Proper Fit Of Massive Penetrator Weapon On B-2 Bomber Verified
Northrop Grumman has moved the U.S. Air Force a critical step closer to being able to drop a 30,000 pound penetrator weapon from the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. On April 28, an Air Force team, a Northrop Grumman-led aircraft contractor team and a Boeing-led weapon contractor team verified that the equipment required to integrate the new Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) on the B-2 — the hardware that holds the MOP inside the weapons bay, the weapon itself, and the hardware used by the aircrew to command and release the weapon — will fit together properly inside the aircraft.
Northrop Grumman is the Air Force’s prime contractor for the B-2, the flagship of the nation’s long-range strike arsenal. Boeing is the prime contractor for the MOP, and a subcontractor to Northrop Grumman on the B-2 MOP integration effort.