EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- A quick glance at the flightline and it may seem that RED FLAG-Alaska is mainly about fighter aircraft; but that’s only one piece of the puzzle.
RF-A 17-3 participants will get the unique opportunity to work with the 96th Bomber Squadron assigned to Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, and the B-52 Stratofortress.
“This is the first time we’ve had the B-52 participate in the last six years,” said Peter Bussa, the 353rd Combat Training Squadron assistant director of operations. “Having them here allows us to fully integrate our coalition capabilities in the exercise.”
The B-52 is an integral part of the United States’ strategic bomber force, making the unit’s presence here an invaluable training experience for everyone involved.
“This is a great opportunity for us to work with joint and coalition assets, and show them the abilities of the B-52 and how we integrate into the larger fight,” said Lt. Col. Chris Cain, the 96th BS commander. “Whether it’s a counter-land mission, close-air support or interdiction, we can cover all of those areas and more.”
The 96th BS has put bombs on target for a century now, but even with that much experience RF-A can still teach an old dog new tricks.
“It’s important to be able to test our capabilities out of multiple bases,” said Cain. “Some of the biggest lessons we’ve already learned come from deploying to Alaska and modifying our procedures to work out of this airfield.”
Eielson is located in a unique environment, so in order for the 96th BS to bring up its bombers, each weighing over 180,000 pounds it had to do some preparing.
“Prior to coming here we did a lot of airfield, range and special instruction studying so we could understand the environment we are going to be in,” said Cain. “We also had to learn about the elements of the exercise itself and utilize our simulators at home.”
RF-A is one of the Air Force’s premier exercises and with the addition of the Stratofortress’s capabilities joint and coalition partners will receive an opportunity that hasn’t been available.
“It’s fun to be able to interact with the other units here that may not have integrated with us before,” said Cain. “We have the opportunity to show them what we can bring to the fight to help them solve problems.”