Stealth bomber is due for upgrade

[unhappycamper]

A new coating will make it easer for B-2 maintainers to preserve the plane's stealthness after they open access panels.


Stealth bomber is due for upgrade
By Bruce Rolfsen - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Sep 22, 2008 8:38:39 EDT

The iPod lying on your desk is higher tech than the stealth B-2 Spirit bomber.

At least that’s the case when you’re talking electronics.

Upgrading the stealth bomber’s two-decade-old flight computers, cockpit displays, radar and communications gear is part of the ambitious improvement efforts for the bomber being undertaken by the Air Force and B-2 builder Northrop Grumman.

“We’ve been flying this plane for almost 20 years,” said Dave Mazur, vice president of long-range strike at Northrop. “We’ve never had a processor upgrade. The iPod you carry around has more processing power than a computer onboard a B-2.”

Still, the bomber’s first upgrade is arriving soon. A new digital “active electronically scanned array” radar is well into the flight testing phase on a B-2 used only for evaluation and is installed on the first of 20 operational Spirits scheduled for modifications, Mazur said.


Rest of article about the $2.1 billion bomber at: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/09/airforce_b2_092108/$2e

[Lost4words]

1. thats allot of cash for a piece of junk!

send them to Arizona for a long term suntan.

8643

[wtmusic]

2. B2 is due for upgrade or Northrop is due for a pork sandwich?

Can't sell them new planes? Upgrade the old!