Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) is an American global aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company was the fourth-largest defense contractor in the world as of 2010,[3] and the largest builder of naval vessels. Sony VAIO PCG-3B1M Battery
Northrop Grumman employs over 75,000 people worldwide.[4] Its 2010 annual revenue is reported at US$34 billion.[5] Northrop Grumman ranks #72 on the 2011 Fortune 500 list of America's largest corporations[6] and ranks in the top ten military-friendly employers.[7] It has its headquarters in Falls Church, Virginia. Sony VAIO PCG-3C1T Battery
Naval
Newport News Shipbuilding manufactures all U.S. aircraft carriers, including supercarriers. It has built the Nimitz-classsupercarriers and is building the new Gerald R. Ford-class supercarrier. Sony VAIO PCG-3D1M Battery
It is also one of only two companies capable of producing U.S. nuclear submarines. A separate sector, Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, produces amphibious assault shipsand many other commercial and military craft, including icebreakers, tankers, and cargo ships. Sony VAIO PCG-3G2M Battery
In a partnership withScience Applications International Corporation, Northrop Grumman provides naval engineering and architecture services as well as naval maintenance services. Sony VAIO PCG-5R1M Battery
In January 2008, Northrop Grumman combined its Newport News and Ship Systems sectors into a new business unit named Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding.[8] And on March 31, 2011 this was spun off as Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc (NYSE: HII)[9]Sony VAIO PCG-7141M Battery
Aerospace
Separate sectors, such as Aerospace Systems, produce aircraft for the US and other nations. The B-2 Spirit strategic bomber, the E-8C Joint STARS surveillance aircraft, the RQ-4 Global Hawk, and the T-38 Talon supersonic trainer, are used by the US Air Force. Sony VAIO PCG-7143M Battery
The US Army uses Northrop Grumman's RQ-5 Hunter unmanned air vehicle, which have been in operational use for more than 10 years. The US Navy uses Northrop Grumman-built aerial vehicles such as the BQM-74 Chukar, RQ-4 Global Hawk based BAMS UAS, C-2 Greyhound, E-2 Hawkeye, and the EA-6B Prowler. Sony VAIO PCG-7151M Battery
Northrop Grumman provides major components and assemblies for different aircraft such as F/A-18 Hornet, F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and the EA-18G Growler. Many aircraft, such as the F-5, T-38 Talon, and E-2 Hawkeye are used by other nations. Sony VAIO PCG-7154M Battery
The former Space Technology sector (now Aerospace Systems Sector) builds satellites and space payloads for the US government, including NASA, NOAA and the US Air Force. The sector's Directed Energy unit builds chemical and solid-state lasers. Sony VAIO PCG-7162M Battery
Working with Boeing, the sector provides[when?] the chemical laser for the Boeing YAL-1 Airborne Laser system.
The former Mission Systems sector (now Information Systems Sector) is engaged in supporting the U.S. ballistic missile program;Sony VAIO PCG-7181M Battery
integrating various command, control and intelligence systems; and providing technical and management services to governmental and military customers.
Northrop Grumman intends to bid for the U.S. Air Force's next-generation strategic bomber project. Sony VAIO PCG-41112M Battery
Though it has not built a large manned aircraft since wrapping up B-2 Spirit production in the 1990s, The company has "been working hard to turn that perception around, with the skills and capabilities that back it up."[10] It continues to build the RQ-4 Global Hawk, Sony VAIO PCG-7153M Battery
with many of the same long endurance and sensor technologies that are required for bombers.
Northrop Grumman partnered with EADS to offer the KC-30[11] in the U.S. Air Force's KC-X tanker competition.[12] Sony VAIO PCG-71312M Battery
The US Air Force chose the Northrop Grumman/EADS's KC-30 in February 2008,[13] but the win was contested and the tanker program was halted by Defense Department in September 2008. Northrop Grumman announced in March 2010 it was withdrawing from the competition.[14] Sony VAIO PCG-7144M Battery
In November 2010, Northrop Grumman was selected by NASA for consideration for potential contract awards for heavy lift launch vehicle system concepts, and propulsion technologies.[15]
Radar and sensors
Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems creates military sensors and related products, Sony VAIO PCG-7191L Battery
including C4I radar systems for air defense, Airspace Management radar systems such as AMASS, and battlefield surveillance systems like the Airborne Reconnaissance Low (ARL). Tactical aircraft sensors produced by Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems include the AN/APG-68 radar and Sony VAIO PCG-3C1M Battery
the AN/APG-80 advanced agile beam fire control radar for the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the AN/APG-77 Advanced Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar for the F-22 Raptor, and the AN/APG-81 AESA radar for the F-35 Lightning II, and the AN/AAQ-37 electro-optical Distributed Aperture System (DAS) for the F-35, Sony VAIO PCG-3F1M Battery
and the highly reliable APQ-164 Passive Electronically Scanned Array (PESA) radar for the B-1 Lancer. Electronic Systems also produces and maintains the AWACS aerial surveillance systems for the U.S., the United Kingdom, NATO, Japan, and other customers. Sony VAIO PCG-3H1M Battery
Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor for the development and integration of the Air Force's $2-billion Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program. Many other smaller products are made by Northrop Grumman, such as night vision goggles and secure communications equipment. Sony VAIO PCG-3J1M Battery
Affiliated companies and partners
Remotec, a subsidiary, is the foremost manufacturer of remote control vehicles for explosive ordnance disposal and hazardous material handling. A Norway and UK-based subsidiary, Sony VAIO PCG-8141M Battery
Park Air Systems, makes aerial navigation, air traffic control, and communications equipment for international customers. They also have worked closely with Antenna Associates, Inc., a leading manufacturer of Identification friend or foe (IFF)/Secondary Surveillance Radar (SSR) antennas located in Massachusetts. Sony VAIO PCG-8161M Battery
In 2008, Northrop Grumman also began working with DHS Systems LLC, the manufacturer of the Deployable Rapid Assembly Shelter (DRASH) located in New York, as part of the U.S. Army's Standard Integrated Command Post System (SICPS) program.[16]Sony VAIO PCG-3C2M Battery
In August 2007, Northrop Grumman acquired Scaled Composites in which it had previously owned a 40% stake.
