An instructor pilot de- scribes the lofty feeling of flying the impressive new bomber.

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HE cockpit of the B-1 B gives T you a lofty feeling, literally and otherwise. It sits a little more than sixteen feet above the ground. And strapped into America's latest air- breathing flying machine as part of a highly trained four-man crew, one feels special and just a bit awed. Even when it's resting quietly on the ramp, there's something exotic about this craft—a sense of tremen- BY MAJ. MICHAEL A. KENNY, USAF dous power and capability about to be unleashed. Forward, the pilot and copilot be- gin their checks. About eight feet behind them and slightly elevated, the offensive and defensive systems officers prepare to employ some of the world's most sophisticated elec- tronic wizardry. Connected to the forward fuse- lage are five air-conditioning hoses to cool the on-board computers, more than ten of them. Ground crews make their final checks and stand ready to see the on its way. The B-1B comes to life when the hydraulic reservoirs activate its two auxiliary power units. Generators literally bang on-line. Cockpit noise is very low. Only the rush of air from the air-conditioning and cooling system is audible.

58 AIR FORCE Magazine I June 1986

After about five minutes of power essentially a large computer system movement of the variable-sweep from the APUs, the four General surrounded by fuel and engines. It is . Electric F101 dual-rotor, afterburn- mind-boggling, even to those who Another computer system, the ing turbofan engines are started. In fly it. The "brains" of the airplane Centrally Integrated Test System, the cockpit, vertical-tape engine in- are in the back station. Four aircraft or CITS, serves as an on-board test struments are the only clue that the computer units control most of the system for most of the aircraft func- engines are running. The inertial major systems: navigation, bomb- tions. The CITS performs test and navigation system aligns while flight ing, fuel, regulation of center of control functions required to verify control checks are being made. In a gravity, and other functions. aircraft system performance in very short time, the bird is ready to Here, acronyms abound. There is flight. roll. the GNACU (Guidance and Naviga- The CITS computer notifies the The pilot's first real indication tion Control Unit), the pilot of everything from fuel temper- that he is in a movable object is WDACU (Weapons Delivery Avi- ature to impending failure of a crit- when he moves the stick (gone is the onics Control Unit), the CDACU ical component. It will tell the de- traditional heavy bomber ) and the four 4,000-psi hydraulic actu- ators engage the split-tail hydraulic stabilators. The power in the system would rock the whole aircraft no- ticeably if this were not done smoothly. The combination of com- puterized fly-by-wire and mechan- ical linkage to the stabilator actu- ators gives fighter-like control to • • • • • this mighty aircraft, which is in the 400,000-pound weight class. Ready to taxi and take off, this Maj. Mike Kenny, former B-52 pilot realizes he has B-1B instructor pi- lot and author of transitioned to the finest that mod- this article, stands ern technology has to offer. Every- on the flight line thing about the B-1B is smooth and at Dyess AFB, Tex. effortless. It has a blended- A SAC veteran, Major Kenny has body with variable-sweep wings. flown 8-52s, Forward and side visibility through FB-111s, and now the elongated wraparound wind- the B-1B. (Photo screen are excellent. The aircraft by SMSgt. Jesse clips quickly along the runway and Grice, USAF) will turn on a dime. As he lights the four afterburners, the pilot commands 120,000 pounds of thrust. It's still very quiet in the cockpit, but he can now feel the en- gines vibrate. The earth shakes. A ground observer can feel the vibra- tions peak as the aircraft becomes airborne after about 4,000 feet of takeoff roll. (Controls and Displays/Defensive fensive systems officer of a failure Inside, it feels as if you've just Avionics Control Units), and the long before it shows on the master "planed out" on water skis, giving CFACU (Critical Functions Avi- caution panel of 112 lights. In the you the freedom and mobility to onics Control Unit). B-1 B, the state-of-the-art technolo- dash in any direction. With the air- What these systems don't con- gy is nothing if not futuristic. craft still accelerating rapidly, gear, trol, the EMUX, or Electrical Mul- Currently, the 4018th Combat flaps, and slats are retracted, and tiplexer Unit, does. The EMUX Crew Training Squadron is the only the variable-sweep wings are posi- system provides a means of trans- operational unit flying the B-1B. tioned to twenty-five degrees aft to mitting data throughout the aircraft The squadron is in the process of reduce drag. The wings, like the rest on redundant transmission lines as training its flight instructor crews of the plane's configuration devices, well as of managing electrical sys- and began training crews for the are manually controlled by the pi- tem load. first operational bombardment lot. The computers control altitude, squadron in April. (See also heading, and airspeed. Fuel transfer "Bringing on the B-1B," p.63 of this The Magic Show Begins sequencing is automatic and pro- issue.) Minutes later, the ship has vides center of gravity control by All training missions are based on reached its cruise altitude, and the shifting fuel to compensate for any combat scenarios. They consist of "magic show" begins. The B-1B is change in the center of lift caused by air refueling with a KC-135, pen- 60 AIR FORCE Magazine / June 1986 etration on a low-level route, terrain the aircraft in computer software craft electronically. Seconds away masking, simulated weapons re- blocks as they become available. from the target, the crew begins lease, egress, and post-target recov- One such capability is that of terrain transmitting an electronic tone to ery. A typical training mission also following. Once the system is fully the training range site. At "Bombs includes air work and traffic pattern operational, the terrain-following away!" the tone is cut. Site person- operations. computer will be engaged at high nel score our release point by this Air refueling is made simple by altitude, when the aircraft's wings electronic tone, and from this we the smoothness of the computerized are swept back. The computer, re- can determine bombing accuracy. flight controls. The air refueling re- ceiving inputs from the offensive ra- During the bombing run, trackers ceptacle is located on the nose of the dar system, directs the aircraft to at the site test our electronic coun- aircraft, forward of the pilot. The descend quickly and then level off termeasures equipment to deter- B-1B has a universal aerial refueling just above treetop level. mine its effectiveness against en- receptacle/slipway installation Regardless of weather or hour of emy tracking radar. The B-1B's (UARRSI) for in-flight refueling the day, the computers can fly the defensive avionics system provides

