Northrop Grumman has helped the U.S. Air Force improve the mission availability of its fleet of B-2 stealth bombers by successfully completing the system development and demonstration (SDD) phase of the B-2 Radar Modernization Program (RMP).

SDD includes the design, development, test and installation of the new radar system in a B-2 test aircraft plus several operational bombers.

Installation of the new radar in this first group of B-2s was completed Nov. 30 at Whiteman AFB. Final spares were delivered March 22.

Northrop Grumman is the U.S. Air Force's prime contractor for the B-2, the flagship of the nation's long range strike arsenal.

"The completion of SDD adds momentum and confidence to our work equipping the B-2 fleet with the most modern radar technology," said Dave Mazur, vice president of long range strike and B-2 program manager for Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector.

"The new radar allows the jet to perform the nation's most critical missions while giving it the technological foundation for enhanced capabilities in the future."

The Northrop Grumman-led B-2 industry team is currently producing the radar units authorized under the low rate initial production phase (LRIP) of the RMP program, which began in December 2008; and the full rate production phase, which began in November 2009.

Installation of the LRIP radar units is expected to begin in mid 2010, with completion of all B-2 RMP radar installations expected to be complete in 2012.

The B-2 radar modernization program replaces the aircraft's original radar system with one that incorporates technology improvements that have occurred since the B-2 was originally designed in the early 1980s.