Upgrading comms in the year of the B-2

A B-2 Spirit flies to the North Pole Oct. 27, 2011, on a test mission from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The polar flight helped ensure that the B-2 maintains its global combat power capability in all environments with new computers for future growth and sustained contributions to the greater Air Force mission. (U.S. Air Force photo/Bobbi Zapka)

by Airman 1st Class Joseph Raatz,  Air Force Global Strike Command Public Affairs

BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La.  -- After a 20-year wait, the B-2 Spirit will receive a significant new communications upgrade.

The first increment of the Common Very Low Frequency Receiver, or CVR, program was designed to be a successor to the very low frequency communication system originally slated to be included with the B-2's communication package. The original system was deferred in 1992 because of budget constraints.

"CVR Increment 1 will provide the B-2 aircrew another, more reliable means to receive Presidential force direction via Emergency Action Messages," Gary Doolittle, Air Force Global Strike Command B-2 requirements, said.

Currently, the B-2 uses an ultra-high frequency communications system to fill that role. However, the Military Strategic Tactical and Relay (MILSTAR) satellites that facilitate that form of communication are approaching the end of their operational life, Doolittle said.

The upgraded communication system would allow the B-2 to receive VLF signals bounced off of lower levels of the atmosphere, bypassing the satellite relay. This would ensure the B-2 remains a viable nuclear platform until such time as a replacement for current satellite communications can be deployed.

The CVR Increment 1 program reached its Milestone B on July 23, which authorized the program to enter the Engineering and Manufacturing Development Phase and award EMD contracts. During this phase, the program will develop the VLF communications system, complete full system integration and test on the B-2, develop an affordable and executable manufacturing process and ensure operational supportability, Doolittle said.

Though CVR Increment 1 is designed purely for use on the B-2 Spirit, a proposed second increment would expand the system into other platforms such as the B-52 Stratofortress and the E-4B, Doolittle said.

"Increment 2 would provide a broader set of longer-term capability upgrades across the entire airborne Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications fleet," he said, adding that Increment 2 requirements and acquisition strategies are currently in development.

With CVR Increment 1 now reaching Milestone B, the program is on-track to begin fielding in 2017. The capabilities it brings will help ensure the B-2 will continue to be a premier weapon system far into the foreseeable future.

Milstar Satellite Constellation Repositioned

A combined U.S. Air Force/Lockheed Martin team has successfully completed an on-orbit reconfiguration of the five-satellite Milstar constellation to maximize the system's capabilities to provide secure, reliable and robust communications to U.S. and Allied Forces around the globe.

Orbiting the earth at over 22,000 miles in space, the Milstar constellation -- which has now surpassed 40 years of combined successful operations -- provides a protected, global communication network for the joint forces of the U.S. military and can transmit voice, data, and imagery, in addition to offering video teleconferencing capabilities.

The Milstar system is the only survivable, endurable means that the President, the Secretary of Defense and the Commander, U.S. Strategic Command have to maintain positive command and control of this nation's strategic forces.

This reconfiguration, which entailed repositioning the satellites relative to one another to maximize and improve the constellation's earth coverage visibility, was successfully executed during a seven-month period by a team of engineers from Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Sunnyvale, Calif., the Milstar prime contractor, working with the 4th Space Operations Squadron at Schriever AFB, Colo., the Air Force’s team which flies and maintains the Milstar constellation.

This proven ability to realign the operational location of the entire spacecraft constellation with no unplanned service disruptions to military forces deployed around the globe will be vital to bringing the follow-on Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellites into the nation's survivable, secure MILSATCOM architecture.

"We are proud of the capability we have demonstrated to increase the effectiveness of this critical system to our customer, said Leonard F. Kwiatkowski, Lockheed Martin's vice president and general manager of Military Space Programs. "Designed, built and operated by a talented and dedicated group of people, Milstar continues to deliver critical secure, real-time, connectivity to the warfighter and we look forward to achieving mission success as we prepare to launch the first AEHF satellite next year."

The AEHF team is led by the MILSATCOM Systems Wing, located at the Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif.