Last month, Northrop Grumman conducted several test flights demonstrating that the U.S. Air Force’s Open Mission Systems architecture standards can be integrated across multiple systems and platforms.

The test flights were conducted at the Edwards Air Force Base, and showed the ability to rapidly integrate subsystems onto the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber and NASA’s Global Hawk UAS using the OMS-compliant computing architecture, according to a news release.

The most recent test included the B-2 Spirit, Northrop Grumman’s fully OMS-compliant Gulfstream G-V test bed aircraft configured as an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance asset, and an OMS-complaint battle management command and control ground node.

During one of the tests, the G-V ISR aircraft detected a new ground threat, and then broadcast that threat’s location across an OMS-compliant line-of-sight Link-16 data link, according to the release. The BMC2 node received the information, then assigned a nearby B-2 to engage the target. Then, the B-2 used its onboard OMS-compliant auto-routing function to re-plan its mission and “prosecute and destroy the target in a simulated attack.”

“The team’s ability to rapidly demonstrate OMS has been nothing short of amazing and shows the speed at which capabilities can be developed when the Air Force and industry partner together,” said Col. Rob Strasser, U.S. Air Force B-2 System Program Manager, according to the release. “The collaboration and innovation required by the team to rapidly plan, integrate and demonstrate OMS on the B-2 has illustrated the ability to reduce cost while significantly increasing mission effectiveness.”

Northrop Grumman defined and integrated the entire OMS infrastructure for the B-2 in about six weeks, according to the release. The company funded the development and integration, while both Northrop Grumman and the Air Force B-2 System Program Office supported the testing.

For more information visit northropgrumman.com.