Northrop Grumman Corporation continues to make significant updates to the
electronic warfare (EW) self-protection systems onboard the U.S. Air Force's B-52 bomber.
In 2008, the company has received Air Force contracts valued at $72 million to update the B-52's system capabilities through the insertion of cutting-edge EW technologies developed for the F-35 aircraft into the B-52's electronic warfare
self-protection system. 'Many of our current B-52 EW systems are at least 30 years old,
expensive to maintain and lack capabilities much needed by our
warfighters. We are excited about the vastly improved protection and
reliability offered by the new systems while common hardware and
software makes them affordable,' said Sandra Hunt, Program Manager,
Warner Robins Air Logistics Center. 'These modern, digital technologies include the very latest
processors, microwave converters, technique generators and digital
radio frequency memories, in a modular and scalable software and
hardware architecture,' said Mark Kula, vice president, Radio Frequency
Combat & Information Systems for Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems
Division. Northrop Grumman is also under separate contracts to insert
those same components into U.S. Air Force AN/ALQ-131 and AN/ALQ-135
systems, spreading these commonality benefits from the JSF and B-52
across the F-16, A-10 and F-15 fleets.
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