Air Force B-52s Arrive to Attack ISIS

[RV_]

I live practically next door to Barksdale AFB, and since they have published in the public access media I can say that we sure have a had a lot of "BUFFs" Flying here in the last week. For those not in the know, BUFF stands for Big Ugly Fat F_____s That's what we called/call them fondly.

 

Excerpt:

 

"The historic B-52 is a long-range heavy bomber that can perform a variety of missions including strategic attack, close-air support, air interdiction, and maritime operations.

Statement From the Air Force

April 9, 2016
B-52 STRATOFORTRESS JOINS COALITION TEAM

 

U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress aircraft from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, arrived at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, today, in support of theater requirements and Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate Da’esh and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria and the wider international community.

 

"The B-52 will provide the Coalition continued precision and deliver desired airpower effects,” said Lt. Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., commander, U.S. Air Forces Central Command and Combined Forces Air Component. “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 commander's priorities and strengthen the Coalition team."

 

The 19-nation air coalition consists of numerous strike aircraft and the B-52s will bring their unique capability to the fight against Da’esh.

 

The B-52 is a long-range heavy bomber that can perform a variety of missions including strategic attack, close-air support, air interdiction, and maritime operations.

 

Crews will be available to carry out missions in both Iraq and Syria as needed to support Air Tasking Order requirements.

 

"The B-52 demonstrates our continued resolve to apply persistent pressure on Da'esh and defend the region in any future contingency,”said Brown.

 

This deployment is the first basing of the B-52s in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in 26 years. The B-52s were based in Saudi Arabia supporting Operation Desert Storm. The B-52s were last flown operationally during Operation Enduring Freedom in May 2006, and during Exercise Eager Lion – a USCENTCOM- led multilateral exercise in Jordan in May 2015.

 

The coalition conducted more than 33,000 airpower missions in support of OIR. Since the beginning of the operation, the Coalition struck about 459 VBIEDs, 776 mortar systems, 1,933 logistics buildings housing these weapons, 662 weapons caches, and 1,341 staging areas."

 

This article, along with lots of other articles of interest to military vets, is here: http://www.scout.com/military/warrior/story/1659336-air-force-b-52s-arrive-to-attack-isis

[Al F]

It is absolutely amazing that we can still be flying a bomber that was first put into service in the late 1950's, almost 60 years ago. What an amazing aircraft.

[RV_]

The USAF has been doing continuous refits, repairs and upgrades to them when I was active. I retired 18 years ago. My office was on one side of the flight line here, and my outdoor ranges and classroom were, and still are, on the other side. Even when they deafened us, we always caught a r grin when standing by the flight line and watching a continuous generation of the beasts trailing black smoke as they climbed in their funny level looking way.

 

The Wiki is a "best source" for quick BUFF info, and at the end has the notable crashes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_B-52_Stratofortress I started in SAC here and ended my next to last tour there, going on to Germany and took a one year retirement tour at Lackland running the Medina Annex ranges as Superintendent until I was relieved of duty for retirement. My two tours of Lackland were the only tours I was not at an active flying base SAC or TAC. I love seeing those BUFFs in the sky. They are only at about 500 feet when we get the rare overflight in the secondary holding pattern. I only did one three year and one one year tour with the American Toy Company. (ATC now AETC)

 

I wouldn't take back one minute of my military career. ( I would not go back for one minuet more either! )

[SIBERNUT]

Are they gonna' let them do their job, or do the camel jumpers have to shoot at them first?

[Ronbo]

My first base was Castle AFB. Nothing like the sound of freedom produced during a generation exercise where they run up every B52 and KC135 that will run.

[Jim & Alice]

My wife and I lived for three years in Bossier City, LA, Swan Lake area... and when we bought a house there in 1975, we did not realize it was adjacent to the flight path for Barksdale AFB. First night in the House, 3:00 AM, Barksdale had an 'Alert'. B-52 & tanker, full-throttle, taking off... B-52 & tanker... B-52 & tanker... went on for over 30 minutes. We thought WWIII had started.

 

Well, we didn't get blown up obviously... and after a while we came to appreciate all the Air Force stuff flying overhead. Some days, we sat in lawn chairs in the back yard, and enjoyed our own personal Air Show, up close.

 

Thanks, Derek, for bring this up! Great memories.

Jim

[RV_]

YW Jim,

I remember where you told me you lived. You were right in the take off and landing approach, very noisy.

 

Today there are only 2 B-52 bases with 7 bomber squadrons between Minot N.D. and Barksdale LA, and Barksdale has 5 of the 7 here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_B-52_Units_of_the_United_States_Air_Force

 

So your old home is just as filled with the sound of freedom now as then.

[Jim & Alice]

Its funny, Derek - there is a certain road in Bossier... I can't remember the name of... but it is close to Hwy 80, and about as close to the runway end as can be gotten to, but yet not be on base... There may be a gate there, but I am not sure.

 

Back in 2003 we took our son down to Shreveport for a Scholarship he got to LSU-S... and we drove on that road... just as a B-52 was taking off directly overhead. The car vibrated. Son Tom was fascinated... thrilled... and 4 years later he used that experience as part of his reasoning to join the Air Force. He is a Weather Forecaster now, in Kuwait.

