Capt. Brandon Packard performs pre-flight checks of a B-1B Lancer June 11, 2013, at the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing in Southwest Asia. Packard is a 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron weapons systems officer deployed from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Benjamin Stratton)
Capt. Nikki Jansen performs pre-flight checks of a B-1B Lancer June 11, 2013, at the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing in Southwest Asia. Jansen is a 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron pilot deployed from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Benjamin Stratton)
A B-1B Lancer assigned to the 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron prepares for takeoff, June 11, 2013, at the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing in Southwest Asia. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Benjamin Stratton)
by Senior Airman Benjamin Stratton
379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
6/18/2013 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFNS) -- Carrying the largest payload of both guided and unguided weapons in the Air Force inventory, the multi-mission B-1B Lancer is the backbone of America's long-range bomber force, and is flown here by the 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron.
"We have a lot of coalition forces on the ground in Afghanistan," said Lt. Col. Seth Graham, the 34th EBS commander. "They're able to focus on executing their various missions because of the air support we provide 365, 24/7."
The colonel said it's hard to put into words the importance of what his unit does, but instead explained in a vignette the importance of his units air support to the nation's ground forces.
"On one occasion my crew arrived overhead of U.S. ground forces pinned down in a compound receiving small arms fire from multiple directions," Graham said. "They tell the crew they are running low on ammo and need immediate air support. My crew employed a single 500 pound JDAM in close proximity to the friendly forces which forced the enemy to break contact, and allowed our guys to walk out of that compound and back to their base. On the way out they told my guys 'thanks ... you saved our lives today!' We make life and death decisions every day ... that's the importance of what we do."
This air support wouldn't be possible, however, without all the work going on behind the scenes in the squadron.
"We are tasked by the air tasking order from the Combined Air and Space Operations Center and in turn our mission planning cell (MPC) puts together everything the aircrew will need to be successful," said Maj. Aaron Mate, the 34th EBS assistant director of operations. "The mission planning cell is comprised of a chief of operations, two flyers, intelligence and an Army liaison officer."
The MPC collects and processes data, integrating it into flight plans and mission folders that include all the information necessary for B-1 crews to dynamically support every regional command in Afghanistan on a given sortie. A pre-flight crew is then used to ready the aircraft. They run pre-flight checks to get the jet mission-ready for the crew who will fly the mission. The pre-flight crew also secures a secondary aircraft in the event the primary encounters a malfunction prior to takeoff.
"We want our number of takeoffs to equal our landings," said Capt. Brandon Packard, a 34th EBS weapons systems officer. "So we go through these checks for the mission crew in order to, one, streamline the process and, two, for the safety and security of our crews and jets. We take this job just as seriously as flying a mission."
Once the jet is ready to go and the mission crew has completed their pre-mission briefs, it's time for takeoff.
The roles of pre-flight and mission crews are rotated as directed by their aviation resources managers and policy in order to manage fatigue.
"We can't have all the fun," Mate said jokingly. "Per AFI, we limit our crews to a 16-hour day -- 13 hours in the air and three hours of mission preparation."
The 16-hour rule can be waived by the operations group commander up to 24-hours to accommodate longer missions as directed by higher headquarters.
Every crew is composed of an aircraft commander, copilot and two weapons systems officers. With an intercontinental range and the ability to carry up to 48,000 pounds of munitions at 900-plus mph, the B-1 can rapidly deliver massive quantities of precision and non-precision weapons against any adversary, anywhere in the world, at any time.
"We are one of the most flexible close-air support airframes in the Air Force," said Capt. Nikki Jansen, a 34th EBS pilot. "The B-1's speed and superior handling characteristics allow it to seamlessly integrate in mixed force packages. These capabilities, when combined with its substantial payload, diverse targeting system, long loiter time and survivability, make the B-1B a key element of any joint or coalition strike force."
The aircrews and B-1s are deployed here from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., and Dyess AFB, Texas.
"We get the greatest sense of satisfaction when the ground crew's joint terminal attack controller radios in thanking us for keeping them safe," Graham said.
During the first six months of Operation Enduring Freedom, eight B-1s dropped nearly 40 percent of the total tonnage delivered by coalition air forces. This included nearly 3,900 Joint Direct Attack Munitions. The B-1 continues to be deployed today, flying missions daily in support of continuing operations.
