Weight and field maintenace considerations of the mechanical analog Sperry K-System, installed in the early B-52 aircraft models, drove consideration for development of a system lighter in weight and modular in construction, to ease or facilitate more rapid flight line and field shop maintenace.
Perkin-Elmer, a research and development firm (since absorbed by some other company), was contracted to design a replacement for the Sperry K-System in B-52 aircraft - a navigation and bombing computer system that was both lighter in weight and modular in construction.
B-52 E and F models were scheduled to come off the production assembly line in the 1956-57 time period. The next immediate task was to find some company or corporation with computer technology background and manufacturing capabilities and capacity sufficient to produce the large quantity of systems to support the planned production of the B-52 E and F models.
The bombing and navigation computer sub-system was only a part of the total B-52 offensive weapons systems. That computer sub-system had to interface with a search and tracking radar system to see the terrain, a doppler radar navigation system to provide ground track angle and ground speed data, the aircraft's compass system, the auto-pilot system, a bomb-damage assessment camera, and the weapons release system.
Other critical items included a gyro to provide a stable platform for mandatory reference to the center of the Earth's sphere, sensors to provide outside air temperature and pressure data inputs required to compute air speed and altitude, and a ballistics data storage unit that provided for pre-setting empirical bomb trajectory data, for a range of trajectories of various iron and nuclear bombs the B-52 was capable of carrying.
Other companies, experts in their respective engineering disciplines, with manufacturing capabilities and capacity, were also needed to produce the large quantity of these other sub-systems and their parts, to support the planned production of E and F model B-52s.
Most prominent of these other companies included Raytheon for the search and tracking radar, General Precison Laboratories (GPL) for the doppler radar, General Electric for the camera, and Kollsman for the aircraft compass system.
Kollsman later provided an Astro-Compass System (a combination mechanical, electro-mechanical and electronic analog computer system).
This Astro-Compass System solved the celestial navigation problem by locking unto light from the sun in daylight hours, and to the intensity of light from stars in the darkness of night. Its gyro system was so sensitive, bench systems had to be installed on concrete pedestals several feet deep into the ground, to minimize disturbance from earth vibrations by the roll of 18-wheeler trucks riding highways ten miles away.
This Astro-Compass System was installed only in E and F model B-52s, and later removed. (I have no proof, but, from experience, one of the reasons for removal could have come from this system's ability to lock-on to the glow from lightning bugs impacted on the glass dome during B-52 take-off rolls, later blocking points of view, rendering the system inoperative in-flight.)
After 1977, the B-52 bomb-nav system was modified to communicate with the Geophysical Positioning Satellites (GPS), in fixed orbit positions some 25,000 miles above the Earth, for relief from dependence on celestial navigation (using stars as points of reference).
Manufacturing and assembly of many sub-systems was only one problem. Sub-system integration and management of total weapons system integration of production systems was a second problem. IBM was approached for its high reputation for management and its manufacturing capabilities and capacity.
Mr. T. J. Watson Sr., founder of the IBM Corporation, accepted responsibility to manufacture the bombing and navigation computer sub-sytem, and to function as a weapons system integrator. Being a good corporate citizen, he expressed his willingness to devote at least 10% of IBM corporate resources to the defense interests of the United States. (During World War II, IBM was one of the contractors manufacturing the M-1 rifle.)
While IBM was given management responsibility for system production, integration and logistics, Boeing was the total B-52 weapons system integrator for aircraft system installation and operation.
With this commitment by Mr. Watson Sr., a new and non-commercial division of IBM was established in the 1954-56 time period. It was named the 'Military Products Division'. Facilities were built in Owego, NY (Tioga County), some 25 miles west of Endicott, NY where the first IBM commercial engineering and manufacturing facilities were located.
Mr. Watson got his start as a salesman in that area, and, out of a feeling of gratitude and loyalty, did everything he could for the 'economic' well being of that area. Location anyplace else was out of the question.
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