Lockheed Martin has gotten the green light—and a $23 million contract from Northrop Grumman—to proceed with the upgrade of the B-2 bomber’s satellite communications system. Earlier this year, the Air Force approved the plan presented by B-2 prime contractor Northrop. A company release says the modernized SATCOM will enable the B-2s to send and receive data faster and offers “beyond-line-of-sight, assured connectivity capability,” ensuring the bombers are compatible with current and future extremely high frequency SATCOM architectures.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
