Posted on 06/26/2014 10:37:53 AM PDT by robowombat
Northrop Grumman Corp has won a five-year contract valued at up to $9.9 billion from the U.S. Air Force to modernize and support the B-2 stealth bomber, the Pentagon announced on Tuesday.
The Air Force is going to make sure everyone’s favorite bat-winged bomber stays stealth through 2058. The B-2 Spirit will be included in upcoming modernization planning being conducted by the Pentagon.
Northrop Grumman has a contract with the Pentagon to complete a massive upgrade on the nuclear bomber. Its $9.9 billion contract will include new computer processors, avionics, radar warning receivers and communications gear, the defense website military.com reported Wednesday.
SEE ALSO: Putin on notice: Two U.S. stealth bombers head to Europe for first time amid tension “We’re re-hosting the flight management control processors, the brains of the airplane, onto a much more capable integrated processing unit. We’re laying in some new fiber optic cable as opposed to the mix bus cable we are using right now. The B-2’s computers from the 80s are getting maxed out and overloaded with data,” said Eric Single, chief of the Global Strike division for Air Force acquisition, military.com reported.
America’s fleet of 21 B-2 bombers was first produced in 1989 at a cost of $2.2 billion per plane. Each plane can also carry a payload of 40,000 pounds.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
The B-2 has a two man crew for no apparent purpose.
Think about the mission profile.
Meanwhile, upgrades to the venerable B-52H Stratofortress allow it to remain a credible deterrent well into the 23rd Century. . .
I hope not, at least not in the depravedly corrupted form it will metastasize into by then.
“I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever.” Thomas Jefferson
Spirit? Maybe with all the money their spending on this maybe they can give it a better name.
Liberator, Flying Fortress, Dauntless, Vindicator, those were some cool bomber names. Spirit? Like in teen spirit. What a stupid name for an amazing plane. Sounds like skirt work was responsible!
Vulcan.
Now, there’s a bomber !
LOL don’t forget Hustler!
Or, seriously, Peacemaker. What a great name for a bomber.
And RE the 2-man crew, on a mission lasting 20+ hours, might be nice to have a 2nd person who can take the controls for a bit...
Excellent point!
The B-2 has a two man crew for no apparent purpose.
Can they fly themselves and re-fuel without a crew?
B-2 Hope
Spirit as in ghost.
4.4 billion dollars for two B2s.
2032 B47 Stratojets cost 4 billion.
Spectre would have been a better name, thoguh I guess it had been taken by the gunship. How about Banshee? Grim Reaper?
I marched with Spirit of Atlanta Drum & Bugle Corps. The name 'Spirit' is good.
B-52-H (1961-62) 70,000 pound payload - 58 Active, 18 Reserve
B-1B (1985-88) 75,000 pound payload - 66 Active
B-2 (1997) 40,000 pound payload - 20 Active
“I marched with Spirit of Atlanta Drum & Bugle Corps. The name ‘Spirit’ is good.”
A good name for the drum and bugle corp maybe, but it does not instill fear in ones enemies.
How about “Devastator”.
Glassmaker and Obliterator are also good options!
I remember well the Spirit of 1776! Good for political rally’s and celebrating the Fourth of July, but the name of a Strategic US bomber should make jihadist wet their skirts in fear when they know what’s coming!
Enola Gay? 8~)
Ebola Gay was the name picked by the crew for that one plane. The plane was the B29 Superfortress.
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