Upgrade Team Delivers Improved Jump Jet
Harrier pilots in the fleet have
begun to see an even meaner aircraft with the delivery of the first
of a newly upgraded version of the TAV-8B by depot artisans
recently.
Naval Air Depot Cherry Point reached a new milestone with the
delivery of an upgraded TAV-8B, the two-seated training model of
the aircraft, to Marine Attack Training Squadron 203 in late
August. It was the first aircraft to be delivered to the fleet with
the newest modifications.
The upgrades included the long-awaited OC1.2 software, nicknamed
"OSCAR," that provides the aircraft with the capability to drop
joint direct attack munitions –- such as 500 -- and
1,000-pound bombs that are precisely guided by global positioning
system equipment (the same stuff shown so frequently on television
during the Gulf War). The OSCAR software also allows pilots to
conduct joint communication with other friendly aircrews on secure
frequencies. As a part of the T-upgrade program, Cherry Point
artisans also upgraded the aircraft’s nosewheel steering
system to work with the new software.
According to Maj. Steve Hagerty, the AV-8B program officer, the
OSCAR software was originally scheduled to be introduced to the
fleet’s active attack squadrons – "gun squadrons" to
the Marines. "However, the OSCAR program was delayed and it fell
upon our TAV-8B Upgrade Program to introduce it to the fleet," said
Hagerty. "The first aircraft was delivered to (the training
squadron) before the gun squadrons even had a chance to see
it."
Jeff Jaskolka, an industrial specialist here and managing
liaison with PMA-257 at Patuxent River (MD) pointed out that the
original upgrade program for the trainers was designed to bring the
TAV-8Bs in line with the combat models used by the fleet. "Until we
began working on them, the trainers had never been upgraded to keep
up with the newer models that hit the fleet," said Jaskolka. Those
original upgrades included all new wiring, enhanced night vision
capabilities and the new F408 engine, which gives the aircraft
improved hover capability and better performance.
That program has expanded to include the OSCAR upgrades. The
newly upgraded aircraft that was delivered in August is, in some
ways, more advanced than any other Harrier in the Marine Corps
inventory.
From here on out, said Hagerty, the depot will incorporate the
OSCAR upgrade in all "T" models. The depot is scheduled to deliver
15 upgraded trainers to the Marines by the middle of fiscal year
2006. Upgrades to combat models of the aircraft are also scheduled,
starting with three this fiscal year. These upgrades are slated to
be done in the field, with the eventual upgrade of the entire
Harrier fleet.