Northrop Grumman will develop new high-speed processing subsystems for the U.S. Air Force’s fleet of B-2 stealth bomber aircraft, under a $108 million low rate initial production contract for Increment 1 of the B-2 extremely high frequency (EHF) satellite communications program.
The new systems will include an integrated processing unit, a high-capacity disk drive and a network of fiber optic cable, to allow the B-2 to perform advanced communications and weapon delivery missions in the future, according to the company.
“The EHF Increment 1 upgrades provide a smart, cost-effective way to enable future combat capability on the B-2,” said Ron Naylor, director of B-2 modernization and transformation at Northrop Grumman. “Every current and future upgrade program for the jet will benefit from the quantum leap in processing power and data handling capacity provided by this new hardware and software.”
(B-2 Stealth Bomber, courtesy of Northrop Grumman)