Northrop Grumman Again Beats Delivery Schedule On Navy EA-6B
Prowler Aircraft Components
Northrop Grumman Corporation this
week delivered the 75th EA-6B Prowler aircraft wing center section
to the US. Navy five months ahead of schedule. The delivery is a
milestone in the Navy's plan to replace wing center sections on its
fleet of high-demand, carrier-based electronic attack aircraft to
ensure their availability to support the nation's global war on
terrorism.
The EA-6B's wing center section is the wing assembly of the
aircraft that extends from wing-fold to wing-fold. The wing-folds
allow the Prowler's wing tips to be folded so that the aircraft can
be stored close together on aircraft carriers.
"Northrop Grumman's focused and persistent application of Lean
and other manufacturing practices has allowed it to deliver 58
consecutive wing center sections ahead of schedule," said Patricia
McMahon, vice president and leader of the company's Electronic
Warfare Programs Integrated Product Team. "This achievement is not
an extraordinary effort. It's what we do day-to-day. Our job is to
ensure that the nation's warfighters have the equipment they need
when they need it to fight the war on terrorism. We just keep
looking for ways to do our job better."
Northrop Grumman-built EA-6B Prowlers are the only tactical
electronic attack capability in the US. inventory. Identified as a
national asset, they are in high demand around the world, logging
significant airtime and resultant wear and tear. Prowlers will be a
key node in the Navy's FORCEnet network-centric warfare
architecture until the EA-18G aircraft currently in development
replaces them in 2009.
Northrop Grumman's work replacing Prowler wing center sections
began in 1994.Of the 75 wing center section units produced so far,
69 were manufactured in St. Augustine, while the first six were
built in Calverton (NY) Of the 119 Prowlers now in service, 114 are
scheduled to receive wing center section replacements.
Between now and the time the EA-18G assumes the Prowler's role,
Northrop Grumman will be outfitting EA-6B Prowlers with its
next-generation electronic attack system, known as Increased
Capability (ICAP) III.
The ICAP III system, currently in low-rate initial production,
will also be the basis for the EA-18G's electronic attack system.
It will give the fleet an electronic weapon that can not only focus
energy on radio-frequency emitters but can also detect and change
frequencies as quickly as the latest fire control radars change
theirs. ICAP III's geo-location capabilities will also make it a
critical component of the Navy's information warfare thrust. The
first upgraded Prowler is slated for delivery at the end of this
year.
Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems is a premier aerospace and
defense systems integration organization. Headquartered in El
Segundo, (CA) it designs, develops, produces and supports
integrated systems and subsystems optimized for use on networks.
For its government and civil customers worldwide, Integrated
Systems delivers best-value solutions, products and services that
support military and homeland defense missions in the areas of
intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; space access; battle
management command and control; and integrated strike warfare.