Northrop weighs new capabilities for B-2 after successful test

WASHINGTON — A B-2 Spirit’s successful release of a Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range weapon during a flight test last year could pave the way for the stealth bomber to one day carry the powerful cruise missiles in combat, according to a Northrop Grumman executive. The first release of the JASSM-ER from the B-2 marked the culmination of a series of five flight tests at Palmdale, California, that took place from August through December 2021, Shaugnessy Reynolds, vice president and B-2 program manager for Northrop Grumman, tol…