Students at USAF’s Weapons School at Nellis AFB, Nev., got to fly with the first newly upgraded “Sustainment Block-16” B-1B bomber during the recent integration phase of the weapons school course, according to a July 21 release. Airmen with the 337th Test and Evaluation Squadron brought the modernized B-1B from Dyess AFB, Texas, to Nevada for the three-week exercise, which marks the final part of the course, to test the SB-16 upgrade while helping students familiarize themselves with the new systems. The upgraded bombers include new data links, new situational awareness tools, and improved avionics, giving students a “unique opportunity to be the first B-1 aviators to integrate the new hardware and software in a training environment this realistic,” said Maj. Andrew Maguire, of the 77th Weapons Squadron at Nellis. The 337th TES instructors also flew several sorties on the SB-16 B-1B to gain additional familiarity with the jet, and base officials said they would like to invite the 337th TES back again for a future course.
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
