Military

By Tech. Sgt. Jason Tudor

457th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs

OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM (USAFENS) - Air Force bombers, with a history of delivering massive loads of ordnance on large targets, used a precision capability found on fighter aircraft for the first time in war transforming them from broadswords into scalpels.

With an Air Force Reserve crew at the helm, a B-52 Stratofortress took off early morning April 11 from this forward-deployed location and used the Litening II precision targeting pod to place Joint Direct Attack Munitions and other bombs on specific targets in Iraq.

The pod allows the BUFF's radar-navigator to use a laser designator to "paint" specific targets. Much like the capabilities aboard the F-16 and the Marine Corps' AV-8 Harrier II jets, the BUFF can now strike one tank versus concentrating on a entire column of treads.

Lt. Col. Keith Schultz was the aircraft commander for the landmark mission over Iraq. Loaded with a mixture of weapons, including the GBU-12 Paveway II and others, he and his crew made the first runs with the pod onboard.

"We saw some very good results," the colonel said. "This is a landmark move for B-52 crews. We're excited about the change."

BUFF radar-navigators can now identify, target and bomb targets as needed in theater. With its 70,000-pound payload -- about twice that of the Harrier II or the Fighting Falcon -- it outlifts its smaller counterparts. BUFFs can now loiter in a combat area longer, giving ground combat troops greater support and providing another force multiplier for the mission, according to Schultz, something he calls "increased integration."

Lt. Col. William Floyd was the airman putting those laser-guided bombs on target during the historic first mission. He gave the BUFF-mounted pod a wholehearted endorsement.

"We're working on a new playing field. It's exciting and adds a new dimension to us BUFF flyers," he said.

Research and creation of the pod began in Israel. By 1995, Northrop Grumman teamed with the nation to produce a U.S. military version. The 301st Fighter Wing from Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth accepted delivery of the first four Litening II targeting pods in late February 2000.

Crews from the Reserve's 93rd Bomb Squadron and 8th Air Force at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., have been a part of the pod's integration leading up to the first wartime mission. The tests also included specialists and scientists from Edwards AFB, Calif.

"One of the biggest reasons (for the pod) was target verification," said Maj. Keith Colmer, one of the people who tested the pod. "Adding the targeting pod will allow B-52 crews to identify targets prior to releasing their munitions, preventing potential fratricides and improving combat effectiveness."

B-52 crews currently use forward air controllers or predetermined coordinates from air tasking orders to target objects.

With the potential human error in either case, the Litening II targeting pod will allow aircrews to look at what they are targeting before releasing their munitions, said Colmer.

Col. Dan Charchian, 457th Air Expeditionary Group commander here, said the pod would give an already venerable asset in the DOD aerial arsenal even more life.

"This is an amazing capability and it has proven itself in combat," the colonel said. "All the crews here are looking forward to possibly pulling a mission with the pod hanging on their wing."