United States Military Aviation

theaviationist.com

Northrop Grumman Delivers 500th Common Infrared Countermeasures Kit To U.S. Army

The new self-protection system is being fielded on more than 1,500 Army aircraft, after the Initial Operational Capability was reached last year. Northrop
theaviationist.com theaviationist.com

1718029974191.png


The new self-protection system is being fielded on more than 1,500 Army aircraft, after the Initial Operational Capability was reached last year.​


Northrop Grumman recently delivered to the U.S. Army the 500th Common Infrared Countermeasures (CIRCM) kit, receiving in turn the fourth yearly CIRCM contract award. After the new $147 million production order, the company says it has another 336 kits on order, which would bring this technology to more than 800 aircraft in total.

Last year, when the Initial Operational Capability (IOC) was achieved, Northrop Grumman said it had delivered over 250 CIRCM systems to the Army, including the 100 that were already installed on the service’s helicopters. The company also noted that it has delivered on each commitment by providing all systems on time.

“Our latest CIRCM production award is a recognition of our continued partnership with the U.S. Army and builds on our on-time delivery momentum,” said Bob Gough, vice president of aircraft survivability, Northrop Grumman. “Since reaching full-rate CIRCM production, we have driven performance and speed in delivering on our commitments to meet the Army’s needs.”

The requirements for IOC have been reached on the UH-60M, HH-60M, CH-47F and AH-64Es, paving the way for the accelerated fielding of CIRCM systems on more than 1,500 Army aircraft. Last year it was disclosed that, since the first field installation in Dec. 2021, CIRCM accumulated more than 11,000 flight hours, while Northrop Grumman mentions that the number increased to 30,000 operational flight hours.
 
www.defensenews.com

Congress wants to restore nukes on conventional B-52 bombers

With Russia suspending participation in New START and the arms control treaty's future in doubt, Congress wants to restore nuclear weapons to some B-52s.
www.defensenews.com www.defensenews.com

Congress is laying the groundwork to restore nuclear weapon capabilities on roughly 30 B-52H Stratofortress bombers that had been converted to drop only conventional munitions as part of the New START arms control treaty with Russia.
Click to expand...
Lawmakers are eager to beef up the U.S. nuclear arsenal given Russia’s suspension of the treaty and China’s rapidly expanding strategic warhead production. Opponents of the measure argue that the directives will make it more difficult to negotiate a new treaty while complicating efforts to significantly extend the lifespan of the B-52 bomber fleet first introduced during the Cold War.
Click to expand...

Won't be long before the SLBMs and ICBMs start having more warheads loaded, if they haven't already that is.
 
1719304132949.png


The Series Hybrid Electric Propulsion AiRcraft Demonstration program, known as SHEPARD, has received its official X-plane designation: XRQ-73.

SHEPARD is an "X-prime" program, leveraging the series hybrid electric architecture and some of the component technologies from the earlier AFRL/IARPA Great Horned Owl (GHO) project.

"The idea behind a DARPA X-prime program is to take emerging technologies and burn down system-level integration risks to quickly mature a new missionized long endurance aircraft design that can be fielded quickly," said Steve Komadina, SHEPARD program manager. "The SHEPARD program is maturing a specific propulsion architecture and power class as an exemplar of potential benefits for the Department of Defense.”

The DARPA team includes members from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), the Office of Naval Research (ONR), and our warfighters.

The prime contractor for SHEPARD is Northrop Grumman Corporation’s Aeronautics Systems sector in Redondo Beach, CA. Scaled Composites, LLC is a major supplier, along with Cornerstone Research Group, Inc., Brayton Energy, LLC, PC Krause and Associates, and EaglePicher Technologies, LLC.

The XRQ-73 aircraft will be a Group 3 UAS weighing approximately 1,250 pounds. First flight of the XRQ-73 is expected by year-end 2024.
 
1719599432655.png


www.flightglobal.com

Northrop plans wide-ranging B-2 upgrades, including new anti-radar coating by year-end

The manufacturer of the iconic flying wing stealth bomber is undertaking a series of modernisations that will make the notoriously difficult-to-maintain B-2 easier to keep flightworthy, more lethal and compatible with the next-generation B-21 Raider stealth bomber.
www.flightglobal.com www.flightglobal.com

Defence manufacturer Northrop Grumman is preparing a series of modernisations for the company’s iconic B-2 Spirit flying wing bomber, including changes to aircraft’s exterior radar absorbent coating.
Click to expand...
The change involves phasing out the use of radar-absorbing tape, in favour of a coating material known as magnetic radar absorbing material, or MagRAM.
Click to expand...
The specialised tape must be regularly applied to certain B-2 surfaces in order to maintain the aircraft’s LO profile. Kodama says after analysing B-2 maintenance records, Northrop found the tape to be a “high driver” of time needed to preserve mission readiness.
Click to expand...
“Using MagRAM, instead of tape, we are driving down maintenance and man hours to maintain that LO,” she notes. “It’s keeping LO health on the aircraft and making it a more maintainable platform.”
Click to expand...
Kodama reveals Northrop is in the process modifying the first B-2 with the new MagRAM tape replacement. The company expects to complete the physical modifications before year’s end.
Click to expand...
Kodama says the change could reduce the annual maintenance requirement for the B-2 fleet by “tens of thousands” of hours.
Click to expand...
An early example of that technology sharing involves mission planning software Northrop developed for the B-21 that will also be compatible with the B-2 – allowing the two bomber types to integrate more easily.

“We can actually share applications that were developed for the B-21 on to the B-2,” Kodama notes.
Click to expand...
Kodama says Northrop will continue to work with the USAF on increasing the type’s lethality and capability, including the possibility of teaming the B-2 with autonomous combat jets being developed under the Pentagon’s recently announced Replicator initiative.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom