Posted on 06/13/2007 6:33:51 PM PDT by BenLurkin
PALMDALE - Northrop Grumman employees have begun work on a $171 million contract to develop and demonstrate a new extremely high frequency satellite communications system that eventually would enable B-2 stealth bombers to send and receive battlefield information up to 100 times faster than now. Expected to last more than five years and to be done in three phases, the first system design and development phase consists primarily of engineering work that will be based in Palmdale, with flight testing likely to be at Edwards Air Force Base\.
"This SDD contract provides significant momentum for the work Northrop Grumman and its subcontractors are doing to increase the B-2's fighting effectiveness in the face of technological advances by our enemies," noted Dave Mazur, vice president of long range strike for Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems sector.
The authority to proceed with the SDD phase follows the Air Force's decision in February authorizing Northrop Grumman to proceed with this first increment of the communication upgrade program, Mazur added.
During the first phase, the Northrop Grumman-led team will replace the B-2's current flight management computers with a single, integrated processing unit developed by Lockheed Martin Systems Integration. The contract also will involve development of the fiber-optic network that will support high speed data transfers to, from and within the aircraft; and delivery of a disk drive unit from Honeywell Defense and Space that will facilitate future transfer of data onto and off of the B-2. The second phase will give the aircraft the ability to send and receive information at extremely high frequencies, while the third phase will fully integrate the new extremely high frequency communications capabilities into the aircraft's controls and displays.
The system also will allow the B-2 to connect easily to the U.S. Department of Defense's Global Information Grid.
(Excerpt) Read more at avpress.com ...
I’m prejudiced, but to me, this is one of the most beautiful, most impressive aircraft ever developed. Good to see they’re keeping it at the top in every facet.
Pretty, but that’s not a B-2 - that’s a B1-B
Ah, pretty, to be sure. But I still have my prejudice.
Lines, man. Lines!
NGC Bump!
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