Other services
In addition to providing the products created by Northrop Grumman, the company also provides many military and non-military services, usually to governments. Sony VAIO PCG-5N2M Battery
It is among the largest suppliers of IT services to the U.S. federal government, for instance. And Vinnell, a Northrop Grumman subsidiary within the Technical Services sector, provides training and communications services for the military. For example Vinnell landed a $48 million contract to train the Iraqi Army in 2003.[17] Sony VAIO PCG-5P1M Battery
Many other nations, and individual states in the U.S. have contracted Northrop Grumman for various large-scale projects. In 2005, for instance, the company won a $2 billion contract with Virginia to overhaul most of the state's IT operations. Sony VAIO PCG-5S1M Battery
Later that year, Great Britain paid for a $1.2 billion contract with the company to provide maintenance of many aspects of the country's defensive radar.[19]
Northrop Grumman also performs various foreign functions in the War on Drugs. Sony VAIO PCG-9Z1M Battery
The company sends planes to spray herbicides on suspected cocaine fields inColombia and opium poppy fields in Afghanistan.[20][21]
History
Originally formed in California in 1939, Northrop Corporation was reincorporated in Delaware in 1985. Sony VAIO PCG-7171M Battery
In 1994, Northrop Aircraft merged with Grumman Aerospaceto create the company Northrop Grumman. Both companies were previously established in the airplane manufacturing industry, and Grumman was famous for building the Apollo Lunar Module.Sony VAIO PCG-7186M Battery
The new company acquired Westinghouse Electronic Systems in 1996, a major manufacturer of radar systems. Logicon, a defense computer contractor, was added in 1997. Previously, Logicon had acquired Geodynamics Corporation in March 1996 and Syscon Corporation in February 1995. Sony VAIO PCG-81112M Battery
A merger between Northrop Grumman and competitor Lockheed Martin was not approved by the U.S. government in 1998, slowing the consolidation of the defense industry. But in 1999, the company acquired Teledyne Ryan, which developed surveillance systems and unmanned aircraft. Sony VAIO PCG-31311M Battery
It also acquired California Microwave, Inc., and Data Procurement Corporation, in the same year. Other entities acquired included Xetron Corporation (1996), Inter-National Research Institute Inc. (1998), Federal Data Corporation (2000), Navia Aviation As (2000), Comptek Research, Inc. (2000), and Sterling Software, Inc. (2000). Sony VAIO PCG-8152M Battery
n 1999, Northrop Grumman and SAIC created AMSEC LLC as a joint venture, which grew "from $100 million in revenue in 2000 to approximately $500 million in fiscal year 2007." [22]
In 2001 the company acquired Litton Industries, a shipbuilder and provider of defense electronics systems to the U.S. Navy.Sony VAIO VPC CW2MFX/PU Battery
During the acquisition process, a new Delaware holding company, NNG, Inc., was formed. It merged with Northrop Grumman through a one-for-one common shares exchange in April 2001. Both Northrop Grumman and Litton became subsidiaries of the new holding company. Sony VAIO VPC S11V9E/B Battery
The original Northrop Grumman Corporation then changed its name to Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation; the holding company, NNG, Inc., changed its name to Northrop Grumman Corporation.
Later that year, Newport News Shipbuilding was added to the company. Sony VAIO VPCB119GJ/B Battery
And in 2002, Northrop Grumman acquired TRW, which became the Space Technology sector based in Redondo Beach, CA, and the Mission Systems sector based in Reston, VA, with sole interest in their space systems and laser systems manufacturing. Sony VAIO VPCB11AGJ Battery
The Aeronautical division was sold to Goodrich, and the automotive divisions were spun off and retained the TRW name.
There have been many other smaller acquisitions throughout this period.[23] On July 20, 2007, Sony VAIO VPCB11AVJ Battery
Northrop Grumman became the sole owner of Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites.[24]
Northrop Grumman and Boeing have also recently collaborated on a design concept for NASA's upcoming Orion spacecraft (previously the Crew Exploration Vehicle), but that contract went to rival Lockheed Martin on August 31, 2006. Sony VAIO VPCB11V9E Battery
Northrop Grumman announced formation of a new business unit (sector), effective January 1, 2006 called Technical Services.
In 2007 Northrop Grumman created the National Workforce Centers. The National Workforce centers are an alternative to Offshoring.[25] Sony VAIO VPCB11X9E Battery
Current locations are Auburn, AL; Corsicana, TX; Fairmont, WV; Helena, MT; Johnstown, PA; and Lebanon, VA. The Rapid City, SD location will be closing in January, 2012.[26]
Three employees of Northrop Grumman (Thomas Howes, Marc Gonsalves and Keith Stansell) Sony VAIO VPCCW18FJ/P Battery
were freed in July 2008 after five years of captivity in Colombia duringOperation Jaque. Tom Janis, also a former Northrop employee, was killed by the FARC shortly after their plane crashed in the Colombian jungle in 2003. Sony VAIO VPCCW18FJ/R Battery
Kent Kresa was the CEO of the company from 1990, before the merger with Grumman in 1994, and led the serial-acquisition strategy for the company for the next 13 years with a total of 15 additional acquisitions after Grumman that include Litton, Logicon, Sony VAIO VPCCW18FJ/W Battery
Westinghouse's defense electronics business, Ryan Aeronautical and Newport News Shipbuilding, and TRW. He was required to retire in 2003 at age 65. At this point, Ronald Sugar, formerly the chief operating officer, took over as CEO.[29] Sugar also served as the company chairman of the board. Sony VAIO VPCCW19FJ/W Battery
In January 2010. Wes Bush succeeded Sugar as CEO and also assumed the position of company president.[30]
Corporate headquarters
Northrop Grumman has its headquarters in West Falls Church (previously Jefferson), unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, in the Falls Church areaSony VAIO VPCCW1AFJ Battery
Northrop Grumman was headquartered in the Century City area of Los Angeles, California.[34][35] but on January 4, 2010 announced plans to move to the Washington Metropolitan Area by 2011.[36]
In January 2010 Northrop Grumman announced that it will move its headquarters to the Washington, Sony VAIO VPCCW1AHJ Battery
DC area so the company can be closer to government customers.[37] Wesley Bush, the new CEO of Northrop Grumman, stated that the company needed to be located close to Capitol Hill lawmakers and officials from intelligence and military communities.[38] Sony VAIO VPCCW1S1E Battery
Northrop Grumman considered sites in Washington, DC and in suburbs in Maryland and Virginia.[37] During the time of the announcement the company had not yet selected a headquarters site; the company planned to be at the new headquarters by the northern hemisphere Summer of 2011. Sony VAIO VPCCW1S1E/B Battery
Charles Proctor of the Los Angeles Business Journal said "In a way, the announcement was not a surprise" due to the trend of aerospace companies moving to the DC area and the fact that the newly hired CEO is from West Virginia. Proctor added that CEOs often move corporate headquarters to places that they want the headquarters located. Sony VAIO VPCCW1S1E/L Battery
Larry Kosmont, a Los Angeles area economic development consultant, described the move announcement as a "structural failure at all levels for Los Angeles County."[38]
V. Dion Haynes of the Washington Post said that District of Columbia economic development officials were "pitching the city's urban hipness Sony VAIO VPCCW1S1E/P Battery
and proximity to Capitol Hill power brokers" to Northrop Grumman. In addition Maryland promoted its highly educated workforce and its large number of federal facilities, while Virginia marketed itself as a state with relatively low taxes.[39] Sony VAIO VPCCW1S1E/R Battery
In July 2010 the company announced it would purchase an existing building in Fairfax County and that it would schedule to move into the new building in the summer of 2011. The company planned to consolidate its Century City headquarters and its existing Arlington County, Virginia offices into the new headquarters. Sony VAIO VPCCW1S1E/W Battery
In July 2010 it employed about 40,000 in the Washington DC metropolitan area, including DC and surrounding Maryland and Virginia.[31]
Accolades and criticism
Northrop Grumman was named Forbes's Company of the Year in 2002.[29] Sony VAIO VPCCW21FX/B Battery
Forbes's announcement credited the company with "master[ing] the art of innovation."[40]Northrop Grumman no longer appears on their list of America's 400 Best Big Companies, however.[41] Northrop Grumman is credited with sponsoring educational programs[42] and donating thousands of dollars to various charities.[43][44] Sony VAIO VPCCW21FX/L Battery
Many members of the U.S. government have attended company events and spoken highly of the company and its contributions.[45] In December 2007, Northrop Grumman Corporation was awarded the prestigious Ron Brown Award for Corporate Leadership, Sony VAIO VPCCW21FX/R Battery
the only Presidential award recognizing companies for outstanding achievement in employee and community relations.[46]
Environmental record
Based on 2008 data, researchers at the Political Economy Research Institute of the University of Massachusetts Amherst identified Northrop Grumman as the Sony VAIO VPCCW21FX/W Battery
62nd-largest corporate producer of air pollution in the United States. According to their study, Northrop Grumman facilities released more than 23,798 pounds of toxic chemicals into the air in that year.[47] The corporation has also been linked to 52 superfund toxic waste sites.[48] Sony VAIO VPCCW26EC Battery
In 2003, the company was among 84 parties with which the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the state of New York reached an estimated US$ 15 million settlement for the rehabilitation of the Mattiace Petrochemical Company Superfund site in Glen Cove, Long Island.[49] Sony VAIO VPCCW26FX/B Battery
In the same year, Northrop Grumman agreed to pay $33,214 after EPA inspectors found hazardous waste violations at the Capistrano test site.[50]
As a response to many of the previous claims, the company has stood up as an organization for social responsibility. Sony VAIO VPCCW28EC Battery
Among the recent projects is the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory Project. To reduce the carbon footprint created by Northrop Grumman operations, and in anticipation of upcoming new regulations, the EHS Leadership Council championed Sony VAIO VPCCW28FJ/P Battery
an initiative in 2008 to develop a way to accurately quantify company-wide greenhouse gas emissions, and address the issue responsibly.
