Article Posted on : - Jan 23, 2014

The B-1 takes off from Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. A Boeing photo

OKLAHOMA CITY (BNS): The US Air Force (USAF) has received the first upgraded B-1 bomber fitted with Boeing-made Integrated Battle Station.

The upgrade essentially turns the B-1 into a new aircraft with the addition of full colour displays, moving maps and a new diagnostics system.

The upgrade, the most extensive modification programme in B-1 history, enhances the bomber by giving crews greater situational awareness of what is happening in the battlespace around them, in addition to faster and more secure communication capabilities that improve crews' ability to engage enemy targets, Boeing said.