John Patierno

The obituary of John Patierno (Part I, Feb. 28) contained a major error of fact which does injustice to the brilliant engineering record established by Patierno over the past 33 years.

The article leaves the impression that Patierno left behind an ongoing B-2 wing redesign at the time of his death. That is incorrect. As The Times previously reported (Oct. 29, 1988), “The effort to redesign the wing started about five years ago when the Air Force changed its assumptions about how low the bomber would have to fly, requiring that the plane have a stronger structure, Gen. Larry D. Welch said in Los Angeles.”

The Times also noted that Welch said the new wing is both lighter and stronger and has an even smaller radar visibility than the original design. “It was a brilliant effort,” he added.

That “brilliant effort” was led by, and completed under the direction of, John Patierno. The results of that effort were built into the first B-2, which rolled out for the first time last November.

LES DALY

Senior Vice President

Public Affairs

Northrop Corp.

Los Angeles