A B-1 during a test of the Joint Air-to-Surface Stand-off Missiles (JASSM).
Posted on 09/10/2010 8:03:25 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
B-1 carries record-setting missile load
07:01 GMT, September 10, 2010 DYESS AFB, Texas |
A Dyess Air Force Base B-1B Lancer carried a full load of 24 AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Stand-off Missiles on a flight over the Gulf of Mexico, Sept. 7 -- a first for the B-1 and AGM-158.
"The mission was a success," said Maj. Brian Owen, the chief of wing weapons and tactics. "Everything went as planned, and we can verify that the B-1B can in fact operate its full capacity of JASSMs."
The purpose of the flight was to ensure maintainers, ammo and munitions Airmen and B-1 aircrew are proficient in uploading, flying, employing and downloading the AGM-158 JASSM and to test all missile-related processes to see if there's room for improvement. None of the missiles were released during this test; they were system-checked while in the air.
"Maintainers loading 24 JASSMs on one B-1 is a record-setting event," said Senior Master Sgt. Jeff Rud, of 7th Maintenance Group. "It's never been done before. The main reason we're doing this is for training. It's the cornerstone of all we do. It provides us the opportunity to hone our war fighting skills and gives us the opportunity to project our combat capability right here out of Dyess (AFB)."
The B-1 is the most capable JASSM employment platform in the world, Major Owen said.
"We've seen the engineering specs that say it's supposed to work, but it's never been done before," Major Owen said . "What makes the B-1 unique versus the other aircraft around the world is that we can employ these weapons on such a large scale. We can take off with two aircraft and have the capability to strike 48 different targets."
The second most capable aircraft is the B-2 Spirit, carrying 16 JASMMs, followed by the B-52 Stratofortress with 12.
The AGM-158 JASSM is designed to keep the jet and its crew a significant distance away from surface-to-air threats while still holding an enemy's targets at risk.
The AGM-158A is a stealth cruise missile powered by a Teledyne CAE J402 turbojet that uses flip-out wings with control surfaces and a single vertical tail for flight control. It's guided by a jamming-resistant, GPS-aided inertial navigation system and uses an imaging infrared seeker for autonomous pattern-based target selection and terminal homing.
The missile is armed with a 1,000 pound WDU-42/B insensitive munitions penetrating warhead, and accuracy is quoted within 8 feet. It is also equipped with a data link to transmit status and location information until impact, thus assisting in bomb damage assessment.
"I've been in the aircraft maintenance business for more than 24 years, and anytime you have the opportunity to do something first, it is a real morale booster," Sergeant Rud said. "It gives us here at Dyess (AFB) bragging rights, and that goes a long way in terms of building pride in your unit and pride in the aircraft you work on. I have found that people love to do their primary job, whether it's ammo line delivery crews delivering bombs or weapons loaders loading bombs.
"It's in these moments that people get energized when they see their part of an operation come together with the other pieces of the puzzle that makes them feel good about what they do," he said.
---- Tech. Sgt. Robert Wollenberg 7th Bomb Wing Public affairs / AFNS
A B-1 during a test of the Joint Air-to-Surface Stand-off Missiles (JASSM).
To all or radical Muslim friends take note of this and quake in fear. It has been nine years since the 9/11 attacks. Never forget, never forgive the War continues.
I think this info was put out for the benefit of the chinese and other potential adversaries.
This means, I reckon, that a squadron of B-1B Lancers, similarly armed, could ruin a pretty large target?
The Muzzies and the Chinese need to be scared of us. Not the other way around.
Good post. Good message.
Not that Zero has any intention of actually using this.....
Next stop ....... Iran??
Kudos to you for posting this, from the home of the B-1.
/sarc
Wasn’t the B-1 super-sonic in its original incarnation?
Maybe for cleanup or advance operations to clear the radar traps. The big stick is yet to be tested as of my knowledge where they can deploy 5000 pounder bunker busters and in one case the newest MOAB.
But as from this article it can carry 24 1000 pound cruisers so one would be logically assume it could carry 5 or 6 of the super bunker busters. Imagine 5 or 6 of these being deployed in a cascading sequence at ther same target point.
/johnny
Roger that, thanks.
The JASSM weighs over 2,000 lbs.
Agreed. The warhead is a 1K explosives package. Add that the the propulsion, yadda, yadda, yadda and you get my point of easily 5 to 6 of the super busters. The most constrigent issue here is more of space and not weight I would assume.
And so the USAF releases a press statement lauding the ability of ONE aircraft being able to take off and fly ONE (training) mission over the Gulf of Mexico fully loaded with 24 missiles by ONE crew at ONE base?
Now, a press release for a 1000 plane mission over Europe, each plane being fully fueled, fully armed with several rounds of machine gun ammo, and fully loaded with 20 bombs and taking off without collisions or explosions from 15 different airbases on a single morning ....
But we can’t do that any more.
[I fully grant that the many thousand “dumb” bombs dropped with heroic efforts near north Vietnamese bridges were less effective than one or two smart weapons dropped from one stealth plane flying only one mission; but still, consider what this press release really means.)
Now if the Pentagon would just get their head out of their a$$es and make a B-1 Air to Air missile truck that could have fire control by the F-22 and F-35.
Yes.
The AF is a fine alternative to Military Service.
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