B-1B Lancer: More than meets the eye

by Senior Airman Benjamin Stratton379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

6/14/2013 - SOUTHWEST ASIA -- 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," the colonel 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 puts together everything the aircrew will need to be successful," said Maj. Aaron Mate, a 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. They also secure 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 -- this includes 13 hours in the air and 3 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 comprised 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," said Graham.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.

Oldest jet in AF operated, maintained by youngest crews

by Senior Airman Benjamin Stratton379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

5/23/2013 - SOUTHWEST ASIA -- For more than 50 years Airmen have flown the KC-135 Stratotanker to more places and supported more missions than most people experience in three, even four, life times. One such refueler, "57-1419," recently visited the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing en route to support Operation ENDURING FREEDOM."We have Eisenhower-era aircraft, flown by crews and serviced by maintainers whose grandparents may not have been old enough to vote for President Eisenhower," said Lt. Col. James Zick, the 379th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron commander.Putting things into perspective even further, Capt. Emma House said her dad was 3 years old when 57-1419 rolled off the assembly line. House is assigned to the 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron deployed from Scott Air Force Base, Ill., and is currently the jet's aircraft commander.This 56-year-old refueler, assigned to the 190th Air Refueling Wing of the Kansas Air National Guard, is expected to fly through 2040, according to Air Mobility Command officials. Gen. Paul Selva, the AMC commander, has even said the mother of the last crew chief to service this jet has not been born yet.Its age, however, hasn't hindered its usefulness, nor has it dampened its crew's eagerness to throttle up and take to the sky."It's really a source of pride for me," House said. "So many generations of other KC-135 pilots have flown her -- I can't even begin to imagine all the places she's been and the fact I get to fly her on an OEF mission in 2013 is really something special."KC-135s are responsible for roughly 65 percent of air-to-air refueling in the 379th's area of responsibility. With that said, the 340th EARS and AMU are responsible for nearly 40 percent of that."There is literally no way to do what we do over Afghanistan without these old jets and young crews that fly and maintain them," said Lt. Col. Maximilian Bremer, the 340 EARS commander. "Our troops on the ground can count on Air Force and Navy air power overhead within minutes of a request, thanks to the fuel we provide 24/7."But for the crews who fly and maintain these aircraft, it's about much more than how old it is or how much longer the AF plans to fly them."It's definitely an honor for me," said Senior Airman Rich Bradford, 340th EARS boom operator deployed from Scott AFB. "Words can't describe how I feel. My dad was 5 when this jet rolled off the line. I'm just glad I'm able to help support troops on the ground anyway I can."In 1954, the Air Force purchased the first 29 of its future 732-plane fleet. The first aircraft flew in August 1956 and the initial production Stratotanker was delivered to Castle Air Force Base, Calif., in June 1957. The last KC-135 was delivered to the Air Force in 1965."If airplanes could talk, I'd love to hear about the things '57-1419' has seen," said Capt. Neal Brinkworth, 340th EARS mission pilot also deployed from Scott AFB. "I've always wanted to be a pilot and have definitely had the bug since my first flight lesson when I was 13-years-old. So joining the Air Force was a dream come true, but this, this definitely tops the books. I'm 27 and flying the oldest jet in the Air Force -- simply amazing."The mission is two-fold, however, and the aircrew can't complete the mission without the maintainers and crew chiefs who have kept these jets flying for more than five decades.Staff Sgt. Ray Demarco, 340th Aircraft Maintenance Unit crew chief deployed from the 108th Air National Guard Wing at McGuire AFB, N.J., said he has "a great deal of pride as a maintainer.""I've been a guardsman for 12 years, worked on airframes ranging from F-15 Eagles and F-16 Fighting Falcons to heavies like the KC-135, but the Stratotanker is definitely my favorite," Demarco said. "It's amazing that what I do and what those who have come before me have done keeps jets like these flying."Although it may be the oldest jet, this doesn't hinder the passion these Airmen have for the KC-135."This aircraft requires a great deal of flying skills," said House as she ran through her preflight checklist. "We're not passengers, the auto-pilot system is very limited and landing isn't a walk-in-the-park."These aircraft were built before human factors were a significant consideration in cockpit design, Bremer said. This makes them "especially challenging for a generation who grew up with user-friendly devices and trained in modern aircraft."The 27-year-old pilot, House, explained why she'd continue flying the Stratotanker even when its eventual replacement rolls off the production line."We're all excited to see the KC-46, but this jet isn't going anywhere anytime soon," she explained. "I hope we keep flying this airplane for another 50 years."