Bombers head north to RED FLAG-Alaska

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jonathan Snyder
  • 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  B-52 Stratofortress aircrews operating out of Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, tested their ability to defend against air threats during the recent Red Flag-Alaska 09-1 exercise, which wrapped up flying operations over the Pacific Alaskan Range Complex here Oct. 17. 

The realistic 10-day exercise created a high-paced environment where 12-hour shifts were often the norm. The 23rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron B-52s, deployed from Minot AFB, N.D., to Andersen as part of U.S. Pacific Command's continuous bomber presence rotation, joined B-52s from the 96th Bomb Squadron at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., in this iteration of RF-A. 

F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots from Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, acted as friendly blue-force fighters in the exercise, escorting and defending the bombers over the PARC. Flying against them were F-16 pilots from the 18th Aggressor Squadron based here.

The blue-force bomber pilots faced a daunting task, flying their heavily laden aircraft with 2,000 pound bombs and performing aerial maneuvers, while being out-gunned and out-numbered by the aggressors.

"Our training is two-fold," said Capt. David Leaumont, cell team chief with the 2nd Operations Support Squadron at Barksdale. "On one side, we are getting new aircrew exposed to execution of the myriad of missions we are tasked against, while we are also getting the senior aircrew mission planning cell and team chief experience during Red Flag-Alaska."

The B-52s flew non-stop bombing missions from Guam and Louisiana to the PARC, where they simulated dropping their payloads. To complete these missions, the aircrews encountered a variety of challenges, from air refueling with KC-135 Stratotankers from McConnell AFB, Kan., to attacks from red-force F-16s.

"I primarily dealt with air threats," said 1st Lt. Dustin George, a B-52 pilot with the 96th BS. "We defended the jet, performing the maneuvers we train to do, and gave updates to the airborne early warning and control so they could send other blue-air assets to engage the aggressors. Staying vigilant is key."

The air crews' vigilance paid off, as the 96th BS successfully completed all of their objectives at RF-A.

"To fight together, we have to train together--that's why we're here," said Maj. Curtis White, RF-A Tanker Task Force Detachment commander.