In 2008, Northrop Grumman launched its Environmental Sustainability program, which aims to advance Northrop Grumman’s commitment to environmental performance both internally and externally.[51] Sony VAIO VPCCW28FJ/R Battery
The company was named one of Computerworld's Top 12 Green-IT Organizations in October 2010 for its large-scale data center migration effort.[52]
Political contributions and governmental ties
From 1990-2002, Northrop Grumman contributed $8.5 million to federal campaigns.[53] Sony VAIO VPCCW28FJ/W Battery
According to PAC summary data compiled by Source Watch, the company gave US$1,011,260 to federal candidates in 2005-2006 election cycle, compared to $10,612,837 given by all defense contractors in the same cycle.[54] This donation amount was only behind that of General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin in the defense industry. Sony VAIO VPCCW29FJ/W Battery
The majority of the contributions, 63%, went to Republicans.[55]Former Northrop Grumman Electronics Systems chief James G. Roche served for two years as Secretary of the Air Force for George W. Bush. As reported by the Los Angeles Times, Sony VAIO VPCCW2AFJ Battery
Roche would eventually be nominated to head the Army, but would be forced to withdraw his nomination among accusations of mismanaging a contract with Boeing and of failing to properly handle the Air Force sexual assault scandals of 2003.[56] Sony VAIO VPCCW2AHJ Battery
According to CorpWatch, "at least seven former officials, consultants, or shareholders of Northrop Grumman" have held posts "in the Bush administration...including Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, Vice-Presidential Chief of Staff I. Lewis Libby, Pentagon Comptroller Dov Zakheim, and Sean O’Keefe, director of NASA." Sony VAIO VPCCW2S1E Battery
Wolfowitz and Libby have both since left the government amid scandals.
Scandals
Northrop Grumman has had to deal with multiple scandals during its history. The company was sued in 1999 for allegedly knowingly giving the Navy defective aircraft. Sony VAIO VPCCW2S1E/B Battery
This suit seeks $210 million in damages and is ongoing.[57] Then in 2003, the company was sued for allegedly overcharging the U.S. government for space projects in the 1990s.[58] Northrop Grumman paid $111.2 million to settle that suit out of court. Sony VAIO VPCCW2S1E/L Battery
In 1995, Robert Ferro, an employee for TRW, a company acquired by Northrop Grumman, discovered that satellite components manufactured for the United States Air Force (USAF) were faulty and likely to fail in operation. TRW allegedly suppressed Ferro's report of the problem and hid the information from the USAF, Sony VAIO VPCCW2S1E/P Battery
even after a satellite in space equipped with the faulty components experienced serious anomalies. Ferro later sued Northrop Grumman in federal court under the federal whistle-blower law. On April 2, 2009 Northrop Grumman agreed to pay $325 million to settle the suit.[60] Sony VAIO VPCCW2S1E/R Battery
Ferro was awarded $48.8 million of the settlement. Northrop Grumman stated about the settlement that, "it believed that TRW had 'acted properly under its contracts' and that the company had substantive defenses against the claims."[61]
From August 25 through September 2, 2010, Virginia's computer operations experienced a week-long computer outageSony VAIO VPCCW2S1E/W Battery
Northrop Grumman operated these systems under a $2.4 billion contract. As a result, as many as 45,000 citizens could not renew their drivers licenses prior to their expiration. Computer systems for 26 of the state's 89 agencies were affected and Governor Bob McDonnell announced that some data may be permanently lost. Sony VAIO VPCCW2S5C CN1 Battery
Northrop Grumman has apologized for the outage and will fund an investigation.[64] Northrop Grumman had contributed approximately $75,000 to McDonnell's campaign.[65]
Violations
U.S. State Department investigators found that Litton Industries, Sony VAIO VPCF112FX/B Battery
a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman, provided portions of the computer source code of Air Force One to a company in Russia in 1998. Northrop Grumman agreed to pay a $15 million fine for 110 violations, occurring between September 1998 and November 1998, Sony VAIO VPCF115FG/B Battery
of the Arms Export Control Act and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). The ITAR violations centered around guidance and navigation system interface information unique to Air Force One.[66]
Additionally, documents filed by the State Department state that between 1994 and 2003, Sony VAIO VPCF116FGBI Battery
Northrop Grumman failed to notify the U.S. State Department about the computer guidance systems also being transferred to Angola, Indonesia, Israel, China, Ukraine and Yemen.
The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit (also known as the Stealth Bomber) Sony VAIO VPCF117FJ/W Battery
is an American strategic bomber, featuring low observable stealth technology designed for penetrating dense anti-aircraft defenses; it is able to deploy both conventional and nuclear weapons. The bomber has a crew of two and can drop up to eighty 500 lb (230 kg)-class JDAM GPS-guided bombs, Sony VAIO VPCF117HG/BI Battery
or sixteen 2,400 lb (1,100 kg) B83 nuclear bombs. The B-2 is the only aircraft that can carry large air to surface standoff weapons in a stealth configuration.
Development originally started under the "Advanced Technology Bomber" (ATB) project during the Carter administration, Sony VAIO VPCF118FJ/W Battery
and its performance was one of the reasons for his cancellation of the B-1 Lancer. ATB continued during the Reagan administration, but worries about delays in its introduction led to the reinstatement of the B-1 program as well. Program costs rose throughout development. Sony VAIO VPCF119FC Battery
Designed and manufactured by Northrop Grumman with assistance from Boeing, the cost of each aircraft averaged US$737 million (in 1997 dollars).[3] Total procurementcosts averaged $929 million per aircraft, which includes spare parts, equipment, retrofitting, and software support.[3] Sony VAIO VPCF119FC/BI Battery
The total program cost including development, engineering and testing, averaged $2.1 billion per aircraft in 1997.[3]
Because of its considerable capital and operational costs, the project was controversial in the U.S. Congress and among the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Sony VAIO VPCF119FJ/BI Battery
The winding-down of the Cold War in the latter portion of the 1980s dramatically reduced the need for the aircraft, which was designed with the intention of penetrating Soviet airspace and attacking high-value targets. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Congress slashed initial plans to purchase 132 bombers to 21. Sony VAIO VPCF11AFJ Battery
In 2008, a B-2 was destroyed in a crash shortly after takeoff, and the crew ejected safely.[5] A total of 20 B-2s remain in service with the United States Air Force.
