Glitches Conceded in B-2’s Stealth System
The Air Force acknowledged that it has encountered setbacks in two of the Northrop B-2 stealth bomber’s electronic warfare systems, the same type of problem that crippled the B-1 bomber during the 1980s.
Although the Air Force said the problems do not pose a serious threat to the B-2 program, congressional staffers say the setbacks undermine the ability of the bomber to operate without detection in enemy airspace--the overriding purpose of the $44.4-billion program.
The disclosure about the countermeasures system comes just as Congress is teetering on a decision whether to increase production of the B-2 to 20 planes, as requested by the Bush Administration, or hold the program at 15. On Friday, the Senate Armed Services Committee voted to hold production to 15 bombers, but then hours later reversed the decision.
In a letter to Rep. John D. Dingell (D-Mich.), the Air Force said it has had “developmental problems” on the secret ZSR-63 system and has decided to defer production of the secret ZSR-62 system--both of which are critical parts of the B-2’s electronic countermeasures system designed to confuse and jam an enemy’s ability to track the B-2 with radar.
While acknowledging the setbacks, however, the Air Force also asserted that the systems are on schedule and haven’t harmed the B-2 flight test program. An Air Force spokesman said that the service “is not experiencing serious technical problems with the ZSR-62.” He said he had no information about the ZSR-63.
But a Dingell aide said an investigation has shown that “the countermeasure system on the B-2 doesn’t work. These are show stoppers for the program.”
The Rockwell International B-1 bomber never lived up to its full capabilities because its radar jammers were seriously defective. The Air Force is still seeking to fix the aircraft.
The two B-2 electronic warfare systems are highly classified, but it is believed that both systems can capture an enemy radar signal, manipulate the signal and then rebroadcast it to obscure the bomber’s real location--all within fractions of a second.
The Air Force letter attributed the decision to forgo production of the ZSR-62 to new low-cost technology, implying that a substitute system is now under development for the bomber. Whether such a program exists is not known.
Last year, the Air Force announced that the B-2 failed to meet a key test of its ability to escape detection by enemy radar--its so-called stealthiness. Since then, the service and Northrop, the prime contractor, have attempted to fix the problem, which is not related to the electronic warfare systems.
A House Armed Services Committee official said Friday that the inability of the bomber to meet its requirements remains a sensitive cost and performance issue as the Air Force is pressing to increase production.
