U.S. Air Force photo/Bobbi Zapka) US Air Force's B-52H Stratofortress strategic bomber fleet's effectiveness and versatility...
 |
| U.S. Air Force photo/Bobbi Zapka) |
US Air Force's B-52H Stratofortress strategic bomber fleet's effectiveness and versatility will increase with the latest upgrade that will increase its smart weapon capacity by over 50 percent.
Tinker Air Force Base, Boeing, and now Edwards AFB, have partnered together to begin developmental testing on the bombers newest upgrade.
The upgrade modifies the internal weapons bay of the B-52H bomber by integrating a Conventional Rotary Launcher (CRL) that can carry Military Standard 1760 smart weapons, enabling internal smart weapon capability for the first time.
The CRL can carry Joint Direct Attack Munitions with the first increment and enable Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles and Miniature Air Launched Decoys with future increments.
Members from the 419th Flight Test Squadron, the Global Power Bomber Combined Test Force and Boeing installed the CRL on an Edwards AFB B-52H last December.
According to the Boeing test team, the upgrade is essential because it increases weapons capability on the external wing stations of the B-52H. The internal smart weapon capability also enable the bomber to be deployed in a clean wing configuration, (meaning) no weapons on the external pylons, thus increasing its range and loiter time.
The increased carriage of smart weapons would allow the B-52 to engage more targets precisely compared to the unguided bombs currently approved for bay carriage, minimizing collateral damage.
At the conclusion of the upgrade which was initiated in 2013, all B-52H's will be modified with this unique capability.
The testing will include hardware and software modifications and finaly approximately 10 test flights to verify the upgrade.