Comments
6/26/2013 7:00:08 PM ET I understand that aircraft fly all over the world. My point was that if people were concerned with avoiding identifying the nationality of the aircraft...they need to pay attention to detail as they missed that one.
Dubya, United States
6/25/2013 2:27:05 PM ET As for the nose lettering on the C-17 knowing that tells you nothing. C-17s fly worldwide so this picture could be in Afghanistan Africa Europe etc. I'm not even sure why they blurred anything out honestly.
cedrdar, JBER AK
6/24/2013 2:49:20 PM ET yeah Dubya they put lots of thought into that
not important, Stateside
6/24/2013 2:29:31 PM ET For those of you who don't think it is a close air support aircraft why is that It can use GPS bombs along with the laser targeting pod recently added isn't that for precision Also with the small diameter JDAM's of which it can carry over 100 I see it as the Commanders in the field do as the best choice it has an amazing loiter time supersonic speed defenses and more fire power then any other aircraft in the world...
Realist, AK
6/22/2013 9:42:59 PM ET Just a side-note. I know they tried to blur out any way to identify the C-17 in the background of picture 3...however...it is still easily identifiable via the nose lettering. A quick Google search brought up whose that was. Just sayin'
Dubya, United States
6/22/2013 5:24:34 PM ET During the Vietnam War I wanted to join USAF to fly in any capacity. Charles Teague my Congressman had me working with his staff to prepare for a USAFA appt. Sometimes the exigencies of life get in the way. At 16 my life's exigencies swallowed me whole and I reluctantly altered course so the moment I turned 17 my dad could sign an enlistment waiver...B-day on Monday and Tuesday night...in San Antonio. I never became an officer or pilot and a day NEVER goes by that it doesn't cross my mind I've never been able to let go. But I loved the Air Force and under the same circumstances I'd do it again. When I read anything about the military - good bad politics heroes DADT awesome aircraft sexual assault gaining citizenship from serving women getting the oppt'y to fight or a 17 year old who didn't get to fly...at the end of the day it's still my country my military my right to talk about it...and I'd do it all over again. Lastly even a G.I. who had a bad tour and hated it
VietVetSteve, Southern California
6/22/2013 1:24:30 AM ET Tom in Tucson can see through the dust and discern reality. The B-1 is a wonderful aircraft I have been in them many times at Tinker AFB though never had the chance to fly in one. Still a close air support aircraft is an A-10 or F-15E. The B-1 is a strategic bomber. The story is nice but if a unit was pinned down from multiple directions would a single 500 pound bomb discourage all of them
Charles D Phillips LtCol USAF ret, Houston Texas
6/21/2013 9:13:57 AM ET My guess would be SrA Stratton is a fairly new arrival at the base...in SWA...and needed to write about something.The BONE's have been there a long time flying the ATO day after day.I don't think there's any hidden agenda here.
Sgt Snorkle, USA
6/21/2013 2:12:07 AM ET Richard Mutari is my hero He is one helluva BONE driver. Keep up the good work my friendJR
Jared , Univ of Illinois
6/20/2013 9:40:47 PM ET Is the reader supposed to believe that the B-1 is a close air support platform It's a strategic bomber forced into a counter-insurgency conflict by institutional mismanagement and short-sidedness. Dropping a bomb on some coordinates with friendly ground forces does not constitute close air support. CAS is looking out the window integrating with the ground fight and getting the job done as a member of the team not just being a lead sled dropping on nothing more than a set of coordinates. Maybe the reader should also know how many hundreds of thousands of dollars -- millions maybe --a single sortie costs. Or that we have an aircraft purpose-built for close air support that is cheap and effective. But that aircraft is on the chopping block right now. The timing of this article is interesting.
Tom, Tucson AZ
6/18/2013 5:40:09 PM ET The B1 has been around for a while and amazes me the payload and supersonic capabilities. It looks pretty impressive up close at the Air Force Museum at Wright Patterson AFB in Ohio did any scientist or engineer it's radar cross section for stealth advantages I was also impressed with on alert the ladder for 4 crewmen was down and a single button made it come alive. I read some fiction books about it's being intercepted over the North Pole by Mig 27's or 32's does it have the capability of EMP destruction of those aircraft I have tried to keep up with the Air Force I was a part of the USAF between 1969 and 1972 helicopter mechanic working around SR71's B52's F4's and occasionally a NAVY bird would come into the King Hanger Eglin AFB. That was some kind of love for Aircraft and their Pilots.
