for message processing, radio control/
monitoring and other mission applications.
The programme also improved reliability
and operation of the UHF C3 system,
added enhanced operator workstations that
reduced workload and improved system
interoperability, and provided a baseline
for future upgrades. It also installed an
additional auxiliary power unit, boosting
power and cooling capabilities.
The modi cations were carried out by
L-3 Communications Integrated Systems
Group, at its Waco facility, which returned
the rst modi ed Mercury on February
25, 2009. Subsequent production efforts
were under way by August 2010, and the
programme achieved initial operational
capability (IOC) in 2014.
A service-life extension program (SLEP)- which began in 2009 at the USAF’s
Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex at
Tinker AFB – extended the E-6B’s service
life from 27,000 to 45,000 hours, facilitating
its continuation in service until 2040. The
rst aircraft was completed in June 2010 and
the programme concluded late last year.
ADVANCED
COMMUNICATIONS
In August 2008, the US Navy awarded
Boeing a $28.8m contract to support
continuing E-6B spiral development
activities. It integrated the rst phase of
the Internet Protocol Bandwidth Expansion
(IPBE) programme, which increased the
aircraft’s wideband capabilities by adding
International Marine/Maritime Satellite
(INMARSAT) and Digital Northstar(DNS) satellite and line-of-sight (LOS)
communications systems.
The work achieved IOC in February 2014
and eet upgrades will be completed by mid-- In November 2017, Rockwell Collins
accepted a $12.7m contract to install a Block
I/Internet Protocol Bandwidth Expansion
Phase 3/Block IA Very Low Transmit
Terminal/Nuclear Planning and Execution
System. The prototype is expected to be
completed in June next year.
Northrop Grumman received a $44.3m
contract in June 2012 for the integration
of a high-speed, secure communications
and networking system on the E-6B. The
modi cations permit the E-6B to connect
to secure high-speed networks. More
recently, the contractor began work to
provide the aircraft with a Multi-Role Tactical
Common Data Link (MR-TCDL) which adds
additional LOS and wideband global satellitecommunications capabilities. The work
began in November 2013, with initial aircraft
installation completed in 2015. Flight and
system testing are continuing.
Secure communications are being further
improved by replacing the E-6B’s MILSTAR
system with the Advanced Extremely High
Frequency (AEHF) Family of Advanced
Beyond-Line-of-Sight Terminals (FAB-T); and
Presidential National Voice Conferencing
(PNVC) capability.
The USAF has also begun development
of a replacement for the ALCS, which it
hopes to begin elding by 2024. In October
2017, Lockheed Martin and Rockwell Collins
received $80 and $76m respectively to
develop prototypes of these new mission
systems under the Airborne Launch Control
System Replacement (ALCS-R) programme.
Although the Mercury is expected to
serve until 2040, the scal 2018 National
Defense Authorization budget provided
$7.8m to begin development of a new
Survivable Airborne Operations Center. It
will merge the missions of the E-6B with the
USAF’s E-4B National Airborne Operations
Center (NAOC) in a single eet of uniformly-
con gured aircraft. An additional $18m was
requested for the programme in scal 2019,
and funding will increase to $100m annually
in scal years 2020 to 2023. However, until
that programme becomes a reality, the
Mercury will continue to carry out its two
important roles, serving as an airborne
command post and a communications link
between national command authorities and
the land, air and undersea forces assigned to
the USSTRATCOM.68 Aviation News incorporating Jets September 2018
A Mercury was part of the aircraft static display at this year’s Royal International Air Tattoo. Key-Nigel PriceRetirement of the E-6B eet is scheduled for 2040. US DoD/US National Archives‘This incorporated the
capabilities of the US
Strategic Command’s
EC-135C Looking
Glass Airborne
Command Post
(ABNCP) aircraft
into the Mercury.’