“The U.S. Air Force's B-2 stealth bomber is a key component of the nation's long-range strike arsenal and one of the most survivable aircraft in the world. Its unique stealth characteristics allow it to penetrate the most sophisticated enemy defenses. July 17, 2019, marked 30 years since the B-2 Spirit first took to the skies and became (USA)s premier long-range strike bomber. The B-2, a Northrop Grumman engineering marvel and legendary aircraft, spelled a quantum leap for technology and American air superiority. Even today, the B-2 continues to perform, inspire, and pave the way forward.” >

NOW 2025

“(NG) Northrop Grumman is a leading global aerospace and defense technology company. We deliver a broad range of products, services, and solutions to U.S. and international customers, principally to the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and intelligence community. Our broad portfolio is aligned to support national security priorities, and our solutions equip our customers with the capabilities they need to connect, protect, and advance humanity. The company is a leading provider of space systems, military aircraft, missile defense, advanced weapons and long-range fire capabilities, mission systems, networking and communications, strategic deterrence systems, and breakthrough technologies, such as advanced computing, microelectronics, and cyber.”

Northrop Grumman NYSC NOC $489.65== source USEG “(At January 01, 2024), total backlog, which is equivalent to the company’s remaining performance obligations, was $84.2 billion as compared with $78.7 billion at December 31, 2022.”

The primary contractor is the U.S. government, from which we derived 86 percent of their sales in 2023... and monitored by DCAA, Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA), and the DoD Inspector General..(NG was) a leading provider of space systems, military aircraft, missile defense, advanced weapons, long-range fire capabilities, mission systems, networking and communications, strategic deterrence systems, and breakthrough technologies, such as advanced computing, microelectronics and cyber.

THEN:

The company originally was formed in 1939 in Hawthorne, California as Northrop Aircraft Incorporated and was reincorporated in Delaware in 1985, as Northrop Corporation. Northrop Corporation was a principal developer of flying wing technology, including the B-2 Spirit stealth aircraft. We developed into one of the largest defense technology companies in the world through a series of acquisitions...”

BENCHMARKS:

• 1994 - Acquired Grumman Corporation, a premier military aircraft systems integrator. The combined company was renamed Northrop Grumman Corporation.

• 1996 - Acquired the defense and electronics businesses of Westinghouse Electric Corporation, developer of sophisticated radar & electronics systems.

• 2001 - Acquired Litton Industries, Inc., a global electronics and information technology company and full-service shipbuilder.

• 2001 - Acquired Newport News Shipbuilding Inc., designer, and builder of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines.

• 2002 - Acquired TRW Inc., developer of military and civil space systems and payloads, and integrator of complex, mission-enabling systems &services.

• 2011 - Completed spin-off of Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc., operator of NG's former shipbuilding business, =Litton Industries /Newport News

• 2018 - Acquired Orbital ATK, Inc. (OATK), developer and producer of satellites and other space systems, launch vehicles, and missile products.

• 2021 - Completed the sale of our IT and mission support services business (the “IT services divestiture”) to Veritas Capital.

Aeronautics Systems

Approximately 45 percent of (NG) business is performed through restricted (classified) programs. Key TOP SECRET programs include:

• Development and production of the U.S. Air Force B-21 Raider long-range strike aircraft that defines sixth-generation technologies.

• Modernization and sustainment services for the B-2 Spirit stealth aircraft.

• Fuselage production for the F/A-18 Super Hornet and the F-35 Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter for use by U.S. and international forces.

• E-2D Advanced Hawkeye battle management aircraft production for the U.S. Navy, Japan, and France.

• MQ-4C Triton, which provides wide area strategic ISR over vast ocean & coastal regions for maritime domain awareness to the U.S. Navy &AustraliaRQ-4 Global Hawk, which provides high-resolution imagery of land masses for theater awareness and strategic ISR to the U.S. Air Force, Japan, Republic of Korea.

• (NATO) Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS), a Global Hawk variant, for strategic ISR missions conducted in multinational theater operations;

• MQ-8C Fire Scout, ship-based, VTOL tactical ISR systems that provide situational awareness and precision targeting for the U.S. Navy.

