The US Air Force has selected BAE Systems to design, develop, manufacture, and sustain the Bomber Armament Tester (BAT) system for the Air Force bomber fleet. The BAT system will test the operational readiness of the bomb ejector racks, rotary launchers, and pylon assemblies on board B-1B, B-2A, and B-52H aircraft under a contract worth more than $64 million.
"The BAT system provides critical verification that the aircraft’s weapon systems are operating as specified,” said Kevin Malone, vice president of Analytics Systems at BAE Systems. “Our team, which includes Marvin Test Solutions and the Air Force Air Logistics Complexes, has extensive experience developing flight line qualified armament testers and test program sets.”
This contract provides for engineering and manufacturing development of 90 BAT systems, which will be delivered in three increments over the next nine years. Work on the program will be performed primarily at BAE Systems’ facilities in San Diego, California, and Fort Worth, Texas.