Dual Capable The Air Force’s B-2 and B-52 bombers stand ready for any conventional or nuclear mission put to them. By Michael C. Sirak, Executive Editor oday, some three years after mands that come with it—when the historical standards. The airframes are the Air Force began revital- call came for action. structurally sound, but face vexing issues izing its nuclear enterprise, On short notice, the wing swung into such as corrosion. Further, the Air Force the nation’s dual-mission conventional mode. Three of its stealth is still building its cadre of seasoned bombers are prepared and bombers left Whiteman to strike nearly 50 maintainers to tend to the demands of a Tready to take on the full range of con- targets at an airfield in Ghardabiya, Libya, new operational squadron—the fourth ventional and nuclear missions, should seven time zones away. The aircraft de- B-52 combat-coded squadron in the fleet they be necessary. livered their conventional weapons loads overall—that USAF has established at If unleashed, Air Force Global Strike with great accuracy, hitting hardened Minot AFB, N.D. Command’s stealthy B-2s and versatile aircraft shelters, MiG combat aircraft, The Air Force’s 20 B-2s, the first of B-52s could strike with extreme power, and military helicopters parked on the which entered service in 1993, comprise precision, and lethality against any foe on ground, kick-starting NATO’s seven- a tiny inventory by just about anyone’s the globe, at any time, with conventional month air operation against then-dictator standard. That fleet size makes aircraft bombs or nuclear munitions. Muammar Qaddafi’s regime. availability all the more important Take last March’s B-2 strike in Libya, Maintaining such perpetual dual since even one aircraft down represents for example. The 509th Bomb Wing at readiness is not easy, say the airmen a five percent reduction in the total Whiteman AFB, Mo., which oversees who support and operate the bomber fleet’s capacity. Currently, supply is- the B-2 fleet, was still undergoing a force. USAF’s 76 B-52H bombers—a sues hamper B-2 availability, placing nuclear inspection by Global Strike force already 50 years old—represent stress on flying schedules to maintain Command—and facing all of the de- a small-size fleet by the aircraft type’s pilot proficiency. 32 AIR FORCE Magazine / January 2012 Airmen ready a B-52 to taxi before a mission from Minot AFB, N.D. There are 76 of the venerable bombers in the USAF fleet. Below, a B-2 returns to Whiteman AFB, Mo., after a mission. The inventory of 20 B-2 bombers is small by anyone’s standards. USAF photo by SrA. Jeremy Burns USAF photo by SrA. Kenny Holston AIR FORCE Magazine / January 2012 33 under significant stress, both in the nuclear [area], where perfection is the standard, and in conventional ops, where we are putting airframes and aircrews into harm’s way.” Dawkins praised his airmen’s “ability to get the job done no matter what the USAF photo by SSgt. Jamie Powell conditions—whether that is a typical Minot winter or a natural disaster” such as the devastating flooding of the Souris River in North Dakota in summer 2011. That flood displaced hundreds of Minot airmen and their families from off-base homes, with full recovery not expected for several years. Yet, the 5th BW suffered only “min- imal” impact to its operations, said Dawkins. “We were at all times able to execute. In other words if the President called, we were able to generate the combat power necessary. That was never in doubt.” What is still up in the air is what this bomber force will look like by the end of the decade. It’s going to become smaller as the United States reconfigures its nuclear force posture to meet its commitments under the New START agreement with Russia. As part of these changes, the nation will significantly draw down the number of B-52s capable of both nuclear and conventional missions. The exact details, including the makeup of the two B-52 wings after the reductions, were still unclear as of late 2011. Beyond a Global Deterrence Force Dual-role bomber operations have evolved as USAF passed through the initial stage of reinvigorating its nuclear SSgt. Dustin Hyden (l) and SSgt. Doyle Atkinson load Mk 62 naval mines onto a operations to the point of reaching today’s B-52 in preparation for a joint exercise with the Navy. The nuclear-capable aircraft is steady state. remarkably versatile. Gone is the construct called Global Deterrence Force that the Air Force Yet, this force of less than 100 bomb- But it’s not just the machines. The leadership created at the start of the ers continues to impress the airmen who airmen are the lifeblood of the dual-role nuclear reinvigoration. GDF imposed oversee it. “This jet,” the B-2, “can be a bombers’ operations. On a daily basis, a more rigid schedule for when each very complicated and finicky mistress they get the job done in providing the of the two B-52 wings—Minot’s 5th on the best of days,” said Col. Mat- nation both a nuclear deterrent as well BW and the 2nd BW at Barksdale AFB, thew Kmon, commander of the 509th as conventional options to combatant La.