Boeing announced Thursday that the inaugural test flight of the first B-52H bomber with upgraded communications gear took place earlier this month at Edwards AFB, Calif. During the three-hour-plus flight on Jan. 17, the aircrew engaged the new combat network communications technology, or CONECT, package to determine that there were no adverse effects on flight-essential systems, said the company. The upgrade allows B-52 aircrews to receive and send real-time, digital information in flight, augmenting current voice-based communications. “Completion of the first test flight brings us one step closer to giving command centers and troops on the ground the ability to communicate with the B-52 through the military’s digital information network,” said Jim Kroening, Boeing B-52 development programs manager. Ground and flight testing will continue through February, after which the aircraft will go to depot for planned maintenance. The upgraded B-52 arrived last August at Edwards.
Senator to DOD: Redo Study on Suicide by Job Specialty
Sept. 26, 2024
About two months after the Pentagon released a congressionally mandated study on military suicide rates broken down by career field, the senator who led the charge for the study is telling Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III that the released data falls short of what was required by the law.