U.S. Air Force seeks AoA to replace its B-52H fleet's 1980's era AN/APQ-166 radar systems

U.S. Air Force seeks to upgrade its B-52H strategic bombers fleet's radar systems

The request for information (RFI) will inform a formal analysis of alternatives (AoA) of radar modernisation options for the B-52H fleet in 2020 and beyond, called the strategic radar replacement (SRR) programme.

“The overall AoA objective is to inform decision makers about the cost-effectiveness, risk, and military worth of RMP alternatives,” the document states.

Not including spare radars, the service needs to retrofit 76 B-52Hs with the new system. The RFI does not defined necessary upgrades for training aircraft. Initial production kit deliveries will begin around fiscal year 2022 until all aircraft are retrofitted. The RFI specifies a retrofit rate of between 17 and 24 aircraft per year.

A nearly identical RFI for the B-52H radar modernisation programme (RMP) was released in May 2010. Neither document makes mention of advanced electronically scanned array (AESA) technology that is now available off the shelf and was the system chosen for upgrades to the Northrop B-2A bomber fleet. The air force had plans to launch the development in late FY2013, following an analysis of alternatives phase and a competitive contract selection. It then cancelled funding for the radar upgrade in its fiscal 2013 budget in favour of “higher priority” line items, says a US House of Representatives Armed Services Committee report on the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

The more recent RFI says the new radar should be able to provide air-to-air situational awareness, terrain avoidance at low altitude flight, weather avoidance information, navigation and targeting in conventional and “nuclear environments” and damage assessment.

“The RMP will replace the AN/APQ-166 radar installed on the B-52H with a fully supportable system that maintains all current B-52H mission functions, incorporates the additional capabilities of ground moving target indicator/moving target track, surface target search/surface target track and electronic protection, and provide a growth path for new and enhanced capabilities,” the RFI states.

The NDAA report notes that the B-52’s radar has undergone upgrades but parts such as the antenna reflector, feed and casting are original and need to be upgraded to keep the radar relevant through the end of the B-52’s service life in 2040, which could be prohibitively expensive.

Request For Information: Department of the Air Force (excerpt)

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION - FA862815CB52RADAR_VERSION2  

2.0 Background

2.1 The overall AoA objective is to inform decision makers about the cost-effectiveness, risk, and military worth of RMP alternatives in the 2020 and beyond timeframe. The specific objectives of the AoA are to:

• Analyze how the reliability of each alternative will impact operational effectiveness.
• Analyze how the capabilities of each alternative impact operational effectiveness.
• Analyze and characterize the potential radar-replacement alternatives to enable decision makers to determine the best approach and strategy forward for the acquisition program and to understand the pros and cons of each alternative.
• Provide an understanding of which alternatives can satisfactorily provide the required baseline functions of the AN/APQ-166 and are otherwise satisfactory for additional consideration based on potential integration risk.
• Provide an understanding of which of the above alternatives also provide the required additional capabilities identified in gap analysis.
• Identify the integration risks of each alternative.
• Complete a draft Capabilities Development Document (CDD) to be an input to the post-Milestone A Request for Proposal (RFP) supporting the Technology Maturation and Risk Reduction (TMRR) phase.
• Develop Life Cycle Cost Estimates (LCCE's) for each alternative, including labor and material charges at the Line-Replaceable-Unit (LRU) level.

The AN/APQ-166 radar system currently installed on the B-52H fleet was originally fielded in the 1950s, last upgraded to its present configuration in the early 1980s, and is approaching the end of its useful life.  The RMP will replace the AN/APQ-166 radar installed on the B-52H with a fully supportable system that maintains all current B-52H mission functions, incorporates the additional capabilities of ground moving target indicator/moving target track, surface target search/surface target track and electronic protection, and provide a growth path for new and enhanced capabilities.  Current B-52H radar mission tasks include:

• Conduct air-to-air situation awareness (radar trail, formation station keeping, tanker rendezvous, etc.)
• Maintain terrain avoidance during low-level flight
• Conduct weather avoidance maneuvering
• Conduct navigation in conventional and nuclear environments
• Conduct targeting in conventional and nuclear environments
• Conduct bomb damage assessments