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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| The US Just Held Long-Range Bomber Drills Over An Area Russia Wants |
| 2015-04-09 |
| Two pairs of B-52H Stratofortress bombers, from Barksdale AFB and from Minot AFB, streaked north last week on a long-range exercise dubbed "Polar Growl." One set of bombers would end up over the far reaches of the North Sea, while the other would cruise high above the Polar Icecap, both areas where Putin's Russia is increasing its presence. This doesn't seem like a coincidence. The whole affair had three main objectives. First, to test and see how US Strategic Command could handle two separate missions, heading into two separate areas, at the same time. Second, to inter-operate with allied air forces and give crews familiarity with mock foreign intercepts. And third, to give B-52 crews experience navigating the extreme northerly latitudes. STRATCOM boss Admiral Cecil Haney described the value of the exercise: |
| Posted by:Blossom Unains5562 |
| #14 It's not a sextant we used but an astro-compass...about the same function, plus a sun-star almanach |
| Posted by: hotspur666 2015-04-09 22:57 |
| #13 I wonder if any of these whiz kids have ever seen a sextant? |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2015-04-09 17:25 |
| #12 There's always the manual back up with a applicable database. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2015-04-09 14:11 |
| #11 At night, in EMCON blackout, they would use stars and charts to navigate. There's still a need in case the GPS network is compromised or down or damaged.I hope they still teach that. Otherwise it's dead reckoning and redneck IFR (I Follow Roads) |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2015-04-09 13:34 |
| #10 Curtis Lemay White courtesy phone we need to bring SAC back on line. |
| Posted by: Vernal Spavins7649 2015-04-09 13:00 |
| #9 I read a deal that back in the day the pilots would use the stars to chart their course. Didn't say if that was the primary way to navigate (if true). |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2015-04-09 12:59 |
| #8 Whaa? There's something funny going on with our mag compass |
| Posted by: KBK 2015-04-09 10:45 |
| #7 It's come to this? Well... considering they haven't done this for some 30 plus years... Think of it as brushing the cobwebs off and getting back into the routine. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2015-04-09 09:12 |
| #6 I guess while the NCAA BB was going on, obooboo was not paying attention to this "provocative act..." |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2015-04-09 08:55 |
| #5 Ahh. They've got a new commanding general: http://formerspook.blogspot.com/2015/04/just-be-curt.html |
| Posted by: ed in texas 2015-04-09 08:20 |
| #4 Well at least they are doing something other than sitting around with their thumb up their ass (that's the White House's job apparently) |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2015-04-09 08:14 |
| #3 It's come to this? Reminds me of Iran claiming to send a tincan and fueler to the Atlantic coast. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2015-04-09 07:57 |
| #2 Wow. Four whole airplanes, plus tanker support. (And all the aircraft involved were at least 40 years old.) |
| Posted by: ed in texas 2015-04-09 07:24 |
| #1 First, to test and see how US Strategic Command could handle two separate missions, heading into two separate areas, at the same time. It's come to this? |
| Posted by: Shipman 2015-04-09 06:05 |