NG tests new radiation-hardening microelectronics system

Northrop Grumman has demonstrated a secure testing environment for radiation-exposed microelectronics under DARPA’s ASSERT program, the company announced on January 13, 2026.

According to Northrop Grumman, the achievement is part of DARPA’s Advanced Sources for Single-event Effects Radiation Testing (ASSERT) effort, which aims to create compact laboratory alternatives to heavy-ion test facilities. The company said its new test environment is designed for microelectronics used in space, nuclear facilities, and other radiation-prone environments where hardware must operate reliably under extreme conditions.

Microelectronics exposed to high-radiation environments are at risk of performance disruption or permanent damage, requiring rigorous testing before integration into satellites, missile-defense assets, nuclear-enterprise systems, or deep-space platforms. The United States currently operates only four heavy-ion testing facilities, resulting in long wait times and slow qualification cycles.

As noted by the company, the new method supports testing processes intended to reduce the time needed to design, evaluate, and field radiation-resilient components. The system is intended to test devices in a compact and portable laboratory environment while simulating randomized radiation conditions found in space and nuclear domains.

Northrop Grumman said the approach integrates laser-plasma accelerator (LPA) technology, developed in partnership with Vanderbilt University and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The LPA functions as a compact high-energy electron beam source, enabling testing on packaged or stacked microelectronics such as 3D-heterogeneous systems. The company stated that current laser-based and surrogate testing methods are unable to evaluate these types of integrated components at comparable levels.

The BELLA Center at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is supporting the development and application of LPA technology. According to materials released by the laboratory, LPAs provide compact acceleration capabilities suitable for radiation-effects testing, replacing the need for large-scale heavy-ion systems.

Northrop Grumman emphasized that the ASSERT prototype is built on decades of mission experience related to deep-space observatories, national security systems, and precision imaging technologies. Subject-matter experts from the company’s Adaptive Optics Associates-Xinetics programs conducted extensive evaluations to ensure the LPA-based system meets the requirements for extreme environments.

Jonathan Green, vice president and chief technology officer for Northrop Grumman Mission Systems, said: “Northrop Grumman’s decades of engineering excellence applied to DARPA’s ASSERT program resulted in this industry-changing solution. Improving these testing capabilities will significantly reduce the lead time on these critical microelectronics, ensuring our customers are receiving the systems they need faster than ever.”

The ASSERT program is structured to increase access to radiation-testing capacity across U.S. industry and government partners. According to DARPA, the effort is intended to modernize and accelerate testing required for space systems, missile-defense architectures, nuclear-enterprise command-and-control networks, and next-generation military electronics.

Northrop Grumman designs, manufactures, assembles, and tests microelectronics for U.S. military and commercial systems, including those requiring radiation-hardened components. The company said its domestic production base is structured to strengthen supply-chain resilience and support national-security programs.

The company noted that the new test capability is intended to reduce multiyear bottlenecks experienced at national testing ranges. By shifting radiation-effects testing to a laboratory-scale environment, the system aims to enable faster qualification timelines for space-bound and nuclear-domain electronics and allow rapid iteration during development.