Three Upgrades In Various Stages Planned For The Strategic
Bombers
Boeing said Tuesday that it has been awarded a $99.5 million
contract by the U.S. Air Force to integrate three major
modifications on the B-1 Lancer bomber fleet. This contract is for
the first lot of modification kits of a planned multi-lot
production contract to upgrade the service’s B-1s.
The upgrades include delivery of kits
with parts for the Vertical Situation Display Unit in the forward
cockpit and for the Fully Integrated Data Link and the Central
Integrated Test System in the aft cockpit. All three programs will
be installed concurrently from late 2012 through 2019 in a single
modification called the Integrated Battle Station.
“The Integrated Battle Station upgrades will provide B-1
bomber aircrews with a higher level of situational awareness and a
faster secure digital communication link,” said Rick
Greenwell, B-1 program director for Boeing. “This will enable
the aircrews to perform at an even more effective level and will
make the B-1 cockpit more reliable and supportable. Combining the
separate upgrades into one production kit will enable us to deliver
a more affordable upgraded aircraft to our customer in a timelier
manner.”
The three upgrades are in various stages of final ground and flight
tests in preparation for installation on the B-1 Lancer bomber
fleet:
The Vertical Situation Display Unit upgrades the B-1’s
forward cockpit by replacing two unsupportable, monochrome pilot
and co-pilot displays with four multi-functional color displays,
giving the pilots more situational awareness data in a
user-friendly format.
The B-1 Fully Integrated Data Link will give the aft cockpit
new digital avionics including a Link 16 data link, which adds
line-of-sight capability to the B-1's existing beyond line-of-sight
Joint Range Extension Applications Protocol (JREAP) data link, and
integrates the JREAP data onto new, full-color displays with
intuitive symbols and moving maps.
The Central Integrated Test System adds a new color display in
the aft cockpit and replaces an obsolete computer that continuously
monitors the aircraft’s performance. It also is used by
ground support personnel to identify and troubleshoot B-1 system
anomalies.
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