Thursday, December 12, 2024

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Advancements in Stealth: The B-2 Spirit and B-21 Raider Leading the Future of Aerial Warfare

A mainstay of American air superiority, the B-2 Spirit was revolutionary both in stealth technology and strategic deterrence on its first flight back in July 1989. Over three decades later, Northrop Grumman continues to modernize this iconic bomber with state-of-the-art technology jointly with the U.S. Air Force to prepare it for the environments of combat that stand today and will be in the future.

Recently, the B-2 program completed a major milestone: it released Spirit Realm 1 (SR 1), an agile integrated functional capability. SR 1 brings crucial upgrades to the bomber’s communications and weapons capabilities through an open mission systems architecture, increasing lethality. Jerry McBrearty, Northrop Grumman director and acting B-2 program manager, punctuated this development: “We are rapidly fielding capabilities with zero software defects through the software factory development ecosystem and further enhancing the B-2 fleet’s mission effectiveness.”

SR 1 brings up new displays, flight hardware, and updates to further enhance the survivability of the B-2. A result of collaboration between Air Force Global Strike Command and the B-2 Systems Program Office, the B-2 Spirit Realm software factory is creating SR 1 to make the B-2 the first Very First Legacy Nuclear Platform to utilize the Department of Defense’s DevSecOps processes and digital toolsets, says Colonel Frank Marino, senior materiel leader, and B-2 systems program manager for the U.S. Air Force, pegged this development as strategic, adding that the software factory clears the path to integrating future weapons and advanced capabilities into the B-2.

As the battlespace continues to evolve, Northrop Grumman remains committed to outpacing the threats by delivering new capabilities in concert with the U.S. Air Force.

Meanwhile, Northrop Grumman announced that the world’s first sixth-generation aircraft, the B-21 Raider will be unveiled on December 2 at its Palmdale, California site. It further revealed that the B-21 Raider is under development to join the nation’s strategic triad with an ability to provide unparalleled long-range, high survivability, and mission payload flexibility. Optimized for a high-end threat environment, the next-generation bomber is aimed to become the backbone of the most complex missions of the Air Force.

Building on more than three decades of advances that integrated strike and stealth, the experience with those advances benefits the B-21 Raider directly. Northrop Grumman has used new manufacturing techniques and materials to ensure the B-21 renders the most advanced anti-access, area-denial systems ineffective. The Raider will be designed to be rapidly upgradable, seamlessly integrating new technology, capabilities, and weapons through agile software upgrades and built-in hardware flexibility.

In other words, the B-21 is a digital bomber, leveraging agile software development, advanced manufacturing techniques, and digital engineering tools to proactively reduce production risks and enable contemporary sustainment practices. Northrop Grumman and the Air Force have migrated the B-21 ground systems data into the cloud, making the aircraft easier to maintain and more sustainable.

The B-21 Raider will be the cornerstone of the US Bomber fleet, providing advanced long-range precision strike capability that will be integral to supporting the nation’s strategy of strategic deterrence. Christened in honor of the Doolittle Raid of World War II, the B-21 embodies the bold spirit of 80 airmen who undertook a mission that changed the course of a war.

Entering its second decade, as Northrop Grumman continues to push the boundaries of innovation and integration of new technologies, the B-2 Spirit will now be joined alongside the B-21 Raider as a testament to past legacy and the future of American air power.

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