Though originally designed primarily as a nuclear bomber, the B-2 was first used in combat to drop conventionalbombs on Serbia during the Kosovo War in 1999, Sony VAIO VPCF11AGJ Battery
and saw continued use during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.[6]B-2s were also used during the 2011 Libyan civil war.
Origins
In the mid-1970s the search for a new US strategic bomber to replace the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress was underway, to no avail.Sony VAIO VPCF11AHJ Battery
First the B-70 and then the B-1Awere canceled after only a few of each aircraft were built. The B-70 was intended to fly above and beyond defensive interceptor aircraft, only to find these same attributes made it especially vulnerable to surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). Sony VAIO VPCF11JFX/B Battery
The B-1 attempted to avoid SAMs by flying close to the ground to use terrain to mask its radar signature, only to face a new generation of interceptors with look-down/shoot-down capabilities that could attack them from above.
However, technology continued to progress. Sony VAIO VPCF11M1E Battery
By the mid-1970s it was becoming clear that there was an entirely different way to avoid missiles and intercepts. Known today as "stealth", the concept was to build an aircraft with an airframe that deflected or absorbed radar signals so that little was reflected back to the radar unit. Sony VAIO VPCF11M1E/H Battery
An aircraft having stealth characteristics would be able to fly nearly undetected and could be attacked only by weapons and systems not relying on radar. Although such possibilities existed such as human observation, their relatively short detection range allowed most aircraft to fly undetected by defenses, especially at night.[8] Sony VAIO VPCF11MFX/B Battery
In 1974 DARPA requested information from US aviation firms about the largest radar cross section of an aircraft where it would remain effectively invisible to radars.[9] Initially, Northrop and McDonnell Douglas were selected for further development. Sony VAIO VPCF11S1E Battery
Lockheed had experience in this field due to developing the Lockheed A-12 and SR-71, which included a number of stealthy features, notably its canted vertical stabilizers, the use of composite materials in key locations, and the overall surface finish in radar absorbing paint. Sony VAIO VPCF11S1E/B Battery
A key improvement was the introduction of computer models used to predict the radar reflections from flat surfaces where collected data drove the design of a "faceted" aircraft. Development of the first such designs started in 1975 with "the hopeless diamond", a model built at Lockheed to test the concept.[10] Sony VAIO VPCF11Z1E Battery
Improvements quickly followed that allowed designs with more traditional configurations and manufacturing techniques.
Plans were well advanced by the summer of 1975, when DARPA started the Experimental Survivability Testbed (XST) project.Sony VAIO VPCF11Z1E/BI Battery
Northrop and Lockheed were awarded contracts in the first round of testing. Lockheed received the sole award for the second test round in April 1976 leading to the Have Blue program.[11]
ATB program
By 1976 these programs progressed to where a long-range strategic stealth bomber appeared viable. Sony VAIO VPCF11ZHJ Battery
Whereas the B-1 relied on flying around known defense sites and could only change its mission within a limited selection of pre-determined routes, a stealth bomber could fly over the Soviet Union undetected, allowing it to linger and hunt for targets rather than repeatedly entering and leaving the target zone as quickly as possible. Sony VAIO VPCF127HGBI Battery
In a nuclear exchange, this strategy permits the aircraft to wait out the initial attacks and find targets that escaped destruction by eliminating the "overkill" that was built into existing war planning. Also, stealth characteristics negated the prior requirement of high speed capabilities and by removing electronic warfare equipment, the aircraft could be more simply manufactured at lower cost. Sony VAIO VPCF137HG/BI Battery
Carter was aware of these developments during 1977, and it appears to have been one of the major reasons the B-1 was canceled.[12] Further studies were ordered in early 1978, by which point the Have Blue platform had flown and proven the concepts.
Sony VAIO VPCS111FM/S Battery
Sony VAIO VPCS111FM/S Battery
During the 1980 presidential election in 1979, Ronald Reagan repeatedly stated that Carter was weak on defense, and used the B-1 as a prime example. In return, on 22 August 1980, the Carter administration publicly disclosed that theUnited States Department of Defense (DoD) was working to develop stealth aircraft, including a bomber.[13] Sony VAIO VPCS115EC Battery
The Advanced Technology Bomber (ATB) began in 1979.[14] Full development of the black project followed. The black program was funded under the code name "Aurora".[15] After the evaluations of the companies' proposals, Sony VAIO VPCS115FG Battery
the ATB competition was narrowed to the Northrop/Boeing and Lockheed/Rockwell teams with each receiving a study contract for further work.[14] Both teams used flying wing designs.[15] Northrop had prior experience developing the YB-35 and YB-49 flying wing aircraft.[16] Sony VAIO VPCS117GG Battery
The Northrop design was larger while the Lockheed design included a small tail.
The Northrop/Boeing team's ATB design was selected over the Lockheed/Rockwell design on 20 October 1981.[14][17] The Northrop design received the designation B-2 and the name "Spirit". Sony VAIO VPCS117GGB Battery
The bomber's design was changed in the mid-1980s when the mission profile was changed from high-altitude to low-altitude, terrain-following. The redesign delayed the B-2's first flight by two years and added about US$1 billion to the program's cost.[13] Sony VAIO VPCS118EC Battery
An estimated US$23 billion was secretly spent for research and development on the B-2 by 1989.[18] MIT scientists helped assess the mission effectiveness of the aircraft under a five-yearclassified contract during the 1980s.[19] Sony VAIO VPCS119FJ/B Battery
The B-2 was first publicly displayed on 22 November 1988 at Air Force Plant 42, Palmdale, California, where it was assembled. This initial viewing was heavily restricted and guests were not allowed to see the rear of the B-2. However, Sony VAIO VPCS119GC Battery
Aviation Weekeditors found that there were no airspace restrictions over presentation area and to the disappointment of the USAF, took photographs of the aircraft's then-secret planform and suppressed engine exhausts from above. The B-2's first public flight was on 17 July 1989 from Palmdale.[20] Sony VAIO VPCS11AFJ Battery
At the program's peak, approximately 13,000 people were employed at a dedicated plant in Pico Rivera, California for the aircraft's engineering and portions of its manufacturing.
Espionage
In 1984, a Northrop employee, Thomas Cavanaugh was arrested for attempting to sell classified information to the Soviet Union,Sony VAIO VPCS11AGJ Battery
which he smuggled out of the Pico Rivera, California factory.[22] Cavanaugh was eventually sentenced to life in prison and released on parole in 2001.
