Aerospace & Defense Technology - February 2022 - 34

Tech Briefs
The Effect of Failing to Recapitalize the B-52H Defensive
Avionics System on Future Operations
The B-52 is an important component of the Air Force arsenal because of its unique ability to carry a
tremendous payload of over 40 different types of munitions, and its ability to strike anywhere on the
globe with aerial refueling on short notice, but the escalating costs of supporting the legacy B-52 ECM
system requires a comprehensive structured approach if the airframe is to remain a viable platform
until its projected retirement in 2040.
Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama
his research analyzed data gathered
from Air Combat Command (ACC)
headquarters, as well as data received from
the B-52 Systems Program Office and the
Electronic Systems Program Office. This
data was used to determine if vanishing
vendors and parts obsolescence are affecting
the supportability of the defensive
avionics system on the B-52 and in turn,
affecting the mission capability (MC)
rate of the platform. Information was
also gathered from the 5th and 2d Bomb
Wings to acquire user input on the impact
of the problem.
The Air Force lacks the ability to maintain
the ALQ-155 defensive avionics system
on the B-52 beyond the short term
T
because of lack of spare line replaceable
unit (LRU) repair parts due to vanishing
vendors, lack of repair capability, low
system reliability, and increasing costs.
This research will determine if the B-52
can remain a viable platform in a future
conflict if the defensive avionics system
is not recapitalized, and whether failure
to upgrade the ALQ-155 system has had
a negative effect on the mission capability
of the B-52? It will then propose how Air
Force Materiel Command (AFMC) could
address the problem to keep the B-52 a
viable weapon system until its scheduled
retirement date in 2040.
The Air Force did upgrade the B-52 aircraft
with an Avionics Midlife ImproveB-52
EC FY03 Annual Report
ALQ-155 Power Mgmt System
Cost Drivers (% Total Costs)
Other
11%
CIP
8%
BD 12
18%
BD 9S
20%
Other
31%
Cost and Failure Drivers
Failure Drivers (% Total Failures)
CIP
18%
[1400]
BD 9S
11%
BD 11
15%
SI
4%
Other
17%
CIP
9%
BD 9S
19%
BD 12
17%
BD 11
13%
SI
5%
Other
16%
Processor
5%
BD 12
17%
BD 11
12%
18
2003 2003
Cost Failure Drivers for the ALQ-155 Power Management System
34
BD 10S
20%
BD 12
9%
BD 11
8%
CIP
9%
Other
26%
BD 9S
21%
Processor
13%
BD 10S
23%
BD 12
9%
2002 2002
BD 11
8%
SI
6%
[1633]
CIP
17%
BD 9S
12%
BD 10S
15%
BD 10S
16%
BD 9S
11%
BD 10S
24%
2001 2001
Other
29%
BD 12
10%
BD 11
10%
SI
6%
CIP
21%
[1972]
BD 10S
14%
ment program. This program focused
on the offensive avionics of the aircraft
to allow it to drop the latest guided
weapons and improve the navigation
system. The program does not address
the defensive avionics systems of the
aircraft, which are critical to survivability
of the airframe in a hostile environment.
These systems are plagued with
high failure rates, which require a large
stock of spare assets to keep the system
functional. The spare assets are increasingly
difficult to procure because of
vanishing vendors. For purposes of this
study, a vanishing vendor is defined as
the inability to find a vendor to bid on
a contract due to obsolete technology
or high cost associated with item manufacturing.
A recent example of the vanishing
vendor problem making a system
unsupportable on the B-52 is the ALR20
system, which had a 6-gun cathode
ray tube (CRT) similar to an old-fashioned
television vacuum tube. It could
no longer be repaired due to obsolete
technology and high cost to sustain.
The relevance of legacy systems such
as the B-52 on future operations is a concern
because many current capabilities are
dependent on these systems. The B-52 is
an important component of the Air Force
arsenal because of its unique ability to
carry a tremendous payload of over 40 different
types of munitions, and its ability
to strike anywhere on the globe with aerial
refueling on short notice. The aircraft is
also an important nuclear strike asset in
the Global Strike Command. Inability to
sustain the spare parts required to maintain
the ALQ-155 system will make the
defensive avionics system inoperable.
According to the minimum essential
subsystem listing for B-52 aircraft, a
serviceable ALQ-155 system is crucial to
a fully mission-capable aircraft for anywww.aerodefensetech.com
Aerospace
& Defense Technology, February 2022
ADT Tech Briefs 0222_1.indd 34
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1/25/22 3:00 PM
ALE-24/20
ALT-32/16
ALR-20A
ALR-46/69
ALQ-122
ALQ-153
ALQ-155ALQ-172
B-52 Suite
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http://www.aerodefensetech.com http://info.hotims.com/82318-811
Aerospace & Defense Technology - February 2022

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