B52 Question

[MJR]

I was wondering with the B52's operating from Fairford on presumably a fairly secret operational basis, how does this traffic integrate with other commercial traffic in the Uk and the rest of europe if it is trying to keep an element of surprise?

cheers

MJR

[dvt]

You don't need surprise when you have total air superiority. The B52 has now become a standoff weapon platform. Or it's employed when the risk of shoot down is minimal and the crew has access to friendly forces for search and rescue. We may see it employed for close air suport on stubborn Feteyen positions. I don't know if it has the precision or smart weapons for raids on Bagdad.

However, to answer you question. The military employs what's known as Altitude Reservations called ALTRV's. They keep a chunk of airspace avilable for their exclusive use. Generally, these amount to seldom used airways or altitudes.

If the enemy did have any air defenses, you'd reach a certain point, turn off your squawk or sqawk a certain code for interogators and go low level or declare Due Regard.

[Thunderball]

I stopped by the fence at Fairford yesterday evening at about 1830 local, and within three minutes saw a B52 land, making 13 at the field in total at that time. It was carrying a full complement of bombs (JDAM?) under both wings. Any ideas? Sandstorms in Iraq? Positioning in from Minot, and saving MAC the trouble of carrying its first complement of bombs?

[dvt]

I'm sure they've been stocking up weapons at Fairford, Moron and Diego Garcia for quite a while now. I'm sure any BUFF crossing the NAT system came with at least a belly full of toys. When you stick them on the wings, drag goes way up. Requiring more air refuelings. It would be worth dragging them under wings if they were smarter, high value weapons like JDAMs or ALCMs. But for dumb stuff like MK82s, I'm sure there's plenty to be had all over England.

The plane you saw could have been an aborted mission for any number of reasons. With the emphasis on minimizing civilian injuries, great care is taken not to produce any errant bombs.

[strewth]

While on the topic of traffic integration with bombers.

What about the B2? Obviously this aircraft is designed so that no one can see it on radar, and I was told once that they are only based at a few places on earth conducting return flights each time. Considering that the B2 flew missions in Afganistan and presumably Iraq and the Balkans, how do they integrate this aircraft into the system to prevent prior knowledge of the impending bombing run yet also prevent mid-air collisions?

[dvt]

Stealth doesn't so much perserve the surprise element. The enemy generally knows the attack is coming and is in readiness. With total air supremacy that have limited ability to shoot down a Stealth. They'd need the golden BB. When their SAM sites come up for acquition of their blasted by a HARM missile off an F16. Stealth denies a radar acquition and lock on. And all the computer generated solutions to enable a shoot down. A visual lock on is hampered by night operations.

As for traffic separation. I'm sure there's several corridors that are used for the exclusive use of military operations. Crossing the North Atlantic is not done on the NAT. Land fall is probably somewhere over Iberia and an AWACC controlled corridor provided to the crews for ingress and egress.

Bombers generally have a TOT (time over target) they're controlling for in country. These times are deconflicted with other operations. You check in with AWACCS and they provide traffic reports and interrogations of possiblefriendly & hostile actions. In short, there's a plan. We own the air space. We divy it up for operations. And don't forget the time honored "Big Sky Theory" it still works.

[Hwel]

Think you'll find they file a flight plan and use civil transponders. flighplan ends on Iraqi border or other tactical entry point. then file a plan out some time later. Start on border then normal airways home.

[Ignition Override]

We will be in a hotel, only several miles from a different "upper midwest" SAC base in a few more days.