B-2 COVER DEFIES RADAR NORTHROP APPLIES COATING AT ITS CENTER IN PALMDALE.Byline: Daily News PALMDALE - Northrop Grumman Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) is an aerospace and defense conglomerate that is the result of the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company is the third largest defense contractor for the U.S. has come up with a new anti-radar coating designed to reduce maintenance time for B-2 stealth bombers. The coating was applied at the company's Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley Manufacturing Center here using a robotic paint system. Known as alternate high-frequency material (AHFM AHFM Alternate High Frequency Material AHFM Adequate Housing For Missourians (Hazelwood, MO) ), the radar-absorbing coating was developed by the Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems sector, the B-2 prime contractor, for application to the aircraft surface in areas where regular maintenance is performed. The B-2's stealth characteristics require a smooth outer surface without any gaps that could reflect radar waves and reveal its position to the enemy. The original B-2 design called for special tapes and caulks to cover gaps on the surface such as those near maintenance access panels. The tapes and caulks had to be removed each time maintenance was performed, then reapplied and allowed to cure. The new coating replaces approximately 3,000 feet of tape, which helps reduce maintenance time in those areas from several days to several hours. To ensure a precise, uniform application of the material, Northrop Grumman developed an automated system consisting of four independently operating robots. ``Each robot is preprogrammed to paint one of the AHFM application areas on the aircraft,'' said Michael O'Keefe, manager of automation at the Palmdale facility. ``This system can precisely apply the AHFM in the correct thickness, which is measured in thousandths of an inch.'' The AHFM-equipped aircraft is expected to be delivered to the Air Force later this year at the end of its current airframe maintenance period. Airframe maintenance is regularly performed by Northrop Grumman in Palmdale on B-2s that arrive from their operational home at Whiteman Air Force Base Whiteman Air Force Base (Whiteman AFB) is a base of the United States Air Force in Johnson County, Missouri, United States. It is near the town of Knob Noster, Missouri. The population was 3,814 at the 2000 census. , Mo. Northrop Grumman and the Air Force are also working on other improvements to the stealth bomber fleet. Some will make the B-2 better equipped to communicate and exchange data with commanders and receive updated target information during a mission. In addition, integration of a new electronically scanned array An electronically scanned array (ESA), or a phased array, offers many advantages over mechanically-scanned antennas such as instantaneous beam scanning, the availability of multiple concurrent agile beams and concurrently operating radar modes. radar antenna will modernize mod·ern·ize v. mo·dern·ized, mo·dern·iz·ing, mo·dern·iz·es v.tr. To make modern in appearance, style, or character; update. v.intr. To accept or adopt modern ways, ideas, or style. the onboard Refers to a chip or other hardware component that is directly attached to the printed circuit board (motherboard). Contrast with offboard. See inboard. radar system. The improvements also include a ``smart-bomb rack assembly'' that will give the B-2 the ability to deliver 80 satellite-guided weapons on a single pass, five times as many as its current capacity. Successfully tested on a B-2 last year, the new bomb rack bomb rack n. A framework or mechanical holder for bombs on a combat aircraft. Noun 1. bomb rack - a device on an aircraft for carrying bombs bomber - a military aircraft that drops bombs during flight is scheduled to be operational later this year. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: A B-2 stealth bomber gets a new radar-absorbing coating, applied by robot devices, at Northrop Grumman's Antelope Valley Manufacturing Center. Northrop Grumman |
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