Noshir Gowadia, a design engineer who worked on the B-2's propulsion system, Sony VAIO VPCS11AHJ Battery
was arrested in October 2005 for selling B-2 related classified information to foreign countries.[23] On 9 August 2010, Gowadia was convicted in the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii on 14 of 17 charges against him.[24] On 24 January 2011, Gowadia was sentenced to 32 years in prison.[25] Sony VAIO VPCS11AVJ Battery
Program costs and procurement
A procurement of 132 aircraft was planned in the mid-1980s, but was later reduced to 75.[26] By the early 1990s, the Soviet Union dissolved effectively eliminating the Spirit's primary Cold War mission. Sony VAIO VPCS11J7E/B Battery
Under budgetary pressures and Congressional opposition, in his 1992 State of the Union Address, President George H.W. Bush announced B-2 production would be limited to 20 aircraft.[27] In 1996, however, the Clinton administration, though originally committed to ending production of the bombers at 20 aircraft, Sony VAIO VPCS11M1E/W Battery
authorized the conversion of a 21st bomber, aprototype test model, to Block 30 fully operational status at a cost of nearly $500 million.[28]
In 1995, Northrop made a proposal to the USAF to build 20 additional aircraft with a flyaway cost of $566 million each.[29] Sony VAIO VPCS11V9E Battery
The program was the subject of public controversy for its cost to American taxpayers. In 1996, the General Accounting Office disclosed that the USAF's B-2 bombers "will be, by far, the most costly bombers to operate on a per aircraft basis", costing over three times as much as the B-1B (US$9.6 million annually) Sony VAIO VPCS11V9E/B Battery
and over four times as much as the B-52H ($US6.8 million annually). In September 1997, each hour of B-2 flight necessitated 119 hours of maintenance in turn. Comparable maintenance needs for the B-52 and the B-1B are 53 and 60 hours respectively for each hour of flight. Sony VAIO VPCS11X9E/B Battery
A key reason for this cost is the provision of air-conditioned hangars large enough for the bomber's 172 ft (52.4 m) wingspan, which are needed to maintain the aircraft's stealthy properties, particularly its "low-observable" stealthy skins.[30][31] Maintenance costs are about $3.4 million a month for each aircraft. Sony VAIO VPCS123FGB Battery
The total "military construction" cost related to the program was projected to be US$553.6 million in 1997 dollars. The cost to procure each B-2 was US$737 million in 1997 dollars, based only on a fleet cost of US$15.48 billion.[3] The procurement cost per aircraft as detailed in General Accounting Office (GAO) reports, Sony VAIO VPCS125EC Battery
which include spare parts and software support, was $929 million per aircraft in 1997 dollars.[3]
The total program cost projected through 2004 was US$44.75 billion in 1997 dollars. This includes development, procurement, facilities, construction, and spare parts. Sony VAIO VPCS128EC Battery
The total program cost averaged US$2.13 billion per aircraft.[3] The B-2 costs $135,000 per flight hour to operate in 2010, which is about twice that of the B-52 and B-2.[33][34]
Opposition
In its consideration of the fiscal year 1990 defense budget, Sony VAIO VPCS129GC Battery
the House Armed Services Committee trimmed $800 million from the B-2 research and development budget, while at the same time staving off a motion to end the project. Opposition in committee and in Congress was mostly broad and bipartisan, with Congressmen Ron Dellums (D-CA), John Kasich (R-OH), and John G. Sony VAIO VPCS12C7E/B Battery
Rowland(R-CT) authorizing the motion to end the project with others in the Senate such as Jim Exon (D-NE) and John McCain (R-AZ) also opposing the project.[35]
The escalating cost of the B-2 program and evidence of flaws in the aircraft's ability to elude detection by radar,[35] Sony VAIO VPCS12L9E/B Battery
were among factors that drove opposition to continue the program. At the peak production period specified in 1989, the schedule called for spending US$7 billion to $8 billion per year in 1989 dollars, something Committee Chair Les Aspin (D-WI) said "won't fly financially."[36] Sony VAIO VPCS12V9E/B Battery
In 1990, the Department of Defense accused Northrop of using faulty components in the flight control system. Efforts have also been made to reduce the probability of bird ingestion, which could damage engine fan blades.[37]
In time, a number of prominent members of Congress began to oppose the program's expansion, Sony VAIO VPCY115FGS Battery
including former Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, who cast votes against the B-2 in 1989, 1991 and 1992 while a US Senator, representing Massachusetts. By 1992, Republican President George H.W. Bush called for the cancellation of the B-2 and promised to cut military spending by 30% in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union.[38] Sony VAIO VPCY115FX/BI Battery
In May 1995, based on its 1995 Heavy Bomber Force Study, the DOD determined that additional B-2 procurements would exacerbate efforts to develop and implement long term recapitalization plans for the U.S. Air Force bomber force. Sony VAIO VPCY115FXBI Battery
In October 1995, former Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, General Mike Ryan, and Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General John Shalikashvili, strongly recommended against Congressional action to fund the purchase of any additional B-2s, Sony VAIO VPCY118EC Battery
arguing that to do so would require unacceptable cuts in existing conventional and nuclear-capable aircraft to fund the new bombers,[39] and because the military had much higher priorities on which to spend its limited procurement dollars.[40] Sony VAIO VPCY118GX/BI Battery
Some B-2 advocates argued that procuring twenty additional aircraft would save money because B-2s would be able to deeply penetrate anti-aircraft defenses and use low-cost, short-range attack weapons rather than expensive standoff weapons. Sony VAIO VPCY119FJ/S Battery
However, in 1995, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), and its Director of National Security Analysis, found that additional B-2s would reduce the cost of weapons expended by the bomber force by less than US$2 billion in 1995 dollars during the first two weeks of a conflict, Sony VAIO VPCY11AFJ Battery
which is the time where the Air Force predicts bombers would make their greatest contribution. This is a small fraction of the US$26.8 billion (in 1995 dollars) life cycle cost that the CBO projected an additional 20 B-2s would cost.[41]
In 1997, as Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee and National Security Committee, Sony VAIO VPCY11AGJ Battery
Congressman Ron Dellums (D-CA), a long-time opponent of the bomber, cited five independent studies and offered an amendment to that year's defense authorization bill to cap production of the bombers to the existing 21 aircraft. The amendment was narrowly defeated.[42] Sony VAIO VPCY11AHJ Battery
Nonetheless, Congress did not approve funding for the purchase of any additional B-2 bombers.
