[Satellite TODAY 05-16-11] The U.S. Air Force awarded Northrop Grumman a $372 million contract to begin designing the Advanced Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) antenna system as part of the Increment 2 B-2 stealth bomber EHF satellite communications program.

Northrop Grumman engineers will complete the preliminary design of the AESA antenna system, demonstrate technology readiness and prove its functionality using hardware prototypes. The required engineering design, manufacturing, assembly, integration and test activities will take place at various Northrop Grumman facilities.

Northrop, the Air Force’s prime contractor for the B-2 bomber, called the AESA Increment 2 program, “the largest effort ever undertaken to augment the lethality of the B-2 weapon system.”

The three-increment EHF Satcom program is part of an ongoing effort by the Air Force and Northrop Grumman to maintain the B-2’s mission capability and evolution. Increment 3 will integrate the B-2 into the U.S. Department of Defense‘s Global Information Grid (GIG), a worldwide network of information systems that disseminates information on demand to warfighters, policy makers and military support personnel.