Combat aircraft

A tooled-up

AV-8B+ of

VMA-214 tips

in on a target,

carrying

a Litening

targeting

pod on the

centerline

station.

Jamie Hunter

aircraft to be digitally interoperable

with current and future network

infrastructures. In January 2016,

Boeing was awarded a $7.2-million

contract to research the integration

of Link-16. Boeing then contracted

ViaSat Inc to supply its KOR-24A Small

Tactical Terminal (STT) that will enable

the Harriers to communicate by both

Link-16 and soldier radio waveform

(SRW) networks.

‘We’ve always struggled with not being

Link-16-capable,’ says McGregor. ‘That’s

what we’re doing right now. VX-9 and

VX-31 are here at Yuma with their own

jets and they’re upgrading the software

on our jets as part of what we call a

developmental test assist. Our pilots get

to fly with the new software, H6.2, plus

a small hardware upgrade to enable the

radios. The increase in our situational

awareness [SA] is phenomenal — it’s just

one more sensor for us to manage in the

cockpit. Our Hornet brethren have had

this for years and we now have some

learning to do, but it’s great to be more

of a contributor to the fight.’

H7.0 will fully integrate Link-16 plus

the BAE Systems APX-123 transponder.

MIL-STD-1760 wiring is also planned

for Stations 1 and 7 to permit carriage

of the AIM-120C/D and AIM-9X Block

II along with new AN/ALE-47 V2

countermeasures dispensers.

Bucklew has been flying Harriers since

2004 and completed two combat tours

with VMA-513 ‘Nightmares’. ‘I flew in Iraq

in 2005 and 2006 out of Al Asad on day

http://www.combataircraft.net // February 2018 33

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