The U.S. Air Pressure has moved one step nearer to equipping B-52 Stratofortress with a brand new past line of sight communication functionality known as IRIS. The forty ninth Take a look at and Analysis Squadron executed the primary air demonstration using the BLOS communication system paired with an Iridium Certus terminal on a B-52 Stratofortress at Barksdale Air Pressure Base, June. 22, 2022. Whereas the bomber crew took to the skies, a fight operations group from the 608th Air Operations Middle offered command and management and assessed the voice and information switch capabilities that have been noticed from the IRIS-equipped B-52 to incorporate the transmission of real-time photos and movies. The IRIS system, which leverages the Low Earth Orbit Iridium NEXT satellite tv for pc constellation ensures full international protection. Moreover, IRIS will forgo utilizing the dated 2.4 Kbps bandwidth capability of Iridium for the a lot improved L-Band speeds of Iridium Certus, a broadband service that has a bandwidth capability of as much as 704 Kbps.
“In a wartime state of affairs the one level of failure typically lies in our means to speak. If we will’t ship and obtain mission crucial information from our plane reliably and effectively, then we’ll lose. The IRIS system is among the many datalink options that we’d like with a purpose to equip the warfighter for as we speak’s struggle.,” stated Capt. Richard Brown, forty ninth TES Typical check flight commander.
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“At the moment, we discovered that the IRIS System may be instantly employed utilizing present joint ways for operational and tactical management of long-range strike plane,” stated Lt. Col. Paul Goossen, 608th AOC Fight Operations Division chief.
The U.S. Air Pressure discovered that the AFWERX SBIR’s program works to seek out fast prototype options by way of commercially obtainable means. Generally the options to international issues may be present in your local people from small distributors. The AOC group additionally acknowledged the tactic of “how” the Service acquires a brand new functionality performs a big position within the timeline of fielding the brand new functionality. Air Pressure International Strike Command leveraged an AFWERX Small Enterprise Innovation Analysis Section II contract to gauge the feasibility of tying a business, off-the-shelf Outerlink International Options system into the B-52 international satellite tv for pc structure to allow unimpeded protection. The SBIR program engages small companies with federal analysis and growth.
Following the success of the check occasion, AFGSC will proceed working by way of the AFWERX course of to achieve a SBIR Strategic Finance contract to help IRIS. It will permit for everlasting bomber integration and seamless coordination throughout geographic air operation facilities utilizing the system. IRIS is ready to exchange the International Iridium Bomber Set (GLIBS) that has been in service since 2017. The BLOS communication system is considered one of AFGSC’s options to combine the B-52 Stratofortress fleet into the higher Joint All-Area Command and Management (JADC2) drawback set. IRIS is considered one of many packages on the horizon chargeable for the B-52 paradigm shift from a legacy sustainment platform to a lethally modernized multi-domain plane.
