NORTHROP TESTING B-2S EASIER, CHEAPER MAINTENANCE IS THE GOAL.

Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE - Northrop Grumman is conducting a series of flight tests to evaluate improvements to the B-2 stealth bomber aimed at making the bat-winged aircraft easier - and less expensive - to maintain.

The flight tests, using one B-2 flying out of Edwards Air Force Base, will evaluate the application of spray-on radar-absorbing materials on access panels.

The new materials are intended to make maintenance and repair work easier and quicker. The new spray-on material will replace special tape that is used on the edges of panels to keep them from showing up on radar systems.

Aircraft maintenance workers now must remove the tape before opening access panels to make repairs. The tape must be replaced and allowed to cure before the bomber could return to flight.

The new materials will reduce the time necessary to access aircraft systems behind the panels from hours to minutes.

``These upgrades are part of Northrop Grumman's continuing effort to help reduce the Air Force's long-term ownership and support costs for the B-2,'' said Paul Marchisotto, vice president and B-2 program manager for Air Combat Systems.

In a report made public this spring, Philip Coyle III, the Defense Department's director of operation test and evaluation, gave the bomber good reviews for its performance in the Kosovo air war. However, the report stated the bomber still needs improvements, notably in reducing maintenance time.

The long repair times, including long cure times for special coatings for the airframe, are cutting into the number of missions that can be flown in a given period, the report said.

The flight tests will evaluate the first in a series of improvements planned for the bomber. Over the next several years, Northrop Grumman will also be evaluating improvements to the airplane's communications and weapons carrying capabilities.

Other improvements planned include:

--Improved satellite links to increase communication speed, security and resistance to enemy jamming, as well as to allow an entire mission plan to be uploaded while the B-2 is en route to a target.

--Software upgrades to provide pilots with more information about what is happening around the airplane during combat missions and to reduce their workload. Software upgrades are also planned to enhance radar and navigation systems.

--The installation of the Generic Weapons Interface System, which allows new weapons to be put on the B-2 with minimal or no aircraft flight software changes.

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(color) Northrop Grumman is conducting flight tests at Edwards Air Force Base, looking for easier, less expensive ways to maintain B-2 stealth bombers.