Northrop Grumman is transforming the B-2 bomber as part of the long range strike plan still under development by the Air Force. (See our report here.) Besides the new radar, the B-2 gets a smart bomb rack assembly—giving it the ability to carry and deliver 80 GPS-guided JDAMs on a single pass—and it will have the Link-16 communications system, a high-rate digital data system that allows cross-platform real-time exchange of critical targeting data. There’s more: Northrop says it is talking with USAF about modifying the B-2 for a medium-range role. “It’s probably the quickest way to get to a medium range platform,” said Northrop’s Gene Fraser.
Active-Duty Airmen only have a few days left to submit an official waist-to-height ratio into the Air Force’s new online application. But the service clarified July 23 that this first body composition measurement is not meant to be scored as part of the new Physical Fitness Readiness Assessment, or PFRA