DEFENSE SYSTEMS

Approximately 45 percent of (NG) business is performed through restricted programs. Key programs include:

• Development and production of the U.S. Air Force B-21 Raider long-range strike aircraft that defines sixth generation technologies;

• Modernization and sustainment services for the B-2 Spirit stealth aircraft.

• Fuselage production for the F/A-18 Super Hornet and the F-35 Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter for use by U.S NATO, ISRAEL, and global military forces;

• E-2D Advanced Hawkeye battle management aircraft production for the U.S. Navy, Japan, and France.

• MQ-4C Triton, which provides wide area strategic ISR over vast ocean and coastal regions for maritime domain awareness to the U.S. Navy and Australia.

• RQ-4 Global Hawk, which provides high-resolution imagery of land masses for theater awareness and strategic ISR to U.S. Air Force, Japan, ROK Korea;

• North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS), a Global Hawk variant, for strategic ISR missions conducted in multinational theater operations; and MQ-8C Fire Scout, ship-based, VTOL tactical ISR systems that provide situational awareness and precision targeting for the U.S. Navy.

DEFENSE SYSTEMS

(NG) Defense Systems is a leader in the design, development, integration, and production of advanced tactical weapons and missile defense solutions, and a provider of sustainment, modernization, and training services for manned and unmanned aircraft and electronics systems for the U.S. military and a broad range of international customers. Key Classified programs include:

• Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS) for the U.S. Army and Poland, which is an open architecture system that seamlessly integrates sensors and effectors to deliver among the most advanced C2 systems for joint and coalition forces;

• Medium (30mm and 20mm) and Large (120mm) caliber tactical and training ammunition production.

• Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) propulsion and warhead subsystems for a surface-to-surface system ...using indirect precision fires;

• U.S. Navy’s Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM), a medium-range, air-to-surface missile, and its extended-range variant, AARGM-ER;

• U.S. Air Force’s Stand-In Attack Weapon (SiAW), an advanced capability air-to-surface tactical missile for the F-35;

• Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM) air-breathing, scramjet propulsion subsystem for the hypersonic air-launched cruise missile to travel at speeds of Mach 5 or greater; • Global system sustainment and operations support for the F-35, B-2, P-3 Orion, E-6B Mercury, KC-30A multi-role tanker, C-27J transport, NATO AGS, Triton and restricted programs;

• Precision Guidance Kit (PGK), replaces conventional fuses for artillery & mortar munitions &transforms them into GPS enabled precision-guided weapons;

• Forward Area Air Defense Command and Control (FAAD C2), the Army’s long-standing program of record for short-range air defense and Counter Rocket, Artillery, &Mortar (C-RAM), as well as the interim C2 for Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS)

• AAQ-24 sensor sustainment and repair for U.S. military customers;

• Special Electronics Mission Aircraft (SEMA) ISR support;

• Distributed Mission Operations Network (DMON), a live, virtual, constructive, and synthetic simulation program for global training and exercises

.

What makes the USAF B-2 Effective?

Development cost contract of $42Billion By the 1980s,.the cost per unit was $ 2 billion. In 2024 -21 units in the US and globally were operational. Current USAF bases were Anderson AFM Guam, 509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman AFB, MO.; Pearl Harbor-Hickam AFB, Hawaii.; Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, and RAAF Base Amberley (ICAO: YAMB), Australia.

“The B-2 fleet as a key component of the American Department of Defense’s nuclear triad. More than 40,000‐pound nuclear or conventional weapon payload. It is also part of Northrop Grumman’s B-2 ongoing modernization efforts leveraging 21st-century technology incorporating digital engineering.In 2016, Northrop Grumman was pleased that the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) had denied Boeing's protest and reaffirmed the Air Force's decision to award Northrop Grumman the Long-Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) contract. This confirms that the U.S. Air Force conducted an extraordinarily thorough selection process and selected the most capable and affordable solution.”

Is the B2 Spirit Number ONE?

