Strategic Bombers
Updated Status of the B-1B Recovery Program Gao ID: NSIAD-91-189 May 9, 1991Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO reported on the Air Force's progress in correcting problems with the B-1B bomber's defensive avionics system.
GAO found that: (1) the Air Force completed laboratory and flight testing of the changes to the defensive avionics system under the CORE program; (2) the laboratory test results and preliminary analysis of flight test data indicated that the defensive system will meet the current contract specifications, with a few exceptions which the Air Force did not consider significant; (3) the Air Force terminated the production segment of the CORE portion of the Recovery Program in March 1991, due to insufficient funds; (4) that termination adversely affected plans to improve the Central Integrated Test System and the defensive avionics system's receive and jam capabilities, and 13 aircraft will have no defensive avionics equipment; and (5) Congress has not yet funded plans to add a radar warning receiver, which would increase the number of threat radar systems the aircraft will be able to detect.