Digital mission communications for B-2 aircraft gets trial by Northrop Grumman and USAF
NewsAugust 09, 2023
PALMDALE, Calif. Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Air Force (USAF) report a successful demonstration of Northrop's integrated airborne mission transfer (IAMT) system with the B-2 "Spirit" stealth aircraft, performed recently at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, the B-2's home base.
During the two-day demonstration, USAF aircraft vehicle 1086, the Spirit of Kitty Hawk, was configured with Northrop Grumman’s multi mission domain (MMD) architecture, an open mission system architecture for the B-2 that enables rapid and affordable fielding of modern mission capabilities. The B-2's aircrew was able to receive incoming transmissions from the adaptable communications suite (ACS) ACS ground station, which loaded the mission directly through MMD interfaces to the B-2's disk drive unit.
"The integration of this digital software with our weapon system will further enhance the connectivity and survivability in highly contested environments as part of our ongoing modernization effort," stated Nikki Kodama, vice president and B-2 program manager, Northrop Grumman.
