Northrop Grumman has received a $14 million contract extension to continue its work in integrating the Common Link Integration Processing system on the Air Force’s B-1B and B-52 bombers, the company announced Thursday. CLIP is a software package that enhances aircrew battlefield awareness, communications, and weapons management capabilities. The entire B-1 and B-52 fleets are getting this upgrade. Over the next 17 months, Northrop will conduct software integration and ground and flight tests, and support Air Force and joint interoperability certifications. In June, CLIP completed its first test flight as a component of the B-1’s Fully Integrated Data Link program. The company has been developing CLIP since June 2005.
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