—would concentrate on nuclear Maintenance Group, in an interview at commanders around the world, including training and when each would focus Whiteman. “As much as I hate her at a continual presence on Guam through on the conventional side. times, what she brings to the fight is periodic rotations of expeditionary squad- “It was a pretty solid piece of phenomenal.” rons. thinking when it first set out and when That same respect applies to the B-52. They overcome factors such as ex- the nuclear bomber force at that time “It is a workhorse. You can put just about tremes of weather, mechanical issues was part of Air Combat Command,” anything on a B-52,” said Col. James C. with their platforms, and a demanding explained Col. Robert F. Gass, 8th Air Dawkins Jr., 5th Bomb Wing commander, and unforgiving inspection regime. Force vice commander. The numbered in an interview at Minot. “Despite all of those things, they air force, which oversees the nuclear- “The B-52 has an awesome strategic have shown remarkable resilience,” capable bombers, is headquartered at nuclear deterrent capability,” added Col. said Brig. Gen. Scott A. Vander Hamm, Barksdale. He added, “I think it was Troy A. VanBemmelen, who heads Mi- 509th BW commander, of his airmen. an effort to provide rhythm for a real not’s 5th Operations Group. “I am really proud of their performance focus on nuclear operations.” 34 AIR FORCE Magazine / January 2012 USAF photo by SSgt. JeremyWilson M. A B-2 moves into fueling position under a KC-135. Main- tainers say the stealthy bomber is complicated, but brings much to the fight. Not as much changed at the time for A B-52 takes off from Minot Air Force the 509th BW, as the B-2s continued to Base. The 50-year-old bombers are rugged and dependable, but face some have concurrent conventional and nuclear vexing supply chain and corrosion taskings due to that fleet’s limited size. issues. Over time, however, the B-52 wings found the GDF construct to be too constraining and realized that they possessed the flexibility to train and prepare for both missions without los- USAF photo by SSgt. Jennifer FloresL. ing any focus on their nuclear deterrent responsibilities. “We realized we can do more stuff. We can do both missions. We can do the nuclear mission; we can do the conventional missions,” said VanBem- melen. “We didn’t realize that at the very beginning, but as we developed from that GDF construct to where we tional squadron, Minot’s 69th Bomb At any given time, Whiteman has about are today, we do realize that.” Squadron, came into being. 15 of the 20 B-2s in the fleet on hand. Additional factors made the move “The determination was made that it Three B-2s are usually cycling through away from GDF possible. The USAF may even be more difficult to try to do depot, plus one aircraft is stationed at leadership created Global Strike Com- this GDF piece, more difficult than it is Edwards AFB, Calif., for testing. mand to provide focus on the service’s to try to do both missions any time, any Right now, there is a fourth B-2 in nuclear enterprise. Eighth Air Force place,” said Dawkins. depot, an aircraft seriously damaged shed its nonbomber assets to concen- As a result, bomber operations “have in an engine fire on Guam in February trate on the dual-role bombers. Further, successfully evolved from that initial 2010. Vander Hamm, the 509th BW a rigorous inspection regime emerged to position in the Global Deterrence Force commander, said he does not expect that ensure that the nuclear deterrence mis- into a more flexible and sustainable con- aircraft back until 2013. sion remained top priority throughout struct that we are working with today,” US Strategic Command’s recent Glob- the dual-role bombers wings and the said Gass. “I think we have a good plan, al Thunder nuclear deterrence exercise Air Force’s ICBM forces. a good set of oversight, and great perfor- spotlighted the B-2’s fleet capability, Around the same time, combatant mance from the wings that allow us the according to wing officials.