 

Good sounds.

Jim

[Jack Mayer]

It is interesting to watch the "big boys" take off or land. Landing, especially, is interesting to me. We used to drive past the Dover, DE base (C5's) and watch them land. When the wind is right you could sit at the end of the runway and swear you could touch them as they came overhead. They look like they are "floating" and going slow....until you look at the ground they are covering....

[Pieere]

I remember them at Plattsburgh AFB back in the 1950's and 60's! It was a SAC base on the same parallel as Moscow if my old brain recollects! They would warm them monsters up in the winter and the insulating effect of the snow cover amplified them more! Then in 1991 Bill Clinton The POTUS; decided the base was no longer needed after spending billions renovating until it closed in 1993. It went back to the city and now has mostly Canadian manufacturing and warehouses operating there!

[RV_]

I TDY'd for two weeks to Loring AFB Maine in January and the runways had snow piled on both sides of the runway ten feet high! We flew the KC-135 with the backward facing seats installed. They had tunnels between buildings for alerts in really bad weather. The SPs that had to hump the BUFFs had at least one suicide annually. Now the BUFFs have two squadrons at Minot N.D., but are mostly just here at Barksdale AFB where we also have Global Strike Command (joint) Headquarters, and the mighty Eighth Air Force Headquarters.

 

Speaking of bad weather, the undisputed worst weather for any Military base runways were at Hahn AB Germany. I was there when we closed Hahn, it was a couple of hours in a hummer from Spangdahlem AB where I spent 7 years 1990-1997. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hahn_Air_Base

 

"The base itself was located high on a ridge, 1650 feet above sea level, at a northern latitude approximately even with Labrador. That gave Hahn long winters and short summers with fog usually a part of the scenery throughout the year. Rain, both the hard driving type and drizzle variety, was not an uncommon occurance. In winter, there was considerable snow, and in general the weather picture was like that of the New England states. Hahn was acknowledged as havinq the worst weather in Europe and that required a great deal of instrument flying with little flying during the usual weather minimums in the winter and early spring."

 

http://www.hahn-air-base.de/hab/habhist/history.htm

 

Speaking of SAC, when I left for Germany in 1990 from Barksdale it was still SAC:

 

"The 31 May 1992 major reorganization of the USAF organizational structure subsequently disestablished SAC, moving its bomber, reconnaissance and aerial command post aircraft and all SAC ICBMs, along with all Tactical Air Command aircraft, to the newly established Air Combat Command (ACC). The newly established Air Mobility Command (AMC) inherited most of SAC's KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft and the entire KC-10 Extender aerial refueling tanker force, while some KC-135s were reassigned directly to USAFE and PACAF, with one additional air refueling wing assigned to the Air Education and Training Command (AETC) as the KC-135 formal training unit.

 

Land-based ICBMs were later transferred from ACC to Air Force Space Command (AFSPC), while manned bombers remained in ACC. USAF nuclear forces in ACC and AFSPC were then combined with the United States Navy's Fleet Ballistic Missile submarine forces to form the United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), which took over the SAC Headquarters complex at Offutt AFB.

 

In 2009, the entire land-based USAF ICBM force and that portion of the USAF manned bomber force that was still nuclear-capable, e.g., the B-2 Spirit and B-52 Stratofortress, was transferred to the newly established Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC), while the B-1 Lancer conventional bomber force remained in ACC. In 2015, these B-1 units were also transferred to Global Strike Command, which assumed responsibility for all current and future USAF bomber forces.[86]"

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_Air_Command

 

As an item of interest, along with the usual plaques and departing Combat Arms Manager items a very good friend surprised us all when he, a civilian friend, head of the S'Port regional arts council known for his own stained glass work gave me as a personal gift a 21"X21" cut and leaded stained glass SAC Crest. I didn't realize SAC would be gone when I returned for a final tour in the Air Educational Toy Company (AETC) (A one year return from overseas retirement tour at Lackland AFB.) It was appraised at over $500.00 for shipment then in 1990. The lettering is cut into the blue glass. Like vinyl; records, the young troops of today will never know what it was like to be SACumcised. Here is a pic of it in my office window in the new house.

[Pieere]

My father worked as a civilian plumber and steamfitter on the base and had this sticker on the car! I would ride with my mom to get him to and from work when up until 1963 when he retired!! Loved to go down to the flightline and see the big birds take off and land!

[Mark&Chong]

I spent 76-78 at Loring AFB and winters were long. With the buffs I remember the wings lifting before the body during the take off roll.

[RV_]

Yeppers!

 

Welcome to the Escapees forums Mark! Did you retire or get smart and get out to make some real money while young? I stayed and got a great retirement. Mark are you an RVr or just pop in for the military posts? I do not think I'd have liked longer than the two weeks we were there. We learned that Madawaska (sp?) had the pretty women and the lumberjacks were not liking us AF guys dating their women. I got caught in several white outs at highway speeds and ended up facing the other direction once. We did partay! But I was single then too.