Sun, Aug 08, 2004
Key component deliveries in EA-6B service life upgrade running
ahead of Schedule
The Northrop Grumman Corporation recently delivered to the U.S.
Navy the 75th EA-6B Prowler aircraft wing center section more than
five months ahead of schedule. The delivery on July 29 was a
milestone in the Navy’s plan to replace wing center sections
on its fleet of high demand, carrier-based electronic attack
aircraft.
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.
“This 75th wing delivered nearly six months early
represents all the hard work our government and industry team is
doing to return the Prowler fleet to full strength as rapidly as
possible,” said NAVAIR EA-6B Program Manager Capt. Ken
Smolana.
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, N.Y.
“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.”
EA-6B Prowlers are the only tactical electronic attack
capability in the U.S. inventory. Identified as a national asset,
they are in high demand around the world, logging significant air
time and resultant wear and tear. Prowlers are a key node in the
Navy’s FORCEnet 21 network-centric warfare architecture. The
EA-18G aircraft currently in development is slated as the
replacement for the Prowler and is scheduled for Initial Operating
Capability in the year 2009.
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