Looking not unlike a patient in inten- sive care, a B-1B is readied for flight. By the use of a special under- ground system called Hydrant , CASS, the need for most service trucks has been removed. (Photo by SMSgt. Jesse Grice, USAF)

and a single-point refueling capabil- aircraft just above treetop level, protection from ground and air- ity for ground refueling. It's also ca- maintaining precise airspeed con- borne threats. It carries out radio- pable of reverse air refueling and trol and pinpoint navigation to the frequency surveillance, electronic fuel dumping. Filling body and wing target. In front of the pilot is a cath- countermeasures, tail warning func- tanks takes just a few minutes. ode-ray tube with a presentation tions, expendable countermea- very similar to that of a computer sures, and defense management. Into the Mission video game. It gives altitude to the The design environment of the When refueling is complete, the nearest foot, a vertical image of the B-1B is low-level. The craft pos- combat crew is ready to proceed to terrain ahead, attitude, ground sesses the agility to maneuver be- the designated low-level route for speed to the nearest knot, and dis- tween hills and the sophistication to the mission. As the aircraft de- tance to the next destination or tar- ride just above all kinds of terrain in scends into the run, the wings are get to the nearest tenth of a mile. any weather. When using after- swept full aft to 67.5 degrees. This As the aircraft approaches the burner thrust for dashes, the crew is reduces drag and allows the aircraft strategic training range, the offen- often pressed into their ACES II to accelerate easily to near-super- sive systems officer configures the ejection seats. As the aircraft sonic speeds for cruise at low al- computers for bombing, while the climbs out of low-level, the wings titude. defensive systems officer config- are swept forward, and the mighty Capabilities are being added to ures his computers to defend the bomber lunges for the sky. AIR FORCE Magazine / June 1986 61 • 4

With its wings in the fully extended position, a B-113 initiates a bank to the port side. This remarkable aircraft is so nimble that it can even perform lazy eights.

Most Important Part swept aft to reduce drag and allow fore its wings ), slow flight, and Bombing run completed, aerial for high-speed flight. One problem a lazy eights (yes, bombers can per- training is next. The flight charac- pilot may discover in this configura- form lazy eights). teristics of the B-1B are compli- tion is that he is flying too slowly Following the aerial training ma- cated—and critical to its safe opera- with the wings back. The B-1B is a neuvers, it's back to the base for tion. For pilot training, this is the lifting body; it can easily fly without some pattern work. The B-1B han- most important part of the mission. wings so long as the "smash" (knots dles extremely well in the pattern. Pilots of modern aircraft must be indicated airspeed) is up. If flown With the wings in the forward posi- well acquainted with flight charac- too slowly, however, the center of tion and flaps, slats, and gear ex- teristics, as many of the old stan- lift comes too far forward of the cen- tended, the B-1B can land as slowly dards have changed. Speed is some- ter of gravity, and the aircraft will as 155 knots, and landing roll is times limited by skin temperature, tend to tip over backward or run out sometimes less than that of a T-38 and computers can see through pre- of enough thrust to sustain a high trainer. viously restrictive clouds. angle of attack. When the B-1B turns off the run- One major flight characterstic to The other flight characteristics way after completion of a training be learned involves a wing sweep demonstrated are conventional and mission, the computer tells us the demonstration, during which wings include approach to stall (which is exact temperature of each brake and are swept from twenty-five degrees defined as neutral stability; the prints a record of all malfunctions to 67.5 degrees. The wings are B-1B tips over backward long be- that might have occurred during the flight. After shutdown, this printout and a tape from the CITS computer are available to maintenance per- Maj. Michael A. Kenny, USAF is the first instructor pilot in the B-1B. Now sonnel, making their job signifi- stationed at Dyess AFB, Tex., Major Kenny is a longtime bomber pilot, with 678 combat hours among his 3,300 hours of flying time. During his sixteen years in cantly faster and easier. the Air Force, he has served as an instructor pilot in both B-52Ds and All in all, the mighty B-1B is a FB-111As. He is a graduate of Squadron Officer School and has completed truly remarkable aircraft. It's a trib- both Air Command and Staff College and the National Security Management ute to American technology and a courses. genuine pleasure to fly. • 62 AIR FORCE Magazine / June 1986