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Air Force Global Strike Command's B-1 Lancer and B-52
Stratofortress bombers have taken turns overseas with airstrikes in
the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Each airframe
provides invaluable capabilities, such as the Lancer's maximum
payload size and supersonic speed and the Stratofortress' unmatched
array of weapons.
These capabilities came together in a new
way with an integration flight to southern Louisiana June 15, 2016.
In the inaugural flight, a B-1 from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, and
a B-52 from Barksdale flew in unison with a B-1 aviator, Capt. Dane
Kidman, taking on the distinctive role of mission commander and
crewmember aboard the B-52.
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June 15, 2016 - A B-52 Stratofortress prepares to land at Barksdale
Air Force Base, LA. A B-1 Lancer aviator was serving as a crewmember
aboard the jet and acting as mission commander of the inaugural
integration flight with a B-1. (U.S. Air Force photo by U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Curtis Beach)
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“The intent of this flight was to strengthen the bomber
culture within Air Force Global Strike Command and 8th Air
Force especially now that all the bombers are unified under
the same command,” said Capt. James Bresnahan, 11th Bomb
Squadron weapons and tactics flight commander. “In order to
do that, we needed to meet each other, learn how each
other's aircraft and crews operate. We were able to see what
similarities we share and combine our strengths for optimal
efficiency.”
This flight, part of the larger scale
inaugural Bomber Road Show, was the culminating exercise of
a week-long event. The integration began with the aircrews
of the two formal training units coming together in school
houses to cross-talk about similarities and differences
between training and operations of the two aircraft.
The bomber duo departed Barksdale to a training area in a
simulated threat environment to perform an airstrike
targeting scenario. Upon arrival, they checked in with a
controlling agency and received mission objectives which
included multiple simulated targets.
“What this
allowed us to do was to exercise our capability to work as a
team of aircraft while maximizing the amount of weapons,
firepower and timeliness we bring to the fight,” said
Kidman.
Simulated targets included buildings, a helicopter and high value
targets. As mission commander, Kidman orchestrated the attack based
on each target's location in the threat environment and the
capabilities of each aircraft.
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June 15, 2016 - A B-1 Lancer takes flight from Barksdale Air Force
Base, LA. The B-1 Lancer can carry the largest payload of guided and
unguided weapons, 75,000 pounds, in the Air Force inventory and
reaches supersonic speeds of 900-plus mph. (U.S. Air Force photo by U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Curtis Beach)
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According to crewmembers, both crews benefited from this
integration flight. They emphasized the uniqueness of seeing
what a mission commander is capable of when he knows how to
employ the strengths of two types of aircraft versus a
mission commander who goes in only knowing one aircraft's
capabilities, an impactful benefit that can be useful in a
combat zone.
Training aircrew to be knowledgeable on
and able to operate multiple bomber aircraft makes the
aviators more dynamic and can add mission flexibility and
increased timeliness, enhancing capability of operations in
a down range.
“Learning how to integrate different principles from
aviators who fly a different jet than I do creates a synergistic
effect in the bomber community worldwide,” said Capt. Brian Milner,
28th Bomb Squadron weapons and tactics flight commander and B-1
instructor. “Not only does this capability provide additional
aircraft, but it makes our Air Force more lethal and more damaging
when we have multiple aircraft operating as one cohesive unit
operating in a wartime environment.”
By U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Curtis Beach
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2016
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