# 926.

This is coolbert:

Canberra B-57 bomber once again a topic for discussion. Flying high and doing yeoman service.

Thanks for the tip from Al.

"An airbase without a runway: What does Hanscom do?"

"Hanscom air force base, Massachusetts, USA."

"What goes on behind the barbed wire fence surrounding Hanscom Air Force Base?"

Fences, barbed wire and closed doors.

"No fighter jets take off and land there. The runways that used to be owned by the Air Force are now owned by Massport."

An airbase without runways not entirely correct. Hanscom at one time having a considerable contingent of resident combat warplanes. The current runways as stated now commercially operated and quite active.

United States Air Force [USAF] research and development [R and D]. Civilian agencies working hand and glove with the USAF to produce advanced systems.

"Perhaps the most significant tool developed by units at Hanscom in recent years is the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node, or BACN. Dennis described it as a 'universal translator,' helping troops on the ground talk--and give precise targeting coordinates--to pilots supporting them from the sky. Without it, Dennis said, troops had the difficult job of describing the target to pilots, and hoping they picked the right one."

BACN as tested by an ancient but venerable and still flying WB-57! Sixty years and still going strong for the Canberra!

"The system was tested using a converted 1950s bomber called the WB-57 Canberra, Dennis said, which was flown into Hanscom for the Sept. 13 expo. Now, the system is flying in combat on aircraft and drones."

NASA 926 was the first aircraft to have BACN technology installed, and it has been utilized in the program on and off since the beginning. The BACN system is designed to be used at high altitudes, which makes the high flying WB-57 a good choice for a flight test bed

Please recall B-57 able to reach and altitude of in excess of 50,000 feet [16,000 meters]!!

See previous blog entries the topic of which was the B-57:

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/09/minerals.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/07/rb-57.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2013/09/b-57.html

coolbert.