Wed, Jan 23, 2008
First B-1 Now Receiving Upgrades at Davis-Monthan
Engineers at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base near Tucson, AZ have
started modifications on the first of dozens of B-1 Lancer bombers
expected to pass through the base in the coming months.
The Arizona Daily Star reports the entire US Air Force active
fleet of 65 swept-wing Lancers will be outfitted with the latest
targeting and surveillance technology. Work is now underway at the
base's Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group on the first of
65 planes; a second one will arrive in February.
Work on the first plane will take another week-and-a-half to
complete, said base spokesman 2nd Lt. Mary Pekas. As many as five
planes will undergo modifications at the base at any given
time.
To decrease the noise impact of the large jets on surrounding
communities, officials have ordered the B-1s to take off and land
from the southeast end of the base, as weather allows.
The modifications include outfitting the aircraft with targeting
pods, that will allow the low-flying planes to send battlefield
images to ground troops and help reduce friendly-fire
incidents.
To install the new technology, the Air Force will need to use
attachment points on the Lancers originally designed for
nuclear-tipped, long range cruise missiles, that were sealed after
the signing of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty between the US
and then-Soviet Union in 1991.
As the points won't hold nuclear weapons, the unsealings will
still comply with the treaty, said Scott Hines, treaty compliance
officer at the base.
A Boeing contractor is handling the upgrades, as part of a
nearly $3 million contract awarded to Lockheed Martin. It should
take about two years to perform the modifications throughout the
fleet.
More News
Pilot Also Reported That Due To A Fuel Leak, The Auxiliary Fuel Tanks Were Not Used On June 4, 2025, at 13:41 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-23, N2109P, was substantially damage>[...]
Have A Story That NEEDS To Be Featured On Aero-News? Here’s How To Submit A Story To Our Team Some of the greatest new stories ANN has ever covered have been submitted by our>[...]
From 2023 (YouTube Edition): Reflections on War’s Collective Lessons and Cyclical Nature The exigencies of war ought be colorblind. Inane social-constructs the likes of racis>[...]
Aero Linx: Colorado Pilots Association (CPA) Colorado Pilots Association was incorporated as a Colorado Nonprofit Corporation in 1972. It is a statewide organization with over 700 >[...]
High Speed Taxiway A long radius taxiway designed and provided with lighting or marking to define the path of aircraft, traveling at high speed (up to 60 knots), from the runway ce>[...]
NTSB Prelim: Piper PA-23
See All