B-1B Bomber and Options for Enhancements
B-1B Bomber and Options for Enhancements

Author: Jeffrey A. Merkley

Publisher: DIANE Publishing

Published: 2008-11

Total Pages: 122

ISBN-13: 1437900100

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The B-1B bomber has many special features that enhance its ability to penetrate Soviet air defenses. Even so, many reported deficiencies -- including shortcomings in the bomber¿s defensive and offensive avionics and a range that is shorter than anticipated -- have instilled doubts about its capability to perform the mission for which it was originally designed. This report raises three fundamental questions: (1) How serious are the deficiencies? (2) Should the U.S. change current plans and use the B-1B bomber as a standoff bomber carrying cruise missiles rather than as a penetrating bomber? (3) What enhancements should the Congress fund to improve the B-1B as either a penetrating bomber or as a standoff bomber? Illustrations.

Weapons without a Cause
Weapons without a Cause

Author: Theo Farrell

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2016-07-27

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13: 1349251097

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Why are certain weapons acquired in the United States and others not? Theo Farrell addresses this question by examining the strategic, institutional and budgetary issues surrounding four major weapon programmes. Extensive use is made of primary sources in analysing the origins, development and outcomes of these programmes. This book presents alarming evidence to show how the military services manipulate weapons acquisition to suit their own ends rather than national security. It also analyses how Congress, motivated by concerns over cost, comes to play a greater role in shaping programme outcomes once weapons enter production.

Case Study of Risk Management in the USAF B-1B Bomber Program
Case Study of Risk Management in the USAF B-1B Bomber Program

Author: Susan J. Bodilly

Publisher:

Published: 1993

Total Pages: 76

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This case study was undertaken in conjunction with six others to develop a better understanding of the risks involved in weapon system development and whether government policies effectively aid in the management of those risks to reduce the probability or severity of negative outcomes. The purpose of the larger study of seven Air Force procurement programs is to provide information that might improve the decision environment in which weapon systems are procured and thus to increase the probability of positive outcomes. This case focuses on the procurement of the B-1B bomber and covers the procurement of the entire aircraft platform and its component systems. The B-1B, with a direct program acquisition cost of $20.5 billion in 1981 dollars, represents a mixed array of technical advances depending on the component part examined. The case study identifies risk-related decisions made early in the program prior to or at the start of full-scale development. The assessments of risk and its subsequent management are then tracked to show how the early risk management decisions affected the program. The term risk, as used throughout this paper, is the probability that, given that an activity is undertaken, an event will occur that has negative outcomes for those involved. This case study (1) identifies acquisition practices that shape and manage risk and (2) suggests possible improvements.

B-1 Lancer
B-1 Lancer

Author: Dennis R. Jenkins

Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies

Published: 2002-04

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780071400398

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This volume profiles the Boeing North American B-1 Lancer, the last mass-produced strategic bomber in the US, sporting the most complex mechanical and electronic systems of any warplane ever developed. The book includes detailed explanations of technologically advanced flight and warfare avionics and descriptions of abilities and limitations evolving through changing missions and modifications.

Flying Blind
Flying Blind

Author: Michael Edward Brown

Publisher:

Published: 1992

Total Pages: 384

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Flying Blind offers an astute analysis of the role of organizational forces in initiating and shaping weapons programs. Michael E. Brown concerns himself with how weapons programs begin and why they turn out as they do. In the process he redresses a large imbalance in our understanding of how nations arm themselves. In an unmatched account constructed from massive archival work and material declassified through the Freedom of Information Act, the author provides a detailed description of all fifteen postwar U.S. strategic bomber programs, from the B-35 to the B-2. Challenging the conventional wisdom about arms races and the weapons acquisition process, Brown marshals compelling evidence that Air Force reactions to strategic developments, not technological opportunism or industry initiative, brought about many major innovations in those programs. He also discusses competing explanations of the cost, schedule, and performance problems that plague U.S. acquisition efforts. He maintains that powerful strategic and bureaucratic forces lead American military organizations to set their performance requirements far beyond the state of the art and to push their programs as fast as possible. This, he argues, is a recipe for disaster. Developing a comprehensive explanation of the cost and performance problems that plague modern weapons programs, he presents policy recommendations designed to address these issues.