Northrop Grumman announced that the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber just got one step closer to the next level following an extensive upgrade with new open mission systems or OMS software. The OMS upgrade aims to ensure the B-2 remains relevant and lethal until it is replaced by the B-21 Raider. This capability increases the pace of integrating new weapons, enables continuous software updates, and adapts to emerging mission needs.
Northrop Grumman declared that the B-2 program has achieved a big milestone by fielding the Spirit Realm 1 (SR 1) software. The improvement has been working since July 17, marking the 35th anniversary of the first flight of the B-2. Built inside the Spirit Realm software factory, jointly developed by the Air Force and Northrop, SR 1 is intended to accelerate software improvements for the B-2.
SR 1 enhances the bomber’s combat capability through upgraded communication and weapon systems by using an open mission system architecture. “SR 1 provides mission-critical capability upgrades to the communications and weapons systems via an open mission systems architecture, directly enhancing combat capability and allowing the fleet to initiate a new phase of agile software releases.” Northrop Grumman said.
The Spirit Realm Software Factory, less than two years old, has just a few key objectives: reduce flight test risk and time by doing high-fidelity ground testing; capture more data test points via targeted upgrades; improve functional capabilities with frequent automated testing; and enable more capability upgrades to the B-2.
The Air Force said that software updates to the B-2 that used to take two years can now be deployed in less than three months. The rapid update capability is especially crucial as the Air Force moves to field new weapons, which require the bomber’s constant updating of targets and integration with the evolving long-range kill chain.
The upgrade also includes improved displays, flight hardware, and other upgrades to the survivability of the B-2. Jerry McBrearty, Northrop’s acting B-2 program manager, pointed out, “We are rapidly fielding capabilities with zero software defects through the software factory development ecosystem and further enhancing the B-2 fleet’s mission effectiveness.”
The B-2 will be the first legacy nuclear weapons platform to exploit the Department of Defense DevSecOps processes and digital toolsets, enabling rapid integration of new and future weapons that will increase deterrence capability.
Although the SR 1 was never designed using digital methods as its replacement, the B-21 Raider, does, it is applying that technology to design, manage and build, and test B-2 software. The digital tools link with those developed for other legacy systems, allowing for faster testing and fielding while also identifying and mitigating possible risks earlier in the software development process.
Following two crashes over the last several years, the B-2 fleet now numbers 19 aircraft. These are the only penetrating aircraft in the Air Force’s bomber fleet until the B-21 achieves its initial operational capability at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota.