Should Fly Into Design's Ninth Decade

The B-52H Avionics Midlife Improvement project recently completed two missions to test new hardware and software upgrades in extreme conditions around the world. The missions were part of the research and developmental test for the project before it moves to operational test and evaluation, allowing the B-52 Stratofortress to continue flying until 2040.

Officials tested the new hardware and software's ability to continue navigation without a global positioning system over the different poles of Earth, the international dateline and other locations that have different magnetic readings.

"The purpose of these two sorties was to ensure that the B-52 AMI system is ready to go when the first phase, dedicated operational test hits this September," said Lt. Col. Shawn Fleming, Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center AMI operational test director at Edwards AFB (CA).

During DT-1, the first test to the B-52, 419th Flight Test Squadron officials launched a 16-hour B-52 AMI test mission at 75 degrees north latitude, close to the north pole. The purpose was to verify proper operation of the equipment where the magnetic variation from true north and magnetic north is greatest and conditions are not normal. The flight tested the new systems' ability to accurately navigate near the north pole while recognizing the skewed magnetic lines.

"Flying at high latitudes places unique stresses on navigational systems since the meridians of longitude are much closer together," said Fleming. "The purpose of this sortie was to ensure that the AMI system properly handled flight at these high latitudes."

The second mission, called DT-2, was a 22-hour mission over the equator west of Hawaii. The aircraft was flown to the equator and international dateline to ensure the AMI navigation system properly handled multiple crossings of the equator. The mission involved flying from all different directions with multiple crossings of the international dateline and equator.

"These unique cases are challenging for any navigational system and are very difficult to simulate on the ground," said Fleming.

With both missions proving the upgrades will work properly, the developmental tests were considered successful, and the AMI program is continuing as planned.

The B-52 has been in the Air Force's fleet since 1952. After three years of test planning, the 412th Test Wing introduced the B-52's new avionics system into flight December 19. AMI flight testing is scheduled to continue through December 2004.

While the overall test objective is to evaluate B-52 mission capabilities, performance and suitability, the AMI program is specifically designed to upgrade the B-52H Offensive Avionics System. This upgrade includes replacing the inertial navigation system, the avionics control unit, the data transfer system and all associated hardware and software.

"We are moving away from Commodore 64 technology and upgrading to Pentium III class processors of the late '90s," said Maj. Merrice Spencer, AMI project navigator and chief of B-52 avionics and weapons integration. "This will allow the B-52 to operate with the newest technology, weapons and then some. Without this avionics upgrade, there is no way weapons coming on line today or in the future will be able to operate with the B-52 as their platform."

All Air Force B-52s are scheduled to receive this upgrade by 2007.

[Thanks to Airman 1st Class Wes Auldridge, Air Force Flight Test Center Public Affairs --ed.]

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