Upgrading Big Stealth: B-2 Improvements Continue

NOT the bat-plane(click to view full) “USA’s B-2 Bombers Leading the Way in Contracting for Availability” described the new support arrangements for the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, which has historically had availability rates that hovered around 50%. Since there are only 21 of these aircraft in existence, that simple logistics change is likely to have major consequences for American power projection capabilities. Alongside its new maintenance arrangements, the US government is also implementing aircraft upgrades to these rare and expensive systems… Now with Link 16(click to view full) June 11/07: Northrop Grumman Corporation announces that has begun work on a 62-month, $171 million system development and demonstration (SDD) contract for the first increment of a new extremely high frequency (EHF) satellite communications system for the U.S. Air Force’s B-2 stealth bomber. Under the planned 3-increment upgrade program, the new EHF SATCOM system will eventually allow the B-2 to send and receive battlefield information up to 100 times faster than its current ultra-high frequency (UHF) system, and give it full connectivity to the USA’s Global Information Grid, including “both current and future secure military satellite communications networks.” The authority to proceed with the SDD phase follows the Air Force’s Milestone B […]