“When the U.S. must go to war with Russia, China, or Iran, the B-2 is there on the first night. For example, the (NG) B-2 went into enemy territory on Night One in support of Operation Allied Force (Serbia); Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan); Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq), and twice in Libya in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn and Operation Odyssey Lightning. The B-2, one of the most survivable aircraft in the world, is the only aircraft to combine long-range, stealth, and a heavy payload on a single platform.”

Science of the Swept Wing Design:

“An aircraft is subject to different mass distributions. Fuel tank level and payload vary during flight. According to the regulations like CS25, this must be considered for the loads analysis. The structural mass is derived from the material density and thickness given in the FE model. Additional masses due to manufacturing need to be added. The mass of systems, payload, and fuel are considered as concentrated point masses shown in Fig. 9. These concentrated point masses are located at the system’s center of gravity. The fuel tanks are discretized over the wing, bounded by spars and ribs. For each fuel bay, a volume element is generated by ModGen to calculate the mass and inertia moments of the fuel tanks (CHEXA, CPENTA). This is done for three different filling levels: full, half, and empty.”

• B‐2 has 4 pairs of control surfaces on the wing trailing edge.

1) Split drag rudders on the outer wing

2) One elevon on the outer wing

3) Two elevons on the inner wing

4) Beaver tail

• Outer elevons provide primary pitch & roll control.

• 2 inner elevons considered secondary control surfaces (used at low speed).

• Beaver‐tail works constantly to alleviate gust loads.

Conclusions

The B-21 Raider, developed by Northrop Grumman for the United States Air Force, is a next-generation long-range strategic stealth bomber engineered to penetrate the most advanced air defense systems and execute precision strikes with both conventional and nuclear payloads. Developed under the Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) program, the B-21 is set to replace the aging B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit bombers, ensuring the United States maintains its air dominance and strategic deterrence capabilities through state-of-the-art stealth technology, extended range, and mission flexibility.

The B-2 has been used against Houthis in Yemen. Speculation that its classified flights can be used to target Russia, China, Iran, and Syria. On August 16, 2024, three B-2 stealth bombers landed at Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Amberley, initiating a Bomber Task Force (BTF) deployment aimed at demonstrating U.S. military presence in the Indo-Pacific region.

ISR data is needed before the B-2 is tasked to drop Nuclear Bombs. (NG)s advanced UAVs will be sent across the “battlespace.” During the US-Ukraine War against Russia in Ukraine, (NG) worked with Poland, Lithuania, Romania, and Ukraine using the “Northrop Grumman's proven MQ-4C Triton to support battlefield commanders and strategic decision makers by providing unmatched (Land) and (Sea) ISR capabilities.”

The MQ-4C Triton is currently used by the US Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. Reports that the MQ-4C was used across Crimea and the Black Sea. It is logical to conclude that the B-2 is also employed out of Quam AFB and Whiteman AFB has been deployed during Biden’s White House intends to install Nuclear Missiles in Ukraine, as currently Romania and Poland have employed USAF ICBMs for offensive deployment against the interior of the Russian Federation and Belarus.

Roman Emperor Hadrian in the second century AD and former US President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s.said, “Peace through Strength.” The B-2 and the B-21 are the tools of US strength.

Richard T. Kusiolek, CEO and Managing Editor.-GMCStream (HITECH Triangle Headquarters) 7283 NC HWY 42 W, Suite 206, Raleigh, NC. 27603. URL: http://www.GMCstream.com Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Direct (984) 381-1217/Office (650)-428-1872.-GMCStream on YouTube and TV

Sources:

USEG; NG 2023 Annual Report; Website: https://www.armyrecognition.com/focus-analysis-conflicts/army/analysis-defense-and-security-industry/focus-how-mq-4c-tritons-sophisticated-sensors-reveal-hidden-maritime-threats;Student Project =AOE 4124 – Team Project- B-2 Bomber - April 1,

09;https://aerospaceweb.org/aircraft/bomber/b2/b2_schem_01.gif

Abstract: Design and sizing of an aeroelastic composite model for a flying wing configuration with maneuver, gust, and landing loads by Arne Voß & Thomas Klimmek 4-2020; Stability and Control of Conventional and Unconventional Aircraft Configurations: By Bernd Chudoba Page 201

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