Boeing has completed a 15-month phase of mission system flight testing for the E-3 AWACS Block 40/45 upgrade program aboard a test aircraft, the company announced Sept. 10. Completion of the tests finishes the program’s system design and development phase, clearing the way for the Air Force to make a production decision by the end of the year, the company said. “Test data indicate the Block 40/45 system meets or exceeds all its key performance parameters and technical performance requirements,” said Stu Oliason, Boeing’s Block 40/45 SDD program manager. The Block 40/45 program replaces the E-3’s legacy mainframe computer with an open system architecture that enables operator console displays that are more intuitive and user friendly. The new computer also automates tasks for the AWACS operators, replacing what has been a manually intensive workload for them.
The Pentagon has concluded a new agreement to buy laser-guidance kits that turn rockets into drone-killing weapons. BAE Systems and the Defense Department announced a framework deal of up to seven years for 25,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System guidance kits annually for the U.S. military.