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http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #358 JANUARY 2018 // 17

Expanded

smart weapons

capability for

Stratofortress

THE INITIAL Conventional

Rotary Launchers (CRLs)

for the US Air Force’s

B-52H fleet have been

flown out of Barksdale

Air Force Base, Louisiana

on a C-5M to be used

in their first ever combat

area of responsibility.

The CRLs, which arrived

on November 6, 2017,

enable the Stratofortress

to carry conventional

smart weapons and GPS-

guided weapons in its

internal bomb bay for the

first time – providing for

eight additional smart

bombs per aircraft,

including the AGM-

Joint Air-to-Surface

Standoff Missile (JASSM).

Master Sgt Adam

Levandowski, Air Forces

Strategic (AFSTRAT)

Armament Systems

manager, explained:

“When you take a B-

and load it with mixed

smart weapons you open

up many more options

with one aircraft instead

of having to call in other

aircraft for other types

of munitions. Now,

combatant commanders

are presented with a much

more flexible weapons

selection without

the need to request

additional air support.”

The first CRLs were

delivered to Al Udeid Air

Base in Qatar, which was

home to the B-52s of the

69th Expeditionary Bomb

Squadron as of early

November. The CRL was

used in support of a new

offensive in Afghanistan

on November 19 (see

also Raptor strikes in

Afghanistan). The entire

squadron is expected to

undergo modification in

the next few months.

Niger

approves

armed Reaper

fl ights

THE US and Niger

governments have come to

an agreement that will allow

the US to conduct armed

MQ-9 Reaper operations

inside the country. The

decision follows the death

of four Green Berets in the

African country on October

4, 2017. The US Air Force

is already flying Reapers in

Niger. These are operated

by the 323rd Expeditionary

Reconnaissance Squadron

(ERS) at Niamey/

Base Aérienne 101.

Final ‘Green Knights’ F-35B arrives at Iwakuni

US AIR Force B-1Bs trained

recently with the Royal

Australian Air Force (RAAF)

as part of the United States-

Australia Force Posture

Initiatives Enhanced Air

Cooperation (EAC). RAAF

Base Amberley hosted

two Lancers that took

part in an exercise with

the RAAF during the last

week of November and

first week of December.

The bombers conducted

a bilateral integrated

training mission with the

RAAF as part of Exercise

Lightning Focus over the

northern coast of Australia,

on November 27, 2017.

The B-1Bs took off from

Andersen Air Force Base,

Guam, and transitioned the

south Pacific, where they

maintained contact with

RAAF Joint Terminal Attack

Controllers (JTACs) on the

ground. On completing

the mission, the Lancers

landed at Amberley,

Australia. Other RAAF

assets involved in Lightning

Focus included the F/A-18F,

EA-18G and a KC-30A.

The B-1Bs also took

part in a Continuous

Bomber Presence

mission over the Pacific

on return to Andersen

AFB on December 3.

The EAC activities involve

short-term rotations of US

aircraft in Australia for up to

two months at a time. The

first began in February 2017

at RAAF Base Tindal with 12

USAF F-22As on combined

training with RAAF F/A-18s.

B-1Bs train in Australia

Above: An F-35B Lightning II assigned to VMFA-121 arrives at MCAS Iwakuni. USMC/Lance Cpl Mason Roy

THE US Marine Corps now

has a full complement of

F-35B fighters at Marine

Corps Air Station Iwakuni,

Japan. The final Lightning

II from Marine Fighter

Attack Squadron (VMFA)

121 ‘Green Knights’

arrived at the base on

November 15, ten months

after the squadron’s first

aircraft touched down in

Japan. The USMC has not

released a figure for the

number of aircraft in the

deployed squadron, but it is

understood to be 16. The

squadron’s first two F-35Bs

had arrived at Iwakuni

on January 18, 2017.

A B-1B Lancer assigned to the 37th Expeditionary Bomber Squadron, deployed from Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, lands at

RAAF Base Amberley. RAAF/LAC Jesse Kane

Lt Gen Richard Clark

(right), Third Air Force/17th

Expeditionary Air Force

commander and Maj

Daniel Bergen, 323rd ERS

commander, with an MQ-

Reaper at Niamey on

October 19. USAF/Staff Sgt

Joshua R M Dewberry

A B-52H with Joint Direct

Attack Munitions loaded

on a newly installed CRL in

its bomb bay, at Al Udeid

AB on November 17. US

Air National Guard/Staff Sgt

Patrick Evenson