The Air Force will get its first peek this week at a new single avionics unit being designed by Northrop Grumman to replace 21 unique B-2 stealth bomber systems, the company announced Feb. 5. “One of the most powerful features of the common processor is that it will allow B-2 maintainers to use one common set of test equipment,” said Dave Mazur, vice president and B-2 program manager at Northrop. “This approach will reduce avionics sustainment costs and help improve aircraft availability,” he added. Northrop Grumman was awarded the $43.5 million contract to eliminate obsolete and increasingly difficult-to-source electronics with a standard, reconfigurable component last August. The B-2’s Audio Central Distribution Unit will be the first system replaced over the 43-month project, according to the company.
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.