“Once the tactical planning is complete, the crew will table fly,” he said.ĭuring this table flight, the crew discusses their flight route and the various factors or parameters they need to meet in order to defeat the threats and get weapons on target. Additionally, we are able to use it to scan for weather or to find a tanker during aerial refueling.”īefore a standard training sortie, the aircrew receives an intel scenario and formulates a tactical game plan to strike the target in accordance with the commander’s intent and the acceptable level of risk, Barnhart said. “From takeoff and throughout the mission, it’s used to evaluate our position from a fixed point, such as a bridge or significant terrain feature. “The radar has a multitude of uses,” Barnhart said. The Radar Navigator’s uses a complicated navigation system known as the Offensive Avionics System, which includes four screens he or she is constantly cross-checking. “I rely on the radar navigator to select the right weapons, against the right target, to impact and detonate in or around a target in a very precise way in order to meet our objectives.” “As the aircraft commander, I must rely on the information the radar navigator gives me,” he said. The B-52H’s payload flexibility means the radar navigator’s inputs are crucial, Tillman said. “The radar navigator is primarily responsible for the mission planning and weaponeering of numerous cruise missiles, GPS guided weapons, unguided munitions, mines and more.”
Aaron Tillman, a B-52H aircraft commander with the 20 BS. “The radar navigator has endless duties that pilots and crew rely on in order to achieve the mission,” said Maj. Nate Barnhart, 20th Bomb Squadron radar navigator instructor.ĭepending on mission requirements, the radar navigator identifies a target and determines whether the aircraft should execute a bomb run or if the targeting pod would be needed in a close-air-support environment. “First and foremost, it’s my job to get bombs on-target, on-time,” said Capt. One of these crew members, the radar navigator, contributes to the mission by identifying targets and making sure the weapons hit their target. It takes a whole crew to complete a B-52H Stratofortress mission with precision.
The video reminded me of an interesting and quite detailed article about B-52’s Radar Navigators published few months ago on the Barksdale AFB webpage: This officer manages targeting pods and weapons by means of the Offensive Avionics System that the video briefly shows at work. The Radar Navigator is the B-52 crew member whose role is to identify targets and design the attack using cruise missiles, GPS guided weapons, unguided munitions, mines and so on, to achieve a specific level of target damage. Still, I believe this video is worth a special mention because, unlike the majority of the other ones you can find online, it gives you the exclusive opportunity to take a quick look at the Radar Navigator and Navigator stations located on the lower deck.
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