Work Begins on Stealth Bomber's New Satcoms System

Northrop Grumman has begun development work for the first phase of a program to provide a new extremely high frequency (EHF) satellite communications system for the U.S. Air Force's B-2 Spirit stealth bomber.

The preparatory work involves a $171 million system development and demonstration (SDD) contract.

Under a planned three-phase upgrade program, the new EHF system will eventually allow the B-2 to send and receive battlefield information up to 100 times faster than it can using its current ultra-high frequency (UHF) satellite communications system.

Northrop Grumman is the U.S. Air Force's prime contractor for the B-2.

The authority to proceed with the SDD phase follows the U.S. Air Force's Milestone B decision in February authorizing Northrop Grumman to go ahead with the first increment of the EHF upgrade program, said Dave Mazur, vice president of Long Range Strike for Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems sector.

During Increment I of the EHF upgrade, 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 will also involve development of a fiber optic network to 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 EHF data to and from the B-2.

Increment II of the B-2 EHF program will give the aircraft the ability to send and receive information at extremely high frequencies. Increment III will fully integrate the new EHF communications capabilities into the aircraft's controls and displays.

The EHF satcom system also will allow the B-2 to connect easily to the U.S. Department of Defense's Global Information Grid, said Mark Rhoades, Northrop Grumman's EHF Satcom program manager. This is a worldwide network of information systems, processes and personnel that collect, store, manage and disseminate information on demand to warfighters, policy makers and military support personnel.

In particular, the EHF will make the B-2 compatible with both current and future secure military satellite communications networks, he said.

"The B- 2 will help ensure continuity of secure, worldwide military communications for allied commanders as the current network of Milstar satellites transitions to the new Advanced EHF satellite network," said Rhoades.

The new EHF Satcom system is the latest in a series of modernization programs that Northrop Grumman, its subcontractors and the U.S. Air Force have undertaken to ensure that the B-2 remains fully capable against evolving threats.

Other recent or current B-2 modernization programs include:

• A smart bomb rack assembly that allows the aircraft to deliver 80 independently targeted, 500-pound smart weapons, five times more than it could previously

• Application of a specially formulated surface coating that has significantly reduced B-2 maintenance time and improved the B-2 fleet's operational readiness

• Installation of a line-of-sight tactical communications system that improves B-2 pilots' ability to share critical targeting and threat information and maintain real-time battle awareness

• Fitting an advanced electronically scanned array antenna designed to enable more advanced imaging capabilities in the future.

Northrop Grumman claims the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber is the only long-range, large-payload aircraft that can penetrate deeply into protected airspace. It can fly more than 6,000 nautical miles unrefueled and more than 10,000 nautical miles with just one aerial refueling, giving the B-2 the ability to reach any point on the globe within hours.

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