According to Northrop Grumman, the company’s recent completion of installation, integration, and initial flight testing of the developmental test units for the B-2’s new radar antenna will let the Northrop-led team “complete the comprehensive [radar modernization program] interrupted last year by integration issues.” The Air Force had alerted Congress earlier this year to “technical maturity” problems with the new antenna. Now, Northrop B-2 program manager Dave Mazur says installation of the test units “is a major milestone” that “demonstrates not only the technical maturity of the highly complex radar itself, but also the ability of the B-2 industry team to identify and resolve technical issues in a positive, collaborative manner.” The Air Force urgently wants the new antenna to solve the B-2’s spectrum problem.
A top Pentagon tech official called on industry this week to help the military develop “lighter, more efficient” directed energy weapons designed to go on aircraft and conduct special operations missions or down drones—areas where the Air Force’s directed energy efforts have been quiet as of late.