Air Force Global Strike Command recently demonstrated Northrop Grumman’s AN/ASQ-236 Dragon’s Eye, a podded active electronically scanned array radar, on a B-52 bomber, according to a command release. The radar “enhances the B-52’s ability to operate in both contested environments and adverse weather conditions,” said B-52 Requirements Branch chief Maj. Brett Plummer. “The radar’s high-resolution mapping enables target detection, tracking, and subsequent engagement in situations where our existing electro-optical targeting pods cannot,” he said. Today, F-15Es operate with Dragon’s Eye. AFGSC conducted the demo with a B-52 assigned to Air Force Reserve Command’s 307th Bomb Wing at Barksdale AFB, La. Pacific Air Forces is interested in this capability and intends to exercise the B-52 with it during September’s Valiant Shield exercise, states the June 26 release. “This Dragon’s Eye effort demonstrates AFGSC’s ability to continue to increase B-52 lethality during lean fiscal times and present capable forces to our combatant commanders,” said Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson, AFGSC commander. (Barksdale report by A1C Jannelle Dickey)
Depot-level maintenance took longer than expected for nearly three-quarters of Air Force aircraft from fiscal 2019-2024, according to a new report, as unplanned repairs rise across the aging fleet. The report, from the Government Accountability Office, also found that the extent of the delays has been masked because officials often revise their target timelines after unplanned work occurs.