A B-52 Stratofortress, upgraded with the latest Combat Network Communications Technology (CONECT), has been delivered by Boeing to the US Army.
The new communication upgrade will equip the B-52 aircraft with the latest situational awareness, boosting mission flexibility.
Under the modification, a digital communications infrastructure was installed on the B-52 to communicate with the air force’s digital communications network and tie in with air force command-and-control centres, ground forces and other platforms in the network centric battlefield.
The aircraft will now be able to receive updated mission information and re-tasking data while in flight.
Boeing B-52 Network Centric Operations programme manager Jim Kroening said the B-52 can send and receive real-time, updated information by tapping into the air force’s digital network.
All 76 aircraft in the air force fleet will receive the CONECT modification following the flight testing of the upgraded B-52 at Edwards Air Force Base.
