Article Posted on : - Jun 22, 2010

First B-1 FIDL link 16 test fights. Video image from Boeing

LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA (BNS):   Boeing has started flight tests for a B-1 Lancer bomber upgraded with new digital avionics for the aft cockpit, including a line-of-sight Link 16 data link.

The company said the B-1 Fully Integrated Data Link (FIDL) made its first flight test on June 4 at Edwards Air Force Base, here.

The US Air Force crew successfully tested the Link 16 data link by sending and receiving text messages and receiving virtual mission assignment data such as target coordinates for a weapon.

Link 16 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, Boeing said in a statement.

Now with Link 16, target coordinates can be sent directly to the weapon system from ground troops or forward operating bases, instead of the current method, where crew members type the coordinates in by hand after hearing them over the radio, said Mark Angelo, B-1 program manager.

Boeing will carry out three more flight tests this month. Additional flight tests will take place through January 2011. The entire Air Force fleet of 66 B-1s is expected to receive the FIDL upgrade.