The decision, made Oct. 16 by the assistant Secretary of the AirForce for Acquisition (acting), allows Northrop Grumman to beginfabrication of the balance of radar units needed to outfit the entirefleet. Those units will be produced as the final installment of the$468 million RMP contract awarded to the company by the Air Force in Dec. 2008.
Northrop Grumman is the Air Force's prime contractor for the B-2, the flagship of the nation's long range arsenal, and one of the most survivable aircraft in the world.
"Putting this new radar on America's flight linehelps ensure that the B-2 fleet is ready day or night to protect thenation's interests worldwide," said Dave Mazur, vice president and B-2program manager for Northrop Grumman. "The new radar also makes iteasier for our modernization team to add additional missioncapabilities to the jet in the future."
Northrop Grumman is currently producing radar units authorized underthe RMP low rate initial production program, added Mazur. The companyis also installing radar units in operational B-2s as part of the RMPsystem development and demonstration phase.
The B-2 radar modernization program replaces the aircraft's originalradar system with one that incorporates technology improvements thathave occurred since the B-2 was originally designed in the early 1980s.
Raytheon Space & Airborne Systems, El Segundo, Calif. developed the new radar hardware under contract to Northrop Grumman. The units include a new advanced electronically scanned array antenna, a power supply and a modified receiver/exciter.
The B-2 is the only U.S. aircraft that combines stealth, long range,large payload and precision weapons in a single platform. In concertwith the Air Force's air superiority fleet, which provides airspacecontrol, and the Air Force's tanker fleet, which enables globalmobility, the B-2 helps ensure an effective U.S. response to threatsanywhere in the world. It can fly more than 6,000 nautical miles unrefueled and more than 10,000 nautical miles with just one aerial refueling, giving it the ability to reach any point on the globe within hours.
The 20-aircraft fleet of B-2s is operated by the 509th Bomb Wing from its headquarters at Whiteman AFB, Mo.
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a leading global security companywhose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, andsolutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, shipbuilding and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide.
