Image
B-1B bomber in flight
Courtesy of U.S. Air National Guard/Tech. Sgt. John Winn
Caption
A B-1B Lancer descends over central Utah after conducting air refueling operations on September 30, 2019. The U.S. Air Force awarded Southwest Research Institute a $12 million contract to redesign the aircraft’s Fuel Center of Gravity Management System, which tracks fuel data and usage, controls fuel transfer to the aircraft’s four turbine engines and calculates corrections to the bomber’s center of gravity as fuel is depleted. The system overhaul supports the aircraft’s service life extension through 2040.