B-52 gets targeting upgrade

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Benjamin Stratton
  • Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  The 23rd Bomb Squadron has received two Litening AT laser targeting pods for their B-52H Stratofortresses, and the squadron started training an aircrew on the first flight Aug. 9 during a training mission at the Smokey Hill Training Range near Salina, Kan.

"This is a great step for us in the 5th Bomb Wing," said Capt. James Dailey, 23rd BS weapons and tactics flight commander. "Using this in conjunction with a lot of the new equipment the B-52 is getting will open a lot of new avenues, not only for us, but for other players in the combat Air Force."

This upgrade will greatly improve the mission readiness of the 5th BW and its assets.

"The Litening pod provides live feed video through monitors to the crew aboard the jet," said Lt. Col. Shannon Kruse, 23rd BS commander. "A laser in the pod sends target coordinates to the bomb system in the cabin of the plane where the crew can accurately drop their payload on the designated target."

In the past, the B-52 required support aircraft or Airmen on the ground to provide the coordinates for its bombing system. With this new pod, the B-52 will be able to fly solo missions on a global scale.

"This is exponentially important for us when it comes to the missions that we can accomplish," Captain Dailey said. "Whether it be training here or in contingency operations worldwide, this gets us into a different realm of laser-guided weapons. We can stream coordinates in high fidelity and put weapons on target on time."

The targeting pod, better known as the Litening pod, is not a new technology; the Air Force Reserve has been using it for quite a few years.

"The pod has been around for many years; the Reserve has been training the 2nd Bomb Wing for their contingency deployments and we at the 5th Bomb Wing should be deployed relatively soon," Captain Dailey said. "We'll have this capability when we step out the door and that's why we have this equipment and the training we have right now."

An instructor from the 340th Weapons School at Barksdale AFB accompanied the crew for the flight. The instructor came here to help the Warbirds get the training started for the pod qualification training program.

"We received two Litening pods and the equipment for them recently," said Captain Dailey. "5th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron maintainers have uploaded all the equipment for the pod and tested its functionality. We've actually had a few individuals come out and get some hands-on training with instructors here."

The crew took off Aug. 9 in order to participate in a Global War on Terror exercise in Kansas as part of Air Force Week there. During the exercise, they took the opportunity to refine their ability to employ this new capability. Other aircraft involved with the exercise included F-16 Fighting Falcons, Joint Surveillance and Target Attack Radar Systems, E-3 Sentry, as well as joint terminal air controllers on the ground to help the crew simulate weapons employment using the Litening pod. 

"In just one week, we have gone from having no targeting pods at Minot Air Force Base to employing this state-of-the-art system in a large-force exercise," Colonel Kruse said. 

The crew went in and completed several different missions with a show of force and direct targeting of weapons, where troops on the ground and players in the air identified potential targets. 

"With this equipment we can go in and visually identify the target and make sure it is the target with high certainty and be able to strike that target with weapons," Captain Dailey said. 

Such improved targeting systems and training missions ensure the 5th BW is prepared for real-world deployments. 

"This relatively small targeting pod enables the B-52 to deliver a large payload of precision-weapons on a global scale," said Colonel Kruse. "Once again, all the Warbirds have worked together to accomplish a phenomenal goal that ultimately makes our Air Force more capable."