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 U.S. and Sweden signed a bilateral Defense Cooperation Agreement on Dec. 5 that will strengthen military ties between them and likely lead to U.S. troops and prepositioned gear on Swedish soil. Swedish Defense minister Pal Jonson said the war in Ukraine prompted Sweden's joining NATO and he laid out…