EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., Dec. 28 (UPI) -- The initial testing for a U.S. Air Force B-1 bomber aircraft avionics upgrade has been successfully completed by Boeing.
U.S. company Boeing announced the conclusion of phase I for its B-1 Fully Integrated Data Link flight test. The data link avionics upgrade is part of an effort by the Air Force to integrate next-generation technologies ahead of depot maintenance on the B-1 aircraft.
The phase I testing evaluated the data link's configuration and functionality among other technology measurements before the aircraft is sent to Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma for during phase II.
"This upgrade replaces 25-year-old avionics processing, displays and keyboards," Eric Vanderslice, Boeing B-1 Fully Integrated Data Link program manager, said in a statement.
"Those old systems have very limited functionality. It also changes the configuration of the limited display space that helps the crew perform the aircraft's mission. We are going from bulky cathode-ray-tube screens to higher-functioning flat-panel displays, giving crews more situational awareness and more space."
