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Title: B-52s joining fight against ISIS
Source:
CNN
URL Source: http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/09/politics/b52-isis-air-force/index.html
Published: Apr 11, 2016
Author: Brad Lendon and Ryan Browne
Post Date: 2016-04-11 03:09:15 by Tooconservative
Keywords: None
Views: 1562
Comments: 6
The service did not say how many of the eight-engine, 180,000-pound B-52s were in Qatar, but their deployment was not a surprise. The Pentagon in January pulled from Qatar B-1 bombers that had been used to fight ISIS. Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said in early March that the B-52s were ready to step in. The air campaign against ISIS is "taking a toll on our aircraft, our readiness and our airmen" but the "venerable B-52 ... remains ready and able to meet combatant commander requirements," she said during a Pentagon press briefing. The Air Force said Saturday it was the first time the B-52s would be based in Central Command's area of operation in 26 years. The bombers played a prominent role Operation Desert Storm in 1991, when they were based in Saudi Arabia, the Air Force said. "As a multi-role platform, the B-52 offers diverse capabilities including delivery of precision weapons and the flexibility and endurance needed to support the combatant commanders' priorities and strengthen the coalition team." Lt. Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., the commander of U.S. Air Forces Central Command, said in the statement. "The B-52 demonstrates our continued resolve to apply persistent pressure on (ISIS) and defend the region in any future contingency," Brown said. The B-52 is one of the oldest active aircraft in the Air Force, having first entered service in the 1950s during the height of the Cold War. It originally was designed to serve as a long-range, high-altitude intercontinental nuclear bomber that could strike deep into the Soviet Union. The newest B-52 entered service in 1962 and the plane became a Cold War icon, featured prominently in the 1964 film "Dr. Strangelove." The planes have been modified heavily since the end of the Cold War and have been upgraded with precision-guided missiles, electronics and high-tech sensors. The plane can carry up to 70,000 pounds of bombs, mines and missiles, according to the Air Force's official fact sheet. The Air Force said the B-52s were responsible for dropping 40% of all munitions during Operation Desert Storm. The B-52s also saw action in Iraq and Afghanistan throughout the 2000s. Prior to their January withdrawal, the B-1 bombers had flown 490 sorties against ISIS during their six-month deployment, according to a release from the 28th Bomb Wing out of Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota. Poster Comment: I can't ever resist a B-52 story. I chose to use a 2006 pic of a B52 at Barksdale instead of the boring one the article used. I recall we recently had discussion about the B-52 here, how old the newest B-52s were, etc. (CNN)The U.S. Air Force is sending a Cold War icon into the fight against ISIS. B-52 Stratofortresses from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana arrived at an air base in Qatar on Saturday for use against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, the Air Force said in a statement. 
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#1. To: TooConservative (#0)
Awesome aircraft !
Si vis pacem, para bellum Those who beat their swords into plowshares will plow for those who don't Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God. There are no Carthaginian terrorists. President Obama is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people. --Clint Eastwood "I am concerned for the security of our great nation; not so much because of any threat from without, but because of the insidious forces working from within." -- General Douglas MacArthur
Long in the tooth but still a grand old plane. The grandsons of the original pilots are flying their grandfathers' B-52s now. And when we finally retire the B-52s around 2037, some will be flown by the great-grandsons of original B-52 pilots. : )
Sometimes using what is tried and true is the best option. My favorite plane in our arsenal is the A-10 Warthog . The Pentagon is replacing them with the F-35 . But before that they plan on having the 2 planes go head to head to see which one is the better close air support plane. I'm betting on the A-10 .
"If you do not take an interest in the affairs of your government, then you are doomed to live under the rule of fools." Plato
I like the Warthog but it was primarily an anti-armor plane, built itself like a flying tank. It was primarily intended to halt the Soviet invasion of Europe via the Fulda Gap in northern Germany, as I'm sure you recall. However, it does fill vital air support roles still today because nothing as durable and well-designed has come along to replace it. And it goes without saying that we're both big SR-71 fans too. : )
The proof is in the results. The enemy never took one of them down. My father was one of the designers of the F-14 wings. So the Tomcat is on my list of favorites too. "If you do not take an interest in the affairs of your government, then you are doomed to live under the rule of fools." Plato
Probably the most badass plane ever built. I don't think they're ever revealed all the weapons capabilities they developed for it.
#2. To: Stoner (#1)
#3. To: TooConservative (#0)
#4. To: tomder55 (#3)
(Edited)
#5. To: TooConservative (#4)
And it goes without saying that we're both big SR-71 fans too. : )
#6. To: tomder55 (#5)
The proof is in the results.
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