Strategic Bombers

Should Congress provide more funds for the Air Force's current plan--the CORE program--to upgrade the B-1B defense avionics system? In GAO's view, more testing of the system is not necessary to determine whether to implement the CORE program. Flight testing has shown that the CORE modifications would provide similar operational capabilities to, and offer some survivability improvements over, the existing defense avionics system. The only reason for additional testing would be to prove that some problems with the maintenance diagnostic system have been resolved. Initial testing revealed that while some improvements were achieved, user requirements were not met for such things as low false alarm rates and "cannot duplicate rates." Even if the maintenance diagnostic capabilities were fully demonstrated, however, the CORE system should not be implemented until it is known whether the defense avionics system design can support the B-1B's new role as a conventional bomber. Virtually all air defense systems and weapons fielded today could pose a future threat to the bomber force. The differences between nuclear and conventional operations are significant, and GAO does not believe that conventional capability can be estimated from earlier information on planned nuclear operations.

GAO found that: (1) it is unnecessary to continue testing of the CORE-configured ALQ-161A to determine whether to implement the program; (2) implementing the CORE modifications would provide similar operational capabilities to, and offer limited survivability improvements over, the currently fielded defensive avionics system; (3) additional testing of the CORE system would only be to demonstrate that the Air Force resolved problems with the maintenance diagnostic system after identifying potential fixes; (4) the CORE system should not be implemented, even if the maintenance diagnostic capabilities are fully demonstrated, until the ALQ-161A design can support future B-1B operational requirements; and (5) the Air Force does not have reasonable assurance that future B-1B electronic requirements will be met if the CORE program proceeds before the Air Force's planned review of the B-1B upgrade program.