Orbital ATK has received an initial $90 million contract from Northrop Grumman to produce composite components for the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber with an option for follow-on orders.
Under the terms of the 5-year contract, Orbital ATK will perform Non-Recurring Engineering (NRE) and produce 17 Hot Trailing Edge (HTE) composite parts. Production will take place at Orbital ATK’s Aerospace Structures Division facility in Dayton, Ohio, later this year.
The U.S. Air Force’s B-2 Spirit 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 capabilities, including its stealth characteristics, allow it to penetrate the most sophisticated enemy defenses and hold at risk high value, heavily defended targets.
(Northrop Grumman received a commendation from the Air Force Association (AFA) for its leadership role developing, producing and sustaining the U.S. Air Force’s B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. Courtesy of Northrop Grumman and YouTube)
“We are honored to partner with Northrop Grumman to extend the service life of the B-2 bomber,” said Steve Earl, Vice President and General Manager of Orbital ATK’s Aerospace Structures Division.
“This program capitalizes on our core competency of providing advanced composite structures that use innovative Orbital ATK manufacturing processes to fit our customer’s needs.”
In its aerospace composites business, Orbital ATK uses proprietary production processes that shorten the manufacturing cycle and produce extremely high quality, complex components with unmatched repeatability through sophisticated robotics automation.
Orbital ATK is a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies that designs, builds and delivers space, defense and aviation systems for customers around the world, both as a prime contractor and merchant supplier.
Its main products include launch vehicles and related propulsion systems; missile products, subsystems and defense electronics; precision weapons, armament systems and ammunition; satellites and associated space components and services; and advanced aerospace structures.
