B-2 BOMBERS KEPT MODERN FOR MILITARY.

Byline: JIM SKEEN Staff Writer

PALMDALE -- Flexibility and connectivity will be keys to keeping the B-2 stealth bomber a vital military asset over the next 50 years, a Northrop Grumman executive said Thursday.

With stealth bombers expected to serve at least through 2057, modifications being done by workers in Palmdale are intended to update their capacity to carry weapons and to collect and process information.

``If it's going to be around that long, it's important to us not to wait too long to modernize the B-2,'' said Kenny Linn, Northrop Grumman's director of business development.

Two major B-2 modification efforts, each costing about $1 billion, are under way in the Antelope Valley, where the bombers were produced and where about 1,000 Northrop Grumman employees still work on the B-2.

In one, a new radar antenna, called the active electronically scanned array, will be installed on the bombers over the next five years, through 2011.

The upgraded radar will avoid conflicts with the Ku Band frequency spectrum, which the Federal Communications Commission opened up to commercial transmissions.

In the other major effort, a new satellite communications link will provide up to 50 times greater bandwidth for receiving and sharing data.

``The B-2 will be able to collect information about the battle space and give real-time updates for the other players out there,'' Linn said.

Northrop Grumman has made other upgrades, including installing a smart-bomb rack assembly that allows the B-2 to deliver 80 independently guided, 500-pound bombs, five times more than previously, and applying a special surface coating for easier maintenance.

james.skeen(at)dailynews

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