by Airman 1st Class Joseph Raatz
Air Force Global Strike Command Public Affairs
6/10/2014 - BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- Several
Air Force Global Strike Command B-52H Stratofortresses and B-2 Spirits
recently participated in an Air Combat Command evaluation involving the
use of live cruise missiles and precision guided munitions.
"The Air-to-Ground Weapon System Evaluation Program, also known as
'Combat Hammer,' allows ACC to confirm the accuracy and capability of
our conventional weapons from end to end while integrating with other
assets in a realistic combat environment," said Lt. Col. Richard
Armstrong, AFGSC Weapons and Tactics Branch chief. "It ensures the
combined effort of our maintainers, loaders and operators is always
ready to effectively deliver weapons if called upon."
During the evaluation, the aircraft flew multiple sorties to the Utah
Test and Training Range where they engaged simulated enemy targets with
missiles and other munitions while practicing combat maneuvers.
"One of the best things about Combat Hammer, for the crews, is that it
really provides additional hands-on experience with the weapons that
they train [with]," said Maj. Chris Weir, wing weapons officer for the
2nd Bomb Wing here. "There's no substitute for using the actual
hardware, the actual software, the actual missiles that you see here. It
provides experience that you just can't get any other way."
The Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile, or JASSM, carried by AFGSC
aircraft during Combat Hammer is one of the Air Force's newest and most
effective weapons. This stealthy Air-Launched Cruise Missile is
compatible with a wide variety of aircraft and is designed to be
launched from outside of the combat area, allowing crews to strike
distant targets with extreme accuracy without exposing themselves to
potentially deadly enemy fire.
"The JASSM is one of the most cutting-edge weapons we have," said Weir.
"It is one of the newest weapons to be integrated onto the B-52. Its
low-observable characteristics really make it one of the most capable
weapons that we have to destroy targets in a contested environment."
Precision guided munitions used during Combat Hammer included Paveway II
laser-guided bombs and multiple variants of the Joint Direct Attack
Munition, or JDAM. These weapons have a proven track record and have
been used to great effect in conflicts around the globe.
ACC led the two-week evaluation, coordinating the efforts of five
different types of aircraft from seven bases, as well as
remotely-piloted aircraft from Creech AFB, Nevada.
"Combat Hammer provides data on the effectiveness of precision guided
munitions in both contested and uncontested environments, directly
affecting the warfighter's weapon choice," said 2nd Lt. Victoria
Carrillo, a weapons and tactics analyst with the 86th Fighter Weapons
Squadron at Eglin AFB, Florida. "While primary results have been
encouraging, until all the data has been collected and analyzed from the
range, final conclusions cannot be made."
"For the crews, training is the biggest thing that we get out of this,"
Weir said. "We do everything just the way we would fight it. That's what
puts the 'combat' in Combat Hammer."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment