• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Exercise Green Lightning

Exercise Green Lightning tested US capabilities and provided operational familiarity for the Pacific bomber presence in the Pacific region, as well as serving to enhance US relations with the Australians. Green Lightning sorties were said to not be in response to any particular world events. Bombers had already been being moved into the western Pacific for more than 2 years prior to the start of Green Lightning as US Pacific Command (PACOM) adjusted its forces posture to maintain a deterrent capability. In a November 2005 joint agreement between Australia and the United States, the Air Force announced it would begin regular strategic bomber aircraft training in the Northern Territory in 2006. The strategic bomber training program would involve B-1B Lancer, B-52 Stratofortress, and B-2 bomber aircraft flying from the states and conducting operations at the Delamere Air Weapons Range, about 70 miles southwest of Katherine in the Northern Territory of Australia.

The first Green Lightning global power training sorties were flown in July 2006, and featured sorties on Australia's Delamere Air Weapons Range and a B-2 engine-running crew change at RAAF Darwin. The aircraft and crews came from the 509th Bomb Wing's 13th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, which was deployed for a rotation at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. The bombers were supported by KC-10 Extenders from the US Air Force Reserve Command's 506th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, also deployed to Andersen from their home base at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey.

In October 2006, B-52 Stratofortress bombers of the 23rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron completed a second Green Lightning sortie, also from Andersen Air Force Base to Australia's Delamere Air Weapons Range in the Northern Territory. The bombers were supported by KC-135s from the 506th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron. Once over the Delamere range, each of the 2 B-52s dropped 4 BDU-50 inert bombs, and then returned back to Guam. The whole sortie covered approximately 4,500 nautical miles and spanned 11.5 hours of flight.

In March 2007, B-52 Stratofortress bombers from the 96th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron completed a series of scheduled Green Lightning exercise sorties at the Delamere Bombing Range. During the exercise they also provided aerial flyovers for the Australian International Airshow 2007 in Victoria, Australia. Green Lightning missions were 12-hour, round-trip flights into the Delamere Bombing Range beginning and ending at Andersen Air Force Base. During the sorties 6 BDU-50 bombs were dropped.