A joint Navy and Boeing program rolled out its first upgraded two-seat TAV-8B training jet for Harrier pilots from the Naval Aviation Depot at the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., last month. As a result of the upgrade program, pilots will experience safer operations, more systems proficiency and an aircraft that is more combat capable.

Boeing and the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), including its AV8 Fleet Support Team and the depot, are responsible for the aircraft upgrades that include new, more powerful engines and instrumentation changes that will allow transition pilots to use night vision goggles.

Two-seat trainers play a particularly important role in training pilots because the Harrier requires a distinct set of flying skills and focus to operate the aircraft safely and effectively in the Short Take Off Vertical Landing (STOVL) environment. But taking off and landing is only a small portion of the Harrier’s total mission requirements. Pilots must complete combat capability training to be proficient and ready to use the systems employed by operational fleet units. For most tactical jet pilots their first experience comes in a two-seat trainer with a qualified instructor. These transition pilots are expected to master the skills required to graduate to an operational unit using fleet representative systems, tactics, techniques and procedures. For Marine Corps aviators, destined to fly AV-8B Harriers, that transition training is done at the Fleet Readiness Squadron in Cherry Point.

Initially, the AV-8B Harrier was designed as a “day attack” aircraft with a limited night and all-weather capability. The TAV-8Bs were designed to train pilots to fly STOVL and operate “day attack” systems. As the more advanced
night attack and radar-equipped variants became operational, the trainers became less representative of the systems in the fleet, requiring operational squadrons to provide more advanced systems training. The trainers needed an upgrade to “make them as representative of the current AV-8B fleet as practical,” said Bob Karmi, Boeing team lead for the TAV-8B upgrade program.

The upgrade involves incorporating several modification kits; some are common to the single-seat aircraft while three are unique to the trainer. Although the upgrade team is working to make the changes more efficient to save time and money, it is taking about 18 months to upgrade the first jet with all three trainer- unique changes, Karmi said. Boeing assembles and provides the upgrade kits to the Naval Aviation Depot and depot artisans incorporate the changes into the aircraft.

“We provide engineering support, technical data and drawings that the depot artisans uses to make the changes, but it’s not like we just hand everything over,” Karmi said. “Our technical representative at Cherry Point works dayto-day issues, and we also have engineering, product support and production helping out in St. Louis.”

The first trainer-unique change upgrades the aircraft’s wiring to current fleet standards. Two trainers have received that modification. The third aircraft to receive the wiring modification also will be the first to receive all three trainer-unique modifications. When the wings are removed to make the wiring upgrades, the depot’s artisans accomplish a second key element of the upgrade, replacing the current engine with the more powerful F402-RR-408 engine that powers the latest variant of the single-seat combat jets. The more powerful and reliable engine pumps out 23,400 pounds of thrust; an increase of almost 2,000 pounds over the older version. The upgrade allows the TAV-8Bs to operate virtually unrestricted during the hot summer months at Cherry Point and Yuma, Ariz.

The third, and perhaps most significant upgrade for tactical training purposes, according to Karmi, is the modification to allow pilots to use night vision goggles. This conversion includes changing all the instrument and panel lighting to make it visible to the naked eye for daytime flying, and at night using night vision goggles. The aircraft’s exterior navigation and formation lights, used to identify it to other aircraft, also are being replaced with dual spectrum lights that can be switched between being visible to the naked eye or visible only using night vision goggles.

“This upgrade is really important to the customer,” Karmi said. “It will make the TAV-8Bs significantly closer to the configuration of jets deployed today. Students will be trained more quickly and safely than before and be better prepared when they reach the fleet.”

Several other modifications are planned for the trainers, but will come later in the program. The later modifications include installing new avionics systems, the Night Attack Display Computer and two open system architecture computers: the Mission Systems Computer and Warfare Management Computer. The new computers and flight software will accept future upgrades without the need to rewrite and test the flight program. This will save the Marine Corps considerable money and time, Karmi said. New throttle and stick grips, identical to those in the Night Attack and Radar Aircraft, are anticipated. These new grips will match the fleet configuration and replace as many as three versions currently in the training squadron. The aircraft also will be fitted with a redesigned HI/LO gain nosewheel steering system to provide more positive and predictable control on the ground.