Bomber force prepares for new B-52 bomb bay upgrade testing

Since the Air Force's decision in 2013 to increase the B-52H Stratofortress fleet's effectiveness and versatility by increasing the aircraft's smart weapons capacity by over 50 percent, teams from Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, Boeing, and now Edwards AFB, have partnered up to begin developmental testing on the bombers newest upgrade.

This new upgrade comes in the form of a Conventional Rotary Launcher (CRO), which members from the 419th Flight Test Squadron, the Global Power Bomber Combined Test Force and Boeing installed on an Edwards AFB B-52H this past December.

"The upgrade modifies the internal weapons bay of the B-52H bomber by integrating a CRL that has the capability of carrying Military Standard 1760 ‘smart weapons,’" said Jeff Lupton, the Boeing 1760 program manager.

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