Boeing on Tuesday announced that it is moving forward with adding three new capabilities to the B-1B bomber fleet thanks to a $99.5 million contract it received from the Air Force. This contract covers procuring the first lot 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. These three modifications fall under the Integrated Battle Station initiative; installation will take place concurrently from late 2012 through 2019, according to the company. “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, Boeing’s B-1 program director. The Air Force wants to retire six B-1Bs in Fiscal 2012 and plow the savings from the drawdown into modernizing the remaining 60 B-1s.
US Space Command Should Always Be Led by a Guardian
Sept. 12, 2026
General Stephen Whiting took command of U.S. Space Command in January 2024, and if customary three-year tenures hold, his tour would end in January 2027. The question now before the President and Senate is who should follow him? Whoever they choose, it has to be a Guardian—and so should every successor…


