B-52 conduct first-ever launch of laser-guided bombs from revolutionary rotary launcher
Sep 1, 2019
The U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber has conducted the first-ever launch of laser-guided bombs from a revolutionary Conventional Rotary Launcher (CFL).
CFLs are rotating munition systems located inside the bomb bay that allows the heavy, long-range bombers to carry a larger and more varied payload of conventional smart bombs and other guided munitions.
Laser-Guided Bomb Units, commonly referred to as LGB’s, were dropped from the bomb bay of a B-52 Stratofortress for the first time in nearly a decade during an operational test performed by the 49th Test and Evaluation Squadron here, Aug. 28, 2019, according to a 307th Bomb Wing report.
The munitions used to be dropped from the bomb bay of the jet using a cluster bomb rack system, but the method raised safety concerns and the practice was eliminated.
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