Upgrades
A number of upgrade packages were applied to the B-2 during the 21st century. In 2004, Northrop Grumman tested a new alternate high-frequency material (AHFM) for use as a radar-absorbent material (RAM) coating for the B-2. Sony VAIO VPCY11AVJ Battery
The Air Force Research Laboratory developed a new material to be used on the part of the wing trailing edge subject to engine exhaust to replace the existing material which degrades.[44] In 2008, the US Congress funded upgrades to the B-2's weapon control systems for hitting moving targets.[45] Sony VAIO VPCY11M1E/S Battery
In July 2008, the B-2's computing architecture was redesigned with a new integrated processing unit (IPU) that communicates via a fiber optic network and a smaller, faster single-board processor that runs a new version of the operational flight program (OFP) software converted from JOVIAL to C by automated tools.[ Sony VAIO VPCY11S1E Battery
On 29 December 2008, Air Force officials awarded a production contract to Northrop Grumman to modernize the B-2 fleet's radars. The contract provides advanced radar components, with the aim of sustained operational viability of the B-2 fleet into the future. The contract has a target value of US$468 million.[48] Sony VAIO VPCY11V9E/S Battery
The award follows successful flight testing with the upgraded equipment. A modification to the radar was needed because the US Department of Commerce required the B-2 to use a different radar frequency.[49] It was reported on 22 July 2009 that the B-2 had passed the second of the two USAF audit milestones associated with this upgraded AESA radar capability.[50] Sony VAIO VPCY218EC/BI Battery
On 28 April 2009, an Air Force/contractor team verified the 30,000 lb (14,000 kg) Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) would fit in the B-2's bomb bay.[51]
Future developments
Schwartz has said the 1980s era stealth of the B-2 will become less survivable in contested airspace in the future so the USAF is continuing to develop theNext-Generation Bomber despite budget cuts in other areas.[52] Sony VAIO VPCY218EC/G Battery
As of 2011, the Pentagon is evaluating a radically different unmanned stealth bomber, characterized as a "mini-B-2", to come into operational service by 2020.[53] During a transition period, US political expert Rebecca Grant posited when the B-2 is no longer able to penetrate enemy defenses, Sony VAIO VPCY218EC/L Battery
the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II may take on its strike/interdiction role. The F-35 will carry a version of the B61 nuclear bomb as a tactical bomber and therefore will not be covered by strategic arms limitation treaties such as New START.[54] Sony VAIO VPCY218EC/P Battery
Design
The B-2's low-observable, or "stealth", characteristics give it the ability to penetrate an enemy's most sophisticated anti-aircraft defenses to attack its most heavily defended targets. Sony VAIO VPCY21S1E/L Battery
The bomber's stealth comes from a combination of reduced acoustic, infrared, visual and radar signatures, making it difficult for opposition defenses to detect, track and engage the aircraft. Many specific aspects of the low-observability process remain classified. Sony VAIO VPCY21S1E/P Battery
The B-2's composite materials, special coatings and flying wing design, which reduces the number of leading edges, contribute to its stealth characteristics.[55] The Spirit has a radar signature of about 0.1 m2.[56] Each B-2 requires a climate-controlled hangar large enough to accommodate its 172-foot (52 m) Sony VAIO VPCY21S1E/SI Battery
wingspan to protect the operational integrity of its sophisticated radar absorbent material and coatings.[57] The engines are buried within the wing to conceal the engines' fans and minimize visibility of the exhaust.[58]
The blending of low-observable technologies with high aerodynamic efficiency and large payload gives the B-2 significant advantages over previous bombers. Sony VAIO VPCCW2S5C CN1 Battery
The U.S. Air Force reports its range as approximately 6,000 nautical miles (6,900 mi; 11,000 km).[6][59] Also, its low-observable characteristics provides the B-2 greater freedom of action at high altitudes, thus increasing its range and providing a better field of view for the aircraft's sensors. Sony VAIO VPCEA20 Battery
It combines GPS Aided Targeting System (GATS) with GPS-aided bombs such as Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM). This uses its passive electronically scanned arrayAPQ-181 radar to correct GPS errors of targets and gain much better than Sony VAIO VPCEB10 Battery
laser-guided weapon accuracy when "unguided" gravity bombs are equipped with a GPS-aided "smart" guidance tail kit. It can bomb 16 targets in a single pass when equipped with 1,000 or 2,000-pound (450 kg or 900 kg) bombs, or as many as 80 when carrying 500 lb (230 kg) bombs. Sony VAIO VPCEB11FM Battery
The B-2 has a crew of two: a pilot in the left seat, and mission commander in the right.[6] The B-2 has provisions for a third crew member if needed.[60] For comparison, the B-1B has a crew of four and the B-52 has a crew of five.[6] B-2 crews have been used to pioneer sleep cycle research to improve crew performance on long sorties. Sony VAIO VPCEB11FM/BI Battery
The B-2 is highly automated, and, unlike two-seat fighters, one crew member can sleep, use a toilet or prepare a hot meal while the other monitors the aircraft.
The prime contractor, responsible for overall system design, integration and support, isNorthrop Grumman. Sony VAIO VPCEB11FM/T Battery
Boeing, Raytheon (formerly Hughes Aircraft), G.E. and Vought Aircraft Industries, are subcontractors.
The original B-2 design had tanks for a contrail-inhibiting chemical, but this was replaced in the final design with a contrail sensor from Ophir that alerts the pilot when he should change altitude.[62] Sony VAIO VPCEB11FM/WI Battery
Mission planning also considers altitudes where the probability of contrail formation is minimized.
Operational history
The first operational aircraft, christened Spirit of Missouri, was delivered to Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, where the fleet is based, on 17 December 1993.[63] Sony VAIO VPCEB11FX Battery
The B-2 reached initial operational capability (IOC) on 1 January 1997.[64] Depot maintenance for the B-2 is accomplished by U.S. Air Force contractor support and managed at Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center at Tinker Air Force Base.[6] Sony VAIO VPCEB11FX/BI Battery
Originally designed to deliver nuclear weapons, modern usage has shifted towards a flexible role with conventional and nuclear capability.
Into combat
The B-2 has seen service in four campaigns. Its combat debut was during the Kosovo War in 1999. Sony VAIO VPCEB11FX/T Battery
It was responsible for destroying 33% of selected Serbian bombing targets in the first eight weeks of U.S. involvement in the War.[6] During this war, B-2s flew non-stop to Kosovo from their home base in Missouri and back.[6] The B-2 was the first aircraft to deploy GPS satellite guided JDAM "smart bombs" in combat use in Kosovo. Sony VAIO VPCEB11FX/WI Battery
The B-2 has been used to drop bombs on Afghanistan in support of the Operation Enduring Freedom. With aerial refueling support, the B-2 flew one of its longest missions to date from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri to Afghanistan and back.[6] Sony VAIO VPCEB11GX Battery
The B-2's combat use preceded a U.S. Air Force declaration of "full operational capability" in December 2003.[6] The Pentagon's Operational Test and Evaluation 2003 Annual Report noted that the B-2's serviceability for Fiscal Year 2003 was still inadequate, mainly due to the maintainability of the B-2's low observable coatings. Sony VAIO VPCEB11GX/BI Battery
The evaluation also noted that the Defensive Avionics suite also had shortcomings with "pop-up threats".[6]
During the Iraq War (Operation Iraqi Freedom), B-2s operated from Diego Garcia and an undisclosed "forward operating location".Sony VAIO VPCEB11GX/T Battery
Other sorties in Iraq have launched from Whiteman AFB.[6] This resulted in missions lasting over 30 hours and one mission of over 50 hours. "Forward operating locations" have been previously designated as Andersen Air Force Base in Guamand RAF Fairford in the UK, where new climate controlled hangars have been constructed. Sony VAIO VPCEB11GX/WI Battery
B-2s have conducted 27 sorties from Whiteman AFB and 22 sorties from a forward operating location, releasing more than 1.5 million pounds of munitions,[6]including 583 JDAM "smart bombs" in 2003.[66] Sony VAIO VPCEB12FX Battery
All B-2s, nuclear-capable B-52s, and nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles have shifted to the nuclear-focused Air Force Global Strike Command set up in September 2009.[67][68]
In March 2011, B-2s were the first US aircraft into action in Operation Odyssey Dawn, Sony VAIO VPCEB12FX/BI Battery
the UN mandated enforcement of the Libyan no-fly zone. Three B-2s dropped 40 bombs on a Libyan airfield in support of the UN no-fly zone.
On 23 February 2008, the B-2 Spirit of Kansas, 89-0127 crashed on the runway shortly after takeoff from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.[71] Sony VAIO VPCEB12FX/BIC Battery
B-2 89-0127 had been operated by the 393rd Bomb Squadron, 509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman Air Force Base,Missouri, and had logged 5,176 flight hours. It was the first crash of a B-2. The two person crew ejected safely from the aircraft and survived the crash. Sony VAIO VPCEB12FX/T Battery
The aircraft was completely destroyed, a hull loss valued at US$1.4 billion.[72][73] After the accident, the Air Force took the B-2 fleet off operational status until clearing the fleet for flight status 53 days later on 15 April 2008.[74] The cause of the crash was later determined to be moisture in the aircraft's Port Transducer Units Sony VAIO VPCEB14FX Battery
during air data calibration, which distorted the information being sent to the bomber's air data system. As a result, the flight control computers calculated an inaccurate airspeed, and a negative angle of attack, causing the aircraft to pitch upward 30 degrees during takeoff.[75] Sony VAIO VPCEB14FX/BI Battery
In February 2010, another serious incident involving a B-2 occurred at Andersen AFB. The aircraft involved was AV-11 Spirit of Washington. The aircraft was severely damaged by fire while on the ground and underwent 18 months of temporary repairs in order to enable it to fly back to the mainland for more comprehensive repairs.[76][77] Sony VAIO VPCEB14FX/T Battery
Aircraft on display
No operational B-2s have been retired by the Air Force to be put on display. However, B-2s have made periodic appearances on ground display at various air shows.
