Boeing announced yesterday that it successfully tested a fuze for high-speed penetrator warheads in addition to a fuze well (i.e., area where fuze is installed) in July at Holloman AFB, N.M. During the test, these components were fitted in a bomb that penetrated reinforced concrete at supersonic speeds, the company said. “Hard and deeply buried targets have always been difficult to find and prosecute, but this new fuze design makes it possible because it stays intact as the bomb penetrates and detonates when and where it’s needed,” said Carl Avila, Boeing’s director of advanced weapons and missile systems. The fuze and well design resulted from data collected during a penetrator test conducted at Holloman in 2006. Steve Vukelich, Boeing’s director of special programs, said these components are “currently being considered for a number of advanced weapons.” Speaking of HDBTs, Boeing is also building the massive ordnance penetrator, a 30,000-pound bunker buster, for the Air Force. Last we heard, a flight test of the MOP from the B-52H was being planned for later this year or in 2009.
The last remaining T-1 Jayhawk at JBSA-Randolph, Texas, took its final flight to the "Boneyard" at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., on July 15. The 99th Flying Training Squadron will train pilots using T-6 and simulator until it gets T-7 Red Hawk in fiscal 2026.