B-1B bomber still buffeted by headwinds.

B-1B bomber still buffeted by headwinds

The estimated cost of fixing the troubled B-1B bomber keeps going up because of mechanical, structural and electrical problems that continue to plague the controversial aircraft.

The latest problem with the Rockwell International Corp.-assembled bomber involves cracks on what are known as the aircraft's structural longerons, the Air Force said. The longerons are basically the backbone and ribs of the aircraft. Cracks in the longerons have been detected in 37 of the 97 B-1Bs, said an Air Force spokesman.

The affected aircraft have been taken out of service while repair work is being completed but the planes could be used in a national emergency, the spokesman said. The 37 aircraft have not technically been grounded.

"We consider this a maintenance problem, not a flight safety problem," said Technical Sgt. Alan Dockery of the Strategic Air Command in Omaha, Neb., the Air Force division that oversees the operation of the B-1B fleet.

Dockery said SAC is working with engineers from El Segundo-based Rockwell International to permanently fix the cracks and reinforce the structures on the entire fleet, at a estimated cost of $4.85 million. He said the government will pay to fix the cracks and do the reinforcement work, which could take years, and will not make any claims against Rockwell for cost reimbursement.

"I don't know if you can say that this is anyone's fault. These are just the type of things that happen," said Dockery.

Rockwell did not return a phone call for comment on the B-1B's latest problems.

The cost of fixing all the aircraft's recent defects has now risen to at least $306 million, said Dockery. Earlier this year, the Air Force estimated that it could cost about $750 million to correct defects in the fleet and some members of Congress have put the cost at close to $1 billion.

So far, the biggest cost of fixing the fleet, which went into service in late 1986, is for work on the aircraft's defensive avionics systems. The system helps protect the plane from air or land attack as well as from radar detection.

Dockery said correcting the avionics system in the fleet will cost at least $300 million, but some estimates by other military officials have gone as high as $730 million.

The avionics system was produced by Eaton AIL in New York and does not meet Air Force specifications, according to military officials.

Another recent problem involved the General Electric-produced engines. Late last year the entire fleet was grounded after what the Air Force at the time described as two "catastrophic engine failures."

It was the first time in the history of the aircraft that the Air Force used the word "grounded" in connection with the fleet's problems. Before that, the aircraft had gone through at least two "stand downs" or "flights restrictions" since it went into service.

Dockery said the engine problems have been corrected by replacing retaining rings in the fans at a total cost of about $1.8 million.

Previous stand downs have followed a malfunctioning wing and an incident in which one or more pelicans penetrated the skin of one of the aircraft, causing a crash that killed three crew members in September 1987. A total of three of the original fleet of 100 B-1Bs have been destroyed in crashes.

Dockery said the cracks in the longerons were detected during routine maintenance inspections. He said some of the cracks were only discovered with the use of highly technical equipment, while others were several inches long and were visually detectable.

The cracks showed up at the joint that connects the longerons with the landing gear and wings. The area of the cracks are being reinforced with a special material developed by Rockwell engineers and the Air Force specifically to correct the problem, Dockery said.

He said the B-1B has not had an unusually high number of problems.

"Right from the beginning this has been a political project and as such there has been a lot of attention placed on the aircraft," Dockery said. "The media is interested in it and every time something happens there is a story."

He said he did not know of any other problems with the fleet.

Some defense analysts and Washington officials have questioned the viability of the B-1Bs, a $28 billion project that was canceled by President Jimmy Carter and resurrected by President Ronald Reagan. The project was one of Rockwell's biggest military programs during the 1980s, employing about 10,000 workers around the country, including several thousand at the company's Los Angeles-area facilities.

The B-1B does not have stealth capability like the B-2 or "stealth bomber," but it is said to evade radar detection by flying at high speeds and low altitudes while following the contour of the landscape.

The aircraft was designed to be a bridge aircraft between the B-52 and the then-contemplated B-2, another controversial aircraft now being manufactured by Century City-based Northrop Corp.

PHOTO : A flock of problems: Latest travail will cost military $4.85 million