L559 Pod Feasibility Study

Feasibility of connecting AgilePod to data and power from the left wing L559 station. The B-52H AgilePod is a prototype effort to accelerate disruptive technology integration within the bomber fleet.Ā B-52H aircraft require a multi-function, reconfigurable pod to rapidly deliver capability to the warfighter without timelines required of a permanent aircraft modification. The agile multi-function pod will support high bandwidth voice/data capability and advanced Position, Navigation, & Timing (PNT) resilience. The solution will enable high bandwidth, hyper-converged edge computing with large capacity data storage. The agile multi-function pod will integrate capability across all domains and enhance data transfer, weapon employment, operational simulation, and provide rapid solutions to emerging threats. In order to leverage these capabilities in the B-52H, all aircraft require enhanced electrical and fiber optic wiring from both wing L559 stations into the cockpit. The B-52H aircraft were made in the early 60s and are expected to fly through 2050 and beyond. Our nation cannot afford to build multiple new bombers, so we need to optimize these legacy aircraft for potential deterrence and conflict situations. Technology has improved greatly since the last major modification to the wings and the aircraft data bus.Ā Additionally, great gains have been made getting more data through legacy technologies. It is currently unknown if there are innovative technologies that would enable high bandwidth data connections from left wing L559 station to the cockpit to achieve the requirements noted above.Ā Today, the AgilePod is configured and mounted on the B-52H left wing Heavy Stores Adapter Beam (HSAB), taking a critical heavy weapons spot, limiting ordinance employment options for operational commanders.Ā This study will consider existing wiring, bus and power options at the left and right L559 stations and determine options for connectivity using 5th/6th gen technology to reduce weight, EMI and enable high speed data exchange. Ā