B52's Leaving Fairford United Kingdom

Stratfor ^ | March 18, 2003 | Staff

[richardtavor]

http://www.stratfor.com/promo/?site=usiraq =================================================================

At 1808 GMT (1:08 p.m. EST, 9:08 p.m. Baghdad) B-52 bombers were reported taking off from RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom. Flying time to Iraq is about six hours. Earlier today, they were reportedly loaded with cruise missiles. The British press has also reported that skirmishing has commenced between Iraqi troops and U.S. and British special operations forces near Basra. Coalition aircraft also have attacked 10 Iraqi artillery pieces in the southern no-fly zone, and Israelis have been ordered to open and fit their gas masks, keeping them nearby at all times.

War has not yet commenced, but this is a war alert. More information will be forthcoming as it is available.

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[The Wizard]

we do not have over flight rights PUBLICLY, but we have been given the go ahead

[Dog Gone]

I do not believe that the Turkish government would dare go over the head of parliament. Not when they were rebuffed last time they submitted a proposal.

[Dog Gone]

How about I bring three kegs, and we watch until Sunday?

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

How about I bring three kegs, and we watch until Sunday?

Hell for three kegs I'll invite the whole street and start cooking the sausage and hamburgers!

[glock rocks]

What is the flying time from Diego Garcia?

Basing the aircraft at Diego Garcia would reduce the flight distance to Baghdad, Iraq, for instance, to about 3,300 miles, compared to 6,800 miles if the bombers launched strikes from their U.S. home at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo. Instead of more than 20 hours one way, a flight to Baghdad would take just five hours.

Stars & Stripes January 17, 2003

[Air Force Born]

We do what we can for our fellow man.

Oops, politically incorrect.

[El Gato]

You do not get B-52's up one minute apart when they take off -- doesn't happen!

Actually it can, depends on having them all loaded and ready when the "Baby Elephant Walk" starts. I've seen BUFFS and their -135 tankers taking off so close together that after the first plane or two, the rest are going on blind faith because they can't see anything for the smoke from the ones in front. Wouldn't happen today because neither the BUFFs nor the tankers smoke all that much. But in old days of water injected J-57s (on both types) it was quite a show. Today they'd probably space them out enough so that the next in line is turning onto the runway as the previous one lifts off, or clears the end of the runway, just in case something goes badly wrong on takeoff. The old Minimum Interval Takeoff was for Armaggedon, when you had to flush the birds before a submarine launched missle took out your base.

BTW, say hi to Roco for me. :)

[The Wizard]

Fox just confirmed that 6 B 52's left Fairford eariler today but it was for "repositioning"......

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

See post # 150!!!

[El Gato]

Fox just confirmed that 6 B 52's left Fairford eariler today but it was for "repositioning"......

Where to? Saddam Hussein International Airport? :)

Actually I might guess Italy or even the Czech or Slovak Republic, Bulgaria, Albania, etc, even Poland.

[Dog Gone]

I'm not sure why you'd arm them with cruise missiles to reposition them to another base. That's not the customary way to resupply an airfield, I suspect.

Then again, this could be all part of one huge psy-ops campaign. Keep the Iraqis thinking it is any second now for a couple of days. Fatigue would be a nice thing to have, plus the moon would be darker. Who knows?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

It may be Psy-Ops!

The FOXNews report came directly from the young Fox reporter at the Pentagon!

[Kadric]

For crew rest and (relative) quick strike. If they are called for it would be better than the crews having to fly from England. Once these ones launch for a mission they could bring another set from England and have these recover in England for rearming and any repairs.

[Ford Fairlane]

Perhaps they were repositioned, to say, "somewhere in Israel"

[Tommyjo]

All B-52 are still on the ground at Fairford as of 0100 UK Time. Sky News here in the UK have had news teams filming the munitions trucks all day. Nothing has taken off.

[Tommyjo]

"I think I saw on Foxnews channel one of the military analysts indicated that there might be some B-2's in England also!"

No B-2s are forward deployed to the UK.

[Uncle Jaque]

WOOO-HOOO; Here we go!

Did you see the AAA going up over Baghdad at the crack of dawn (about 2145 EST)?

Shortly thereafter Ari Fleisher popped out to the podium, announced that the Liberation of Iraq had begun, that the President will speak to the Nation at 2215hrs, and promptly strode out without taking questions or furthur comment.

Perhaps those Buffs did take off from England loaded for bear; if so their CRUISE dawgies should be rolling in any time now, assuming that they were not launched until the deadline hour had passed! Didn't somebody post here that it would take the CRUISE a couple of hours to come in from the launching zone over the Mediteranian?

We should be finding out any time now!