B-2 test article (s/n AT-1000), the second of two built without engines or instruments for static testing, Sony VAIO VPCEB14FX/WI Battery
was placed on display in 2004 at the National Museum of the United States Air Force near Dayton, Ohio.[78] The test article passed all structural testing requirements before the airframe failed.[79] The Museum's restoration team spent over a year reassembling the fractured airframe. Sony VAIO VPCEB15FM Battery
The display airframe is marked to resemble The Spirit of Ohio (S/N 82-1070), the B-2 used to test the design's ability to withstand extreme heat and cold.[78] The exhibit features the actual Spirit of Ohio nose wheel door, with its distinctive Fire and Ice artwork,Sony VAIO VPCEB15FM/BI Battery
which was painted and signed by the technicians who performed the temperature testing.[78] The restored test aircraft is on display in the museum's "Cold War Gallery".[80]
From 1989 to 2004, the South Dakota Air and Space Museum locatedSony VAIO VPCEB15FM/WI Battery
on the grounds of Ellsworth Air Force Base displayed the 10-short-ton (9-metric-ton) "Honda- Stealth", a 60% scale mock-up of a stealthy bomber which had been built by North AmericanHonda in 1988 for an advertising campaign.[81] Although not an actual replica of a B-2, Sony VAIO VPCEB15FX Battery
the mock-up was close enough to the B-2's design to arouse suspicion that Honda had intercepted classified, top secret information, as the B-2 project was still officially classified in 1988. Honda donated the model to the museum in 1989, on condition that the model be destroyed if it was ever replaced with a different example. Sony VAIO VPCEB15FX/BI Battery
In 2005, when the museum received a B-1 Lancer for display (Ellsworth being a B-1 base), the museum destroyed the mock-up
The BQM-74 Chukar is a series of aerial target drones produced by Northrop. Sony VAIO VPCEB15FX/T Battery
The Chukar has gone through three major revisions, including the initial MQM-74A Chukar I, the MQM-74C Chukar II, and the BQM-74C Chukar III. They are recoverable, remote controlled, subsonic aerial target, capable of speeds up to Mach 0.86 and altitudes from 30 to 40,000 ft (10 to 12,000 m). Sony VAIO VPCEB15FX/WI Battery
Description
The BQM-74E is propelled during flight by a single Williams J400 (J400-WR-404) turbojet engine, which produces a maximum thrust of 240 pounds force (1068 N) at sea level. Sony VAIO VPCEB16FX Battery
The BQM-74 is launched from a zero length ground launcher utilizing dual Jet Assisted Takeoff (JATO) bottles. When equipped with an air launch kit, the BQM-74 can be air launched from a TA-4J, F-16, Grumman Gulfstream I or DC-130 aircraft. Sony VAIO VPCEB16FX/B Battery
The BQM-74 is used primarily as a realistic aerial target, capable of simulating enemy threats for gunnery and missile training exercises.
Drones are capable of being recovered following a training exercise. A parachute is deployed by remote control or if the remote control link is severed and a flotation kit Sony VAIO VPCEB16FX/G Battery
can be added for sea-based recovery. If recovery of the drone is required, special telemetry warheads are used on the defensive missile in place of explosives. This telemetry warhead is desirable since it allows for extensive analysis of the performance of the defensive missile, Sony VAIO VPCEB16FX/L Battery
including miss distance information that determines if a real warhead would have damaged the target. A direct hit would likely destroy the drone. Gunnery systems would use non-explosive dummy munitions. Since gunnery systems are aimed in front of a moving target so it will fly through the blast-fragments, Sony VAIO VPCEB16FX/P Battery
dummy munitions do not have to directly hit a target. Analysis of radar data would determine if the dummy munitions would have damaged the target drone.
MQM-74A Chukar I
The Chukar series began in the early 1960s with a US Navy requirement for a new target drone. Sony VAIO VPCEB16FX/W Battery
The company developed a prototype with the company designation of NV-105 and featuring a delta wing, flying it in 1964. The delta wing didn't work out and was replaced by a straight wing, resulting in the NV-105A, which was first flown in 1965. Sony VAIO VPCEB17FX Battery
The NV-105A was accepted by the Navy and went into production as the MQM-74A in 1968.
The MQM-74A had a neatly tapered cigar-shaped fuselage, straight mid-mounted wings, an underslung jet engine with the intake under the wings, Sony VAIO VPCEB17FX/B Battery
and a conventional tail configuration with the tailplanes set in an inverted vee. It was powered by aWilliams International WR24-6 turbojet engine with a thrust of 121 pounds (538 N), and was launched by RATO booster from the ground or a ship. The Navy purchased 1,800 MQM-74A Chukar Is. Sony VAIO VPCEB17FX/G Battery
Several hundred more were purchased in total by NATO for a multinational test range on the island of Crete, as well as the Royal Navy and the Italian Navy.
Chukar is the name of an Asian species of partridge, introduced to America and as they are hunted for sport, Sony VAIO VPCEB17FX/L Battery
it seems that Northrop felt that the name was appropriate for an aircraft whose purpose in life is to be shot at. The name Chukar is only formally applied to export versions of the drone, but informally it is used for all variants.
XBQM-108
In the mid-1970s, the US Naval Weapons Center used the MQM-74A as the basis for an experimental drone designated the XBQM-108, Sony VAIO VPCEB17FX/P Battery
which was to be used to as a demonstrator for a "pogo" or "tailsitter" aircraft that could take off and land straight up and down on its tail. The fuselage, tailfin, radio control system, and parachute recovery system of the MQM-74A were retained, but the drone was fitted with a new wing, Sony VAIO VPCEB17FX/W Battery
a Teledyne CAE J402 engine with a rotating vectored thrustexhaust, fixed tricycle landing gear, and additional flight control systems. The demonstrator was completed and was making tethered flights when the program was cancelled.
MQM-74C Chukar II
The Navy liked the Chukar I but wanted a somewhat faster version, Sony VAIO VPCEB190X Battery
and in the early 1970s Northrop developed the improved experimental MQM-74B, which was followed by the production MQM-74C Chukar II. The Chukar II is difficult to distinguish from the Chukar I, but the Chukar II is slightly scaled up and uses an uprated Williams WR24-7 turbojet with 180 pound (800 N) thrust, giving it a top speed of 590 mph (950 km/h). Sony VAIO VPCEB19FX Battery
Like the Chukar I, the Chukar II is ground or ship launched only. At least 1,400 Chukar IIs were built, mostly for the US Navy, but other customers included NATO, Great Britain, West Germany, Greece, Iran, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, andSpain. Sony VAIO VPCEB19GX Battery
BQM-74C Chukar III
In 1978, the US Navy requested a still more sophisticated drone, and Northrop responded with the BQM-74C Chukar III. This improved variant is visibly different from its predecessors, featuring a more cylindrical fuselage, in contrast with the tapered fuselage of its predecessors. Sony VAIO VPCEB1AFX Battery
The BQM-74C incorporates a microprocessor-based autopilot that allows it to be programmed for much more sophisticated flight operations. The BQM-74C can be air launched as well as ground launched. The original engine was the Williams WR24-7A AKA J400-WR-402, with 180 pound (800 N) thrust, Sony VAIO VPCEB1AFX/B Battery
but in 1986 production was upgraded to the J400-WR-403 with 240 pound (1070 N) thrust. The BQM-74C is stressed for maneuvers of up to 6Gs. More than 1,600 BQM-74Cs have been built.
