing real flight tests with digital representations of sensors and radars. Roshan Roeder, vice president of airborne multifunction sensors at Northrop Grumman, explained: "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."

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