PALMDALE, Calif., Jan. 5 (UPI) -- The U.S. Air Force's next-generation signals intelligence sensor has been given its first test flight aboard a U-2 spy plane.
The flight announced late Thursday launched the flight-test phase for the ASIP (Airborne Signals Intelligence Payload), which will be used to intercept enemy radar and communications.
"I am confident that future flight tests will validate the sensor's maturity to achieve its operational milestone," Northrop Vice President Imad Bitar said in the announcement.
Northrop is prime contractor for the ASIP and its Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle platform. Contractors such as Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and L-3 Communications are also taking part in the "system-of-systems" development project.
The ASIP is designed with an open architecture that will allow quicker upgrades and modifications to meet changes in radar and communications signals.
The test program under way in Southern California will include calibration of the sensor and then full operational and performance testing. Three of the sensors will be flown aboard the U-2 over the course of the year with production starting in 2009 and deployment in 2011.
Once part of the Global Hawk's repertoire as well as the U-2, the APIS will eavesdrop on enemy signals from an altitude of 60,000 feet and seek out transmissions of specific interest to intelligence personnel.
