B-2 WORK TARDY, BELOW PAR; PROBLEMS FOUND IN ALL 4 MODIFIED CRAFT, GAO SAYS.

Byline: Jim Skeen Daily News Staff Writer

B-2 stealth bomber modification work is running behind schedule, and modified aircraft are being turned over to the Air Force with significant deficiencies, according to the General Accounting Office, the auditing arm of Congress.

Three of the four aircraft modified so far in Palmdale were delivered to the Air Force late, and each of the four had 30 to 46 deficiencies, the GAO said in a report issued Tuesday in Washington, D.C.

``Air Force officials stated some of these deficiencies are not operationally critical and will be corrected during regular scheduled maintenance,'' the report says. ``They said a team will be located at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., to correct some of the deficiencies, and others will be corrected during normal aircraft maintenance cycles to maintain the aircraft in active operational service.''

For two of the aircraft, the problems prompted the Air Force to withhold payments totaling $24.5 million from manufacturer Northrop Grumman, the GAO said in its report, titled ``B-2 Bomber - Additional Costs to Correct Deficiencies and Make Improvements.''

The delays in delivery were attributed to Northrop Grumman's difficulty in finding and keeping skilled workers for the modification program, scheduled to continue two more years.

Skilled aircraft electricians and systems-test engineers are among the personnel particularly difficult to find, officials said. There is a further difficulty in that applicants have to pass a security review because the B-2 program is highly classified.

``With the decline of aerospace in Southern California, in particular military aircraft, there has been a corresponding decline in skills as people have left the area or have left the field,'' said Northrop Grumman spokesman Ed Smith.

Information on the nature of the deficiencies and the extent of the delays was not released. Smith said Northrop Grumman and the Air Force are working on resolving the delivery-schedule problems.

Northrop Grumman employs 2,700 workers on the B-2 program at U.S. Air Force Plant 42, where the 21 batwing bombers were assembled.

Production ended in the fall, but the earlier aircraft are being modified to include improvements that were incorporated into the later models. The final modified aircraft is scheduled to roll out in mid-2000.

Modifications include adding full nuclear and conventional weapon combat capability, improving stealth characteristics, improving the automated terrain-following flight control system, and updating the automated mission-planning system.

The GAO report, one in a series required under a 1994 defense acquisition bill, mentions a variety of problems in getting full operational capability out of the bombers, built for $44 billion.

The report states the Air Force will need to make $144 million in additional improvements to stealth materials and structures for the bomber fleet. Among materials needing improvement are heat tiles, paint, caulk and tape that help give the aircraft its radar-evading characteristics.

``Low observable (stealth) materials and features on the B-2A frequently fail, requiring high amounts of maintenance. They also have time-consuming and environmentally controlled repair processes and long cure times for the materials repaired,'' the report says. ``These problems increase the amount of time it takes to prepare a B-2A for its next combat flight, potentially reducing the number of sorties that could be flown in a given period of time.''

The report says efforts are needed to improve the aircraft's defensive electric gear and mission planning, and portable shelters are needed to protect the aircraft from certain weather conditions.

There is no comprehensive estimate of what remains to be done to bring the bomber to full operational capability, and the Air Force should present details and cost estimates for Congress to consider in the 2000 budget, the report says.

``DoD (Department of Defense) agrees there is a need to identify future efforts and funding requirements to continue upgrades to current B-2 systems,'' wrote George Schneiter, director of strategic and tactical systems for the Defense Department, in response to the report.

``The Air Force is in the process of developing a long-range plan to program and budget for upgrades to the entire long-range bombers force. However, it should be understood that any upgrades identified in this plan will compete with other DoD requirements for future funding.''

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PHOTO (Color in AV Edition only) A B-2 stealth bomber is shown in this Jan. 16 photo.

Jeff Goldwater/Daily News