Global Strike Airmen, industry collaborate on improving maintenance equipment
STRIKEWERX provided a tour of a B-52 drag parachute stand at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, as part of a May workshop to explore redesigning the current stand. (Aaron Finney/STRIKEWERX)
By Sean Green | STRIKEWERX Communication Manager
BOSSIER CITY, La. — STRIKEWERX, the innovation hub for Air Force Global Strike (AFGSC), is seeking to redevelop maintenance equipment for the B-52.
STRIKEWERX hosted a Problem Definition Workshop for government and industry at the Cyber Innovation Center in Bossier City, Louisiana, May 14 and 15 to reimagine the B-52 drag parachute stand.
This stand is used to load parachutes that slow the B-52 down when landing. Loading the parachute requires Airmen to utilize a three-story-high stand to hoist and pack the 200 lb item. The current stand cannot be deployed or assembled/disassembled quickly, requires a large shipping footprint, and needs frequent repairs.
The workshop sought input from industry and academia on solutions that would reduce the shipping footprint, preparation time for usage, availability, and reliability.
“I am confident we’re going to get a good potential solution,” said Sgt. Justin Countryman, workshop subject matter expert. “Our industry partners were able to identify areas where we can improve this stand, which is nice because I thought I had it all scoped out. They helped enlighten me there are other, better ways to accomplish this.”
The Problem Definition Workshop is an expanded market research program that matches solutions to challenges facing AFGSC. Solutions come from individuals, startups, small businesses, large enterprises, academia, and research labs by utilizing design thinking, crowdsourced ideas, and collaborative events to find ways forward.
Sam Desai, workshop participant and business development director for the company, noted that the workshop was valuable in giving insight into the problem.
“Normally you only get one side, but it was great having everyone able to collaborate on the same goal,” said Desai. “It was really well done and well facilitated. It was quick, all business and I enjoyed that.”
The inputs from the workshop will now be refined and inform a request for proposal that will be issued to industry and small business later this summer.
About the Cyber Innovation Center
Cyber Innovation Center (CIC), located in Bossier City, Louisiana, is the anchor of the 3,000-acre National Cyber Research Park and serves as the catalyst for the development and expansion of a knowledge-based workforce throughout the region. As a 501c3 not-for-profit corporation, CIC fosters collaboration among its partners and accelerates technology, research, and development. One of its primary missions is to develop a sustainable knowledge-based workforce that can support the growing needs of government, industry, and academic partners.