Team Moves Closer To Flight Testing Of New Radar Antenna For B-2 Bomber

SPACEWAR

"At the heart of the APQ-181 are transmit/receive modules that are cheaper, lighter and more advanced," said Erv Grau, vice president of Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems. "In addition, this radar has features that will help the stealthy B-2 continue to penetrate the most sophisticated air defenses."

El Segundo CA (SPX) Sep 13, 2005
Northrop Grumman and Raytheon have reached three milestones in a program to modernize the B-2 stealth bomber's radar system with an advanced, more reliable antenna. These achievements represent significant progress towards initial flight testing of the radar.

In recent weeks, the B-2 radar-modernization team passed a final design review by the U.S. Air Force; delivered the first test model of the radar for integration, test and software development and completed a suite of tests that proves the hardware and software work together as one subsystem.

Northrop Grumman, prime contractor for the overall B-2 program, also leads the radar-modernization team that includes Raytheon, the radar-system provider. The effort will replace the current antenna with an active, electronically scanned array (AESA) antenna.

"Radar modernization is one of a series of programs Northrop Grumman and the Air Force are conducting to enhance the B-2's ability to respond to emerging worldwide threats as a key element of the military's network-centric warfare concept," said Gene Fraser, vice president and B-2 program manager at Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems sector.

The final design review concluded in late May with the Air Force finding the radar-system's design in compliance with engineering and performance requirements.

In July, Raytheon delivered on schedule the first model of its APQ-181 radar. The APQ-181 is one of a series of revolutionary AESA radar systems that are replacing mechanically scanned antennas with faster and more-reliable solid-state arrays.

Following the radar delivery, the B-2 team completed initial radar-subsystem integration and acceptance testing ahead of schedule, paving the way for higher-level system integration and performance tuning.

The current B-2 radar work is part of a $382 million system development and demonstration (SDD) contract awarded by the Air Force in 2004.

During the SDD phase, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon are developing and testing the radar and will install six systems on operational B-2 aircraft of the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo. This phase will be followed by production to field the new radar and install the new antenna into the B-2 fleet.

Northrop Grumman's B-2 program is based in Palmdale, Calif., and Raytheon's work is based in El Segundo, Calif.

In addition to Raytheon, Northrop Grumman's subcontractors include Lockheed Martin in Owego, N.Y., for defensive-management system modifications and BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration in Greenlawn, N.Y., for radar-transponder modifications.

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Northrop Grumman Wants L-3 Klystron For AWACS

Washington (UPI) Sep 06, 2005
L-3 Communications (LLL) announced Tuesday that its Electron Devices) division had received an order from the Northrop Grumman Corporation to supply the Wide Band Klystron Power Amplifier (WBKPA) for the E-3 Sentry's Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS).