WT Forums

B-52s gain a new mission
Exercise in Pacific to expand bombers' sea-fighting capability.
November 22, 2004

A twin-engine Martin bomber is seen above the stricken US Navy battleship USS Alabama on 27 Sept 1921 as the Air Service conducts a demonstration that air power can sink armored ships. The tests, conceived by Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell, were conducted off Chesapeake Bay and enraged admirals who had considered their iron ships impervious to air attack. (Special to The Times)
"This demonstration will show that the U.S. Air Force has the capability to sink multiple moving ships in all weather, day or night."
Capt. David Faggard, Pacific Air Forces Command, Hawaii
Online
Operation Resultant Fury: www2.hickam.af.mil/pacaf/news/rf.htm.
Watch a computer simulation of the exercise: www2.hickam.af.mil/pacaf/news/rf1.avi.
Barksdale Air Force Base: www.barksdale.af.mil/index.asp.
49th Test and Evaluation Squadron, 53rd Test and Evaluation Group: www.eglin.af.mil/53wg/53d_teg.htm. By John Andrew Prime

jprime@gannett.com

The venerable B-52, still the bomber of choice for the nation's war planners despite its almost being old enough to draw Social Security, is an old dog learning new tricks this week.

Today, a sole B-52 flying from Barksdale Air Force Base and two of the base's bombers now deployed to Andersen Air Force Base in the western Pacific will take part in Resultant Fury, an exercise that should open a whole new field of combat for the eight-engined behemoths.

"This will be a two-day live-fire against maritime targets," said Capt. David Faggard, spokesman for Pacific Air Forces Command, headquartered in Hawaii. The exercise will involve seven aircraft, six moving ship targets, more than 300 personnel and will cost around $10 million to conduct.

"Two B-52s deployed from the 2nd Bomb Wing to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, are the central focus of the demonstration and will drop the (Joint Direct Attack Munitions) intended to sink a decommissioned U.S. Navy Landing Ship," said 1st Lt. Jim Ivie, spokesman for the 2nd Bomb Wing. "In addition, a B-52 assigned to the 49th Test and Evaluation Squadron at Barksdale will fly from Louisiana to the Pacific and employ laser-guided munitions against the target."

Faggard said the B-52's acknowledged strengths, heavy payload and long range, "make it the perfect platform to demonstrate countersea capabilities in this theater. B-52 Stratofortress bombers have always had the collateral mission of countersea operations."

"The most common countersea missions are sea surveillance, anti-ship warfare, protection of sea lines of communications through anti-submarine and anti-air warfare, and aerial mining. Anti-ship warfare is commonly referred to as maritime interdiction, or direct attack against maritime targets."

This will mark the first time Air Force aircraft will use GPS-guided JDAMs to sink a moving vessel, Ivie said.

"Resultant Fury will showcase the services' abilities to work together to accomplish an important war-fighting mission," Ivie said.

Aside from the B-52 connection, the exercise has historic connections with both the 2nd Bomb Wing and with Lt. Hoy Barksdale, the daring Mississippi-born test pilot after whom the base was named. The name the military chose is based both on history and humor, since the first demonstration that air power could sink armored ships, in September 1921, caused what reports at the time called "resultant fury" in admirals who were miffed that their floating offices could be easily destroyed.

"Hoy Barksdale was definitely involved in those trials that sank the USS Alabama," said Buck Rigg, director of the 8th Air Force Museum at the base. And, he said, there was another connection to the base today. "Elements of the 2nd Bomb Group, predecessor to today's 2nd Bomb Wing, participated," Rigg said. Mission planner Brig. Gen. William "Billy" Mitchell also chose to use airplanes from the 96th Bomb Squadron, whose descendants fly the B-52 out of the base today. "They had the same emblem and everything, with the red devil thumbing his nose while dropping a bomb."

In addition to the B-52s involved in today's tests, two F/A-18s carrying modified joint-standoff attack weapons, or JSOWs, will attack several moving decommissioned Navy ships. At the same time, a B-1 bomber will use a moving tracking radar and off-the-shelf weapons to perform a similar attack.

Tuesday, three B-52s will attack a maneuvering decommissioned Navy landing ship tank, or LST, with both JDAMs and self-guided weapons called GBU-10s. The modification performed to the weapons, which will allow them to be simultaneously controlled in real-time by the airplanes, is called the Affordable Moving Surface Target Engagement system, or AMSTE.

"This demonstration will show that the U.S. Air Force has the capability to sink multiple moving ships in all weather, day or night," Faggard said. And, he added that in addition to capital ships of an enemy nation, the targets could include those used by "terrorists, or those used for piracy."

The very concept of OVERFLYING(or even coming within about 20 miles of) a modern enemy Naval formation and attacking it with JDAMs is utter insanity.

I am almost 100% certain that a sqn of B-52s was fitted for Harpoon and tasked for anti-shipping operations in the N.Atlantic in the 1980s.
If so, then this is not a first for the B-52, or a new mission. Using Harpoons(I believe the carried a total of 20 each) and launching from a high-altitude stand-off profiel is a MUCH better idea.

"Molon labe".
Leonidas, King of Sparta,
Thermopylae, 480 B.C.

I have a book with a pic of a B-52 from Loring AFB Maine with 12 Harpoons mounted on the HSAB. I dont know how old the pic is but the book is from 1988. The book also has a pic from 1982 showing a D dropping mines into the sea during an exercise. Sea control is an old mission for BUFF.

"We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would harm us". George Orwell

Fighting For Justice With Brains Of Steel !
<img src="http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/atengun2X.GIF" border=0>

_________________
The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

Yeah, there were two units, one on each coast, of conventional B-52G's that were equipped with Harpoons and slated for maritime patrol and attack. But those are gone and I don't think the 'H's support Harpoon use.

Brainwashing couldn't get the tough stains out.

This from Horrido:

n May 1994, after Loring AFB closed and after the retirement of the last B-52G at Castle AFB, Calif., the Harpoon mission was moved to the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale AFB, La. Four B-52H models were rapidly modified (as an interim measure) to accept Harpoon launch control equipment pending B-52H fleet modification. This modification has since been replaced by the conventional enhancement modification to the B-52. This modification incorporates new aircraft wiring and LRUs in addition to new wiring and line replacement units to the external suspension and release equipment. All CEM B-52s are Harpoon capable, providing both the 2nd Bomb Wing and the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot AFB, N.D., full squadron strength capability.

http://inventors.about.com/library/inve ... lagm84.htm

"Molon labe".
Leonidas, King of Sparta,
Thermopylae, 480 B.C.

RESULT FURY’ SUCCESSFUL: In a joint demonstration yesterday, the Air Force and Navy completed a successful two-day test of a system for hitting moving targets, such as ships, with a high degree of precision. The test, called Resultant Fury 05, entailed a large combination of platforms and systems working in concert, including B-52s, F-18s, and radar aircraft. The two-day exercise took place at the Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility, west of Hawaii. The tests showed the practical feasibility of upgrading weapons, such as JDAMs and JSOWs, with the means of receiving up-to-the-moment bomb-steering information from a separate radar-equipped plane. The radar plane in this case was a JSTARS produced by Northrop Grumman. Two JSTARS flew outside the test range, together providing a "three-dimensional" view of the targets, according to company representatives. Northrop Grumman invited members of the press in Washington to watch yesterday's test live over a closed-circuit video link. In yesterday's test, aircraft fired a total of seven JDAMs at the target ship. In a dramatic burst, the ship was engulfed in explosions as the JDAMs hit. All seven JDAMs made direct hits on their target, according to Rick Wolaver, Northrop Grumman director of business development. The missiles used in the two-day test were equipped to take their direction cues from the JSTARS by means of a technological system called Affordable Moving Surface Target Engagement (AMSTE). AMSTE refers to the capability of increasing the "smartness" of munitions, according to Wolaver. Among the benefits of the Resultant Fury exercise, according to Wolaver, is the proof that it is practical to upgrade munitions such as JDAMs, which are "relatively inexpensive and plentiful," with the AMSTE capability which gives them greater targeting smarts. The upgrade, Wolaver said, consists of giving a JDAM or JSOW a GPS receiver by which a JSTARS can send its target updates, and a tail-kit by which the weapon changes direction as needed. (Defense Today)


THE RAMPTOR ENGINEERING TEAM <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>
"Who cares if it works? Does it look good on the ramp?"

_________________
????

Mothballed ship
sunk in training
The Air Force blows up the
Schenectady as a demonstration
Associated Press
A 34-year-old decommissioned troop transport ship was sunk Tuesday in waters off Kauai as part of a training exercise for Air Force B-52 bombers using "smart bombs," officials said.

The USS Schenectady was sunk by B-52s using air-to-surface weapons guided by Global Positioning System devices and lasers, said Capt. David Faggard, Pacific Air Forces spokesman at Hickam Air Force Base.

One B-52 bomber from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam dropped seven GPS-guided bombs, while a second B-52 from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana dropped four laser-guided bombs on the Schenectady at 12:34 p.m., Faggard said.

The 522-foot vessel sunk in one hour and 11 minutes, in the exercise "to demonstrate to our allies and to our adversaries that we have the capability to strike multiple moving targets at sea in any conditions," Faggard said.

Such smart bombs, which already have been used in the 1991 Gulf War and in the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, could be used to take out a ship used by a terrorist without harming nearby vessels or facilities, Faggard said.

The Schenectady was towed from the Navy's mothball fleet at Pearl Harbor to an undisclosed location near Kauai for the exercise.

After earning four battle stars for service in Vietnam, the Schenectady was decommissioned on Dec. 15, 1993 and transferred to the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility at Pearl Harbor.


Pacific Air Forces

www.hqpacaf.af.mil

Resultant Fury tests were successful, service says
Target sinkings confirm air superiority over fleet shipping.
November 25, 2004

The former Navy landing ship (tank) USS Schenectady is seen in the waters of the Pacific Ocean just west of Hawaii Tuesday just prior to her sinking by B-52 bombers, including one that flew directly from Barksdale Air Force Base, in Operation Resultant Fury.
"The United States is the only nation with this capability."
Capt. David Faggard, U.S. Pacific Air Forces
Online
Resultant Fury:www2.hickam.af.mil/pacaf/news/rf.htm. By John Andrew Prime

jprime@gannett.com

The sinking of the retired Navy LST USS Schenectady off the coast of Hawaii on Tuesday night adds depth to the missions and capabilities of the B-52 bomber. But for the crew of the bomber that left Barksdale Air Force Base about 10 hours earlier, it was a shake and a thrilling video as the weapons slammed into the vessel.

"There's a slight shudder on the airplane when the weight comes off," said Capt. Ronald Wheeler, San Diego-reared radar-navigator of the 49th Test and Evaluation Squadron that flew the 20.4-hour mission. "You know when it leaves."

Maj. Terry Christiansen of Metairie, the aircraft commander, said external munitions are propelled off their external rails. "And since we ended up releasing all four simultaneously, 8,000 pounds of weight came off at the same time. So you feel it."

Their B-52 was one of two that took part in the last of two days of Operation Resultant Fury, tests of a new generation of smart bombs designed to find and sink fast-moving ships. Planes taking part, mostly aircraft that call Barksdale home -- even though many are deployed temporarily to Andersen Air Force Base in Guam -- were equipped with what the service calls its "J-series" of smart weapons. But these were enhanced with changes that allow a variety of different aircraft to interact to find and sink rapidly maneuvering surface vessels day or night.

"This was the first time ever a B-52 has gone out and dropped self-designated, laser-guided weapons on a moving ship," Christiansen said. "It's pretty significant."

Though seven of the super-smart weapons were loaded on the bomber late Monday, only the four externals were fired.

Three in the bomb bay returned home with the aircraft.

The reason? A fishing vessel inadvertently entered the range at Barking Sands Pacific Missile Range Facility west of Hawaii. Due to the timing of the exercise, the further release was called off by range safety officers.

"We were unable to contact the trawler or whatever it was and had to cease that part of the exercise due to the fishermen," Wheeler said.

"The last thing they wanted to do was have a safety incident," Christiansen added.

Other than its effect on the balance of power, the mission was pretty typical for a B-52: just more than 20 hours long with weapons dropped from about 6 nautical miles up and a pretty fair distance from the target, though just how high and how far out is classified.

There were two midair refuelings, one just off California, the other off Hawaii, with the aircraft slurping up about 245,000 pounds of jet fuel total.

For Wheeler, who actually toggled off the laser-guided bombs and used what is called a Litening pod to guide them in, the mission was "definitely exhilarating. We took off from Barksdale, flew a 20-hour mission, got to the target area on time and accomplished our objective, which was to sink the ship.

"But to see the LST through the targeting pod I was using to 'laze' the ship, to see it blow up in real time, was pretty exciting. Any hostile surface vessel should take heed."

In all, seven types of airplanes took part in the exercise. Aside from B-52s, the aircraft were said to include B-1 bombers, E-8C JSTARS and E3 Sentry command and control aircraft, Navy F-18 Hornet and F-15E fighters and KC-135 tankers.

"We're matching up advanced weapons with bomber platforms in the Pacific," said Gen. David Deptula, director of Pacific Air Forces Air and Space Operations.

"The ex-Schenectady sunk at 1:45 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time," said Capt. David Faggard, Hawaii-based spokesman for the operation's planning agency, Pacific Air Forces.

"The bombing of the ship marks the first time ever aircraft targeted and sunk multiple moving sea targets.

"Resultant Fury is a demonstration to allies and adversaries in the Pacific that the U.S. Air Force has the ability to rapidly respond and sink multiple moving sea targets in any weather environment, day or night," he said. "The United States is the only nation with this capability."

None of the military people could or would name countries whose moves might now be checked by the capability added to the B-52 and other bombers.

But a civilian observer following the tests would.

One obvious recipient of the message could be China, which has been expanding its maritime capabilities, said Milton Finley, a military historian and chairman of the Social Sciences Department at LSU Shreveport.

"But a message may have been sent to Iran and to North Korea as well," he said.

"There has been a need for this capability because Iran, for one, does have a large number of small patrol boats in the Persian Gulf. This was a none-too-subtle warning that if and when the French and Germans stop groveling in front of the Iranians, it might be time for payback."

Saw pix of it on Foxnews after it was hit.

They blew the snot out of that ship.

Didn't sink though..

"One should die proudly when it is no longer possible to live proudly."
~ Friedrich Nietzsche

Certainly mission killed though. LOL

Sort of related question for Navy types:

How come when a ship is decommissioned, it's now referred to as "ex"? Such as in the article, "ex-USS Schnectady". Have heard this before. Ships don't retain their names all the way until scrapping, sinking, or otherwise being destroyed?





Edited by - type 7 on Nov 28 2004 12:50 AM

No, the names are stricken from the active lists, and are often reassigned.

"One should die proudly when it is no longer possible to live proudly."
~ Friedrich Nietzsche

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
No, the names are stricken from the active lists, and are often reassigned.

<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>

Learn something new every day.

I know that many ships bear the same name....ie- there's been a couple of USS Saratoga's, etc. I was just under the impression that a name isn't reassigned until the former ship was destroyed/sold/sunk, etc.

Interesting info.

Some countries have gone even further.

By law certain names have to always have a ship in-commission bearing it.

Peru comes to mind. A commissioned ship always has to bear the name Almirante Grau. Even if a ship is only temporarily decommissioned for a major rebuild or overhaul another ship must take over the name until recommissioning occurs.