B-2 drops 80 test JDAMs

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Brooke Davis
  • Air Force Flight Test Center Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFPN) --  A B-2 Spirit bomber here released 80 inert joint direct attack munitions Sept. 10 for the first time, clearing the way for warfighters to attack that many individual targets on a single bomb run.

After an 11-sortie buildup toward qualifying the B-2 for the maximum munitions load, B-2 global power bomber combined test force experts successfully dropped the inert munitions. It happened at the Utah Test and Training Range at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, according to Maj. William Power, 419th Flight Test Squadron project pilot.

"The ability to strike 80 targets on one mission or, as demonstrated, on one bomb run, with incredible precision, immensely increased our operational capabilities," Power said.

Test program experts had to modify the B-2 to outfit the aircraft with JDAM-82s, which are 500-pound smart bombs capable of communicating with the aircraft, according to Todd Copeland, 419th FLTS project pilot.

The aircraft was modified to carry the smart bomb rack assembly, which enables the aircraft to carry quantities of the JDAM-82, according to Power. Integrating the new munitions took 11 sorties.

The assembly is equipped with software that enables the weapons to be released at specific intervals, he said.

"There were some initial concerns about releasing 80 weapons in the time interval desired," Copeland said. "(To) ensure the safety of the aircraft, we had to build up toward releasing the maximum number of JDAMs."

After each buildup release, data were analyzed and separation test models were re-evaluated, allowing the GBU-38 combination to be certified with the B-2, Copeland said.

The testing phases of integrating the new munitions and the assembly into the B-2 were coordinated between both developmental and operational test and evaluation communities, Power said. The combined efforts of these two organizations decreased the amount of testing time, delivering the increased capabilities to warfighters sooner.

"We are all ecstatic about the progress made (toward) getting this system out to the warfighting community at Whiteman Air Force Base, (Mo.), and (we) look forward to a smooth handoff to the 72nd Test and Evaluation Squadron for additional operational testing," Power said.

Along with coordination between developmental and operational testing, the buildup sorties demanded constant attention from weapons loaders and maintenance crews.

"Our maintenance team toughed it through the hot summer here to make sure the aircraft was ready to fly the test missions," said Tech. Sgt. Lance Stoebling, 412th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief. Stoebling has maintained the B-2's here for more than 10 years.

"Everyone working on this program has done a tremendous job, as is evident from the successful release," Maj. Gen. Donald J. Hoffman said. He is the director of requirements at Air Combat Command headquarters at Langley Air Force Base, Va. "The hard work has paid off, and will benefit B-2 operations worldwide."

Power said test experts are ready to wrap up with a few more sorties, testing software modifications. They will transition the program to Whiteman for continued operational testing.