Northrop built ten BQM-74C Recce UAVs for tactical reconnaissance for US Navy evaluation, but this variant did not go into production. Sony VAIO VPCEB1AGX Battery
BQM-74E Chukar III
The BQM-74C has now been replaced in production by the BQM-74E, which is externally all but identical but incorporates the uprated J400-WR-404 engine as standard, and has a third greater range and endurance than its predecessor. Sony VAIO VPCEB1AGX/BI Battery
Future versions
In the 1980s, Northrop built a next-generation target, the NV-144, that was substantially bigger and faster than the Chukar III, but the NV-144 did not enter production. Northrop, now part of Northrop Grumman, Sony VAIO VPCEB1BGX Battery
is now working toward delivery of the improved BQM-74F variant of the Chukar, previously known as Target 2000. The BQM-74F has general configuration along the lines of the BQM-74C, but features swept wings, an empty weight of 600 pounds (270 kilograms), Sony VAIO VPCEB1BGX/BI Battery
an uprated engine with 300 pound (1.33 kN) thrust, speed of up to Mach 0.93, and a design lifetime of 20 flights. The BQM-74F will be able to simulate a range of different aircraft and cruise missiles. It will also be able to tow targets and decoys, and will be compatible with current Chukar support systems and infrastructure. Sony VAIO VPCEB1CGX Battery
The Navy awarded Northrop Grumman a development contract in 2002, and initial deliveries are scheduled for 2006.
Gulf War combat use
In the 1991 Gulf War, BQM-74Cs were used as decoys during the initial air attacks into Iraq. Sony VAIO VPCEB1CGX/BI Battery
The USAF Big Safari group was put in charge of the decoy effort, which was codenamed "Project Scathe Mean".
The Chukar drones that were available were usually launched from DC-130 director aircraft, and could also be launched from strike aircraft such as F-15s or F-16s. Sony VAIO VPCEB1DGX Battery
These launch resources were not available, though, so the Navy found twelve ground launchers in their inventory that could be made serviceable, while RATObooster units were found stockpiled in Belgium. Each BQM-74C was fitted with a pair of passive radar enhancement devices to give it a signature similar to that of a strike fighter. Sony VAIO VPCEB1DGX/BI Battery
A 40-person team of specialists, obtained from disbanded ground-launched cruise missile units, was assembled in a few days and designated the "4468th Tactical Reconnaissance Group". The 4468th moved on a fast track, with trucks modified and obtained from a California commercial trucking firm, Sony VAIO VPCEB1EGX Battery
tool kits purchased fromSears, and field gear bought from war surplus stores. The teams were given quick training, equipped with 44 Navy BQM-74Cs, and sent to Saudi Arabia in two six-launcher teams in about two weeks, arriving near the Iraqi border on 15 October 1990. Sony VAIO VPCEB1EGX/BI Battery
The northern team was sited to cover Baghdad and large military bases in that area, while the southern team was sited to cover Basra and Kuwait City.
When the air war began on the night of 17 January 1991, Iraq was hit by waves of F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighters and BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles. Sony VAIO VPCEB1FGX Battery
A group of 38 BQM-74Cs were assigned to be launched as diversion for the second wave of attacks, with the launches generally in groups of three, and 37 were launched successfully in precisely timed waves. One group of three was intercepted by Iraqi aircraft, while all the others made it to target. Sony VAIO VPCEB1FGX/BI Battery
The drones flew over 500 kilometers (310 miles) at 630 km/h (390 mph), then began to orbit Baghdad for up to 20 minutes. Iraqi air defense radars probed for the drones, and were immediately destroyed by allied strike aircraft firing high-speed anti-radiation missiles (HARMs). Sony VAIO VPCEB1GGX Battery
The Navy also launched TALDs to contribute to the countermeasures blitz. Iraqi air defenses never recovered from this blow, and though large Allied aircraft losses had been predicted, the Iraqis only succeeded in shooting down 44. After the war, the 4468th was disbanded, Sony VAIO VPCEB1GGX/BI Battery
and one of the remaining BQM-74Cs was donated to the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio, where it is now on display.
IMETS
Developed by Northrop Grumman, the Integrated Meteorological System (AN/TMQ-40 IMETS) Sony VAIO VPCEB1HGX Battery
is the meteorological component of the Intelligence and Electronic Warfare (IEW) an element of the Army Battle Command System (ABCS). IMETS provides Army commanders at all echelons with an automated weather system to receive, process, and disseminate weather observations, forecasts, Sony VAIO VPCEB1HGX/BI Battery
and weather and environmental effects decision aids to all Battlefield Operating Systems (BOS). IMETS is a mobile, tactical, automated weather data receiving, processing and dissemination system. The IMETS is an Army-furnished and maintained system operated by US Air Force battlefield weather team personnel. Sony VAIO VPCEB1JFX Battery
It uses US Air Force and Army developed software to provide a total weather system to support the Army.IMETS is a heavy Humvee mounted tactical system which provides automation and communications support to staff weather teams assigned to echelons from brigade through Echelons Above Corps (EAC). Sony VAIO VPCEB1JFX/B Battery
IMETS receives weather information from polar-orbiting civilian and defense meteorological satellites, Air Force Global Weather Center, artillery meteorological teams, remote sensors and civilian forecast centers. Sony VAIO VPCEB1JFX/G Battery
IMETS processes and collates forecasts, observations, and climatological data to produce timely and accurate weather products tailored to the specific Warfighter’s needs.
IMETS provides automation and communications support to USAF Weather Teams assigned to Army G2/G3 sections at echelons Brigade through EAC. Sony VAIO VPCEB1JFX/L Battery
IMETS receives, processes, and collates forecasts, observations, and climatological data to produce weather forecasts and timely and accurate products to meet Commanders' requirements. IMETS produces displays and disseminates, over Army ABCS, Sony VAIO VPCEB1JFX/P Battery
weather forecasts and tactical decision aids that compare the impact of current, projected, or hypothesized weather conditions on friendly and enemy capabilities.
The IMETS currently fielded is in two configurations. They are the vehicle-mounted configuration (VMC), IMETS-Heavy, and the laptop version, the IMETS-Light. Sony VAIO VPCEB1JFX/W Battery
The IMETS-Light is the most common version; US Army uses IMETS-Light for aviation brigades and brigade combat teams. Both configurations have identical intelligence processing capabilities. The IMETS-Light has recently passed the Milestone C review and its production and fielding have official authorization. Sony VAIO VPCEB1KGX Battery
Both configurations of IMETS operate with ABCS Version 6.X-complaint software.
IMETS training is accomplished at Staff Weather Officer (SWO) Course at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. SWO training is four weeks long, IMETS portion being half of that. Sony VAIO VPCEB1KGX/B Battery
This is somewhat ironic, as IMETS has not been used much since the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq began. Sony VAIO VPCEB1KGX/W Battery,Sony VAIO VPCEB1LFX Battery,Sony VAIO VPCEB1LFX/BI Battery
