B-52 crewmen trained for combat by simulator

It is announced that a large electronic simulator that provides realistic "aerial combat" experience for a new breed of airmen - electronic warfare officers - has been developed for the US Air Force. Since last April, electronic warfare officers of the US Strategic Air Command (SAC) have "flown missions" in the new training system, learning electronic countermeasure (ECM) techniques to defend their B-52 global bombers. Flights of up to 2,000 miles have been simulated through realistically duplicated hostile radar and missile-attacking environments. The electronic simulator that makes this possible fills a 28- by 30-foot room with a battery of signal generators, control networks, jammers and receivers, as well as an exact replica of the B-52\´s ooerational electronic warfare station. Also included is an array of controls and display panels used by an instructor to synthetically create "dangerous" situations and controlled malfunctions.