Louisiana Tech University engineering students recently played a role in developing a prototype for a new B-52 Stratofortress towbar. The design promises to enhance global B-52 operations by making the towbar easier to transport and quicker to assemble, supporting the Agile Combat Employment concept.

The project, a collaboration between Louisiana Tech, STRIKEWERX, the Air Force Research Laboratory, and the University of Dayton Research Institute, aimed to meet the urgent need for a more efficient towbar. The new prototype reduces transport preparation from two days to less than 30 minutes and requires fewer pallet positions on military cargo aircraft.

"This effort is about meeting the needs of the Agile Combat Employment concept and having the ability to project bomber power," Master Sgt. Justin Countryman, AFGSC Logistics Innovation Branch superintendent, said.

Louisiana Tech senior engineering students Sam Whitsell, Owen Clyde, and Gabe Collier assisted AFGSC and STRIKEWERK on the project, spending over 180 hours designing the prototype.

"The original design they gave us were hand-drawn copies from the 1960s," Whitsell said. "We came to Barksdale to look at the current towbar and started working from there."

Their design utilizes flange-style connections, allowing the towbar to be disassembled into three compact pieces. This improves upon the previous two-piece design, saving both transport space and time.

Testing of the new towbar is ongoing with B-52 maintainers from the 307th and 2nd Bomb Wings at Barksdale AFB.

"We are trying to break this thing so we can know where to improve it for the final design," Countryman said. "We want to know where the weak points are before it goes into production."

The Air Force Global Strike Command is pushing for the final design to be completed and in the hands of warfighters by 2025, with extensive testing planned to ensure its performance in varying conditions.