Posted on 02/12/2004 7:30:52 AM PST by BenLurkin
EDWARDS AFB - Team Edwards made history in yet another flight-test first as members of the F-117 Combined Test Force successfully released joint direct attack munitions from a stealth fighter during an early morning test mission Jan. 21. At Palmdale's Plant 42, the F-117 CTF, home to Edwards Air Force Base's 410th Flight Test Squadron, released two types of JDAMs, the GBU-31(v) 1/B and the GBU-31(v) 3/B, both 2,000-pound bombs, from an F-117A Nighthawk.
The Nighthawk is the world's first operational aircraft specifically developed to employ stealth technology.
"It's always good to see the test force's hard work and preparations pay off during a test mission," said Lt. Col. Jim Bierstine, 410th FLTS commander and test pilot for the mission. "This is just the first step. We will be testing these kinds of weapons through 2005."
Joint direct attack munitions are autonomous, highly accurate, all-weather capable and lethal. Often dubbed "smart bombs," JDAMs are guided by movable tail fins controlled by an inertial guidance and satellite global positioning systems, independently targeting objectives.
"We are upgrading the F-117 to carry JDAMs and other similar weapons currently used in the USAF inventory," Bierstine said. "This test will eventually allow the warfighter far greater flexibility during deployed operations."
The (v) 1/B, MK-84 variant, is used for its large blast and explosive force. The (v) 3/B, BLU-109 variant, is used to penetrate hardened targets.
"There's really nothing new about these particular JDAMs," said Capt. Ted Conklin, F-117A weapons flight commander. "They are separation test vehicles, or STVs, used purely to test the separation characteristics of the weapon from different platforms."
JDAMs have never been released from an F-117A. The January test served to validate and provide data for updating the combined test force's JDAM separation model and is the first test in a series of planned tests.
"We have three more single-release separations planned for each variant," Conklin said. "Upon successful completion of this testing, we'll proceed with dual-release separation testing. By September of this year, we should have fully defined the operational JDAM envelopes for the F-117A."
Everything went exactly as planned according to on-board separation cameras. Both weapons separated from the aircraft in a relatively benign manner, and the test force feels comfortable pushing forward and expanding the envelope, according to Captain Conklin.
"When coupled with the aircraft's block 2 software upgrade, this capability means significantly increased flexibility and lethality for the F-117A," he said. "This upgrade gives air crew and leaders more options for employing air power against targets."
Efforts are under way to accelerate the program, with testing of the aircraft's software upgrade to begin in May and continuing until August 2005 at the Precision Impact Range Area at Edwards
This advantage will be somewhat ameliorated because of the effects of visible moisture/precipitation on this launch platform.
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