Boeing

The Boeing Company has delivered the first next-generation Off-Aircraft Pylon Tester for the B-52H Stratofortress to the U.S. Air Force.

The OAPT, developed and qualified by the Boeing Military Aerospace Support business under the Conventional Enhancements Modernization program, was delivered to Barksdale Air Force Base, La.

The OAPT offers off-aircraft B-52H pylon testing for the first time, which enhances mission readiness by reducing required aircraft downtime.

The "all-in-one," Pentium-based, menu-driven system will allow complete system verification and maintenance support for testing the B-52H weapons pylons in about 75 percent less time than previously required. In addition, the tester will significantly reduce maintenance workloads along with the associated cost and deployment footprints.

The current capabilities of the system include the verification of the external conventional weapons carriage capability for a wide range of current B-52H weapons, including the GBU-31/32 Joint Direct Attack Munition, the AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon, the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile, the Wind-Corrected Munitions Dispenser, the AGM-84 Harpoon and the AGM-142 Have Nap. The system includes designed-in growth to include the entire B-52H weapon system, including the cruise missile pylon and the Common Strategic Rotary Launcher.

Boeing currently is under contract to produce 10 OAPT units, which will be delivered to Barksdale Air Force Base, Minot Air Force Base, N.D.; and Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., over the next 10 months.

The OAPT effort, managed out of the B-52 System Program Directorate at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., has evolved through a joint Boeing/Air Force team comprised of the B-52 System Program Directorate, Air Combat Command, the 2nd Munitions Squadron and 917th Maintenance Squadron at Barksdale, and the 5th Munitions Squadron at Minot.

By focusing its maintenance, modification and upgrades; logistics support services; and training and support systems competencies in the Military Aerospace Support business, Boeing is the only major airframe manufacturer with an integrated organization structured to provide total life-cycle customer support for military aircraft and weapons systems.

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