The B-52 Bomber Is Now Also A Cargo Hauler
Emma Helfrich - Yesterday 1:49 PM
Barksdale Air Force Base announced that the B-52H Stratofortress took on a particularly interesting role during a recent exercise. Four such bombers were equipped with relatively sizable cargo containers tailored to fit in their bomb bays in order to test the U.S. Air Force’s rapid deployment concepts, and the demonstration could signal a possible decrease in logistical footprint for future operational bomber deployments.
A corresponding statement released by Barksdale explained that the four B-52Hs involved in the exercise belonged to the base’s 2nd Bomb Wing. The fleet later deployed north to Fairchild Air Force Base in Washington between August 16-19 to carry out exercises pertaining to the Agile Combat Employment mission, or ACE. Generally, ACE missions are centered around practicing unpredictable distributed operations from dispersed locations so as to both increase survivability and better generate combat power from forward areas. ACE-affiliated exercises are meant to aid in establishing methodologies that would allow the Air Force to operate in more flexible and wily manners through the utilization of austere and remote facilities and small logistical footprints. That aspect especially underscores the importance of the B-52 demonstration, as hauling cargo is often a prevalent supporting factor of any ACE operation.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-b-52-bomber-is-now-also-a-cargo-hauler/ar-AA11hrfN?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=fc5b6c84b0b14b67f660ae2c5f9fcaca
