Aerospace giants on war tech cutting edge

By ALLISON GATLIN
Valley Press Staff Writer

Representatives of The Boeing Co. and Northrop Grumman Corp., both with operations at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, briefed members of the Antelope Valley Board of Trade on Monday about what they predict their futures will hold. BOT members are in Washington this week for their annual lobbying venture.

A BOT delegation annually travels to Washington in hopes of opening doors, to gain understanding of issues facing the area and to garner better support for the economic engine of the region, much of which is anchored in the Antelope Valley's aerospace industry.

"The briefings were very forthright and very encouraging for work in Palmdale and California," said Alis Clausen, BOT president and regional director of public affairs for Southern California Edison Co.

Boeing and Northrop are moving beyond their traditional roles as airframe manufacturers to creating the integrated systems, some of which already are seeing use in the war in Iraq, and which also will be used in future battlefields.

Both are involved in the burgeoning field of unmanned aerial vehicles.

Northrop Grumman's Global Hawk already has seen use over Afghanistan and Iraq. The high-altitude, long-endurance reconnaissance vehicle, still in its developmental stage, has won praises from the military, Northrop Grumman officials said.

"It's a powerful step forward," said John Brooks, director of Air Force programs for Northrop.

The Air Force recently ordered four more of the aircraft, and the Navy placed its first order for two. Eventually, production is predicted to reach seven vehicles a year, Brooks said.

The first production version of Global Hawk is scheduled to roll off the assembly line in Palmdale in September.

Boeing's Phantom Works is involved in development of an unmanned vehicle of its own, the X-45 UCAV, or unmanned combat air vehicle. The X-45 is a technology demonstrator for a future air defense suppression and strike weapons system.

The first of two vehicles successfully has completed more than a dozen flights from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base. The second vehicle also has begun flight tests, and another, larger version is in the works, officials said.

Boeing also is looking at a joint Air Force-Navy UCAV version, in the same vein as the joint strike fighter. The JSF, the largest single Department of Defense contract ever awarded, is the next-generation state-of-the-art fighter being built for the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marines as well as U.S. allies.

One of the biggest challenges facing the advancement of UAVs is integrating them into the air traffic control system, allowing them to operate with manned aircraft.

The companies are working to address the issue with the Federal Aviation Administration and other entities.

The UAVs under development by Lockheed Martin Co. and Boeing would be part of the integration of weapons systems for the future "battlespace Internet," which will link various military assets to share information and work together.

This kind of integration is predicted to be a major business component.

Although Boeing's space shuttle maintenance and modification work has been transferred to Florida's Kennedy Space Center, the company's Plant 42 facility is still involved with space travel with the X-37 program. Designed as a technology demonstrator for a future orbital space plane, the unpiloted, autonomous spacecraft is being assembled at the Palmdale site.

The X-37 vehicle will be dropped from a B-52 to test approach and landing characteristics, while a second vehicle will be constructed for an orbital test flight.

Boeing was awarded a $301 million contract for the program last fall.

Also atop Boeing's project is the Air Force's Airborne Laser program, under way at Edwards. This program uses a high-energy laser mounted on a modified Boeing 747 freighter to shoot down ballistic missiles while they are still over enemy territory.

Northrop Grumman's recently dedicated Antelope Valley Manufacturing Center is designed to be "the factory of the future," using the latest innovations in manufacturing hardware and the processes that use them.

The center, at Plant 42, is home to the production line for the Global Hawk, maintenance and modification work for the B-2 stealth bomber, target drone production and eventually will house the assembly of the center fuselages for the joint strike fighter program.

The center is expected to produce 1,000 additional jobs by 2010.

While production on the B-2 has ceased, Northrop Grumman still is involved in maintenance and modification work on the stealth bombers.

The company is seeking additional funding in next year's budget in order to perform even more work on them, as the bombers have developed cracks in the rear, an area of intense heat and vibration.

While the cracks do not pose a safety risk at this time, they do degrade the bombers' stealthy characteristics, said Harry Heimple, manager of government requirements for Northrop Grumman.

Approximately $31 million is needed to design and implement a remedy for the problem, which the Air Force has not funded, Heimple said.

If granted, the work will be done in Palmdale, he said.

A second B-2 project seeking funding would upgrade the bombers' satellite communication capability to bring it in line with a new nuclear force communications system coming on line.

This system upgrade will allow for greater information transfer to the bombers.

The program is seeking $29.6 million for the communication system upgrade, which would allow 17 of the bombers to be modified in time for the nuclear communications system.

The nature of future weapons systems will require a technologically skilled work force.

"Our biggest challenge is to garner a labor force for the technology currently planned and what's needed for the future," said Jack Stewart, city manager for California City and member of the Board of Trade delegation.

"It's going to be our bread and butter, and we've got to make sure it works," he said.