FighterControl

Christmas tree dispersal plans getting upgraded/refurbished prior to B52's going back on 24hr alert

http://dailym.ai/2gwzZXX

On 24 hours notice?
Have the opposition started using a horse and cart to deliver the buckets of instant sunshine these days? One would hope that any retaliation would be slightly faster than that!

I think it might mean that they are on alert 24/7/365

It’s all media hype - however it’s described, the USAF has kept some special aircraft with special configurations at very high readiness since at least 9/11. It’s not just the B-1/B-52/B-2 fleets involved either. There’s several types of xC-135 kept at very high readiness too. And yes, high readiness special weapons have played a part in some dodgy US political situations in the Middle East since 9/11, the same time the ICBMs were warmed up.

There’s even a news article about what the media heard about the event I mentioned.

https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/wash ... 8nuke.html

If reinstated, Nuclear Ground Alert readiness would probably be the same as first implemented by SAC in the late 50's - all Alert a/c to be airborne within 15 minutes of the Alert Klaxon sounding.

The Buff and B-52 can both leave the ground within “much less than 10 minutes” when they need to I was told by a Buff IP a
couple of months ago. I’m not sure about how the B-2 does it but the B-52 still has a few classified tools up its sleeve to make that happen, more than the 8 cart start.

15 minutes is not always enough though - 'Confidence is high'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlPEBROvR9w

Looking on the positve - it was good to see an EC-135 though in the video and of course a can of TaB at 2.04 (big style 1980s - can remember drinking this on bases)

Darren

Darren

What a thing to admit too

Mind you, SWMBO used to drink 'Morning Dew' on the bases.......YUK

TAB was available in the UK (Apart from on US bases) for a while in the late 70's-early 80's as Dad used to work for Coca-Cola as a salesman.

I remember that horrible saccharine taste so well - YUCK

Back on topic though, much of this I think is scaremongering by the press I'm sure that the US have many other tools in it's Nuke toybox that's been upped in readiness due to these uncertain times.

I wonder if the Heath & Fairford (Welford) have taken any deliveries of special ordnance in the past few month's. I know the main threat that the press is commenting on is North Korea but the Russian bear is stirring as well.

page_verify wrote:The Buff and B-52 can both leave the ground within “much less than 10 minutes” when they need to I was told by a Buff IP a
couple of months ago. I’m not sure about how the B-2 does it but the B-52 still has a few classified tools up its sleeve to make that happen, more than the 8 cart start.

The Buff is the B-52! You mean the Bone!

The point of the slow bomber force is to hopefully give ample de-escalation time. No one should be wanting to unleash every weapon on each other - there'd be no world left worth fighting for!!

But then, perhaps I got that from the great film 'By Dawns Early Light'. Well worth a watch!

quid21 wrote:But then, perhaps I got that from the great film 'By Dawns Early Light'. Well worth a watch!

Oh yes - a great movie! The bombers are used as 'pauses' to give governments time to communicate

Sorry, I meant the Buff and the B-2, the B-1 can’t carry what needs to leave the ground in this kind of hurry. The “pause” notion of bombers is complete film script crews will tell you. They exist because it’s too expensive to assign an ICBM/SLBM to every target. Once airborne, they fly as quickly as possible to the war zone, none of this orbiting and waiting. Apparently etc.

By their very nature there is a 'pause' built in surely? - a missile (SLBM / ICBM) will reach its target in a matter of minutes but even flat out (B-1s are now only subsonic at low level) a bomber is going to take a number of hours to reach is launch / drop point especially if not forward located therefore giving some time for mediation

The longer a bomber is in the air, the more fuel it needs and the more of a target it becomes for radars and air defences. Once they launch, it’s full speed ahead to Moscow etc.

Hi all
Hopefully they don't have any tanker issues which have been exposed recently.good idea in the past but with the missiles available today . launching bombers may prempt a strike.
Richard

The game has changed. Strategic ICBMs and Trident and Russian counterparts still ensure MAD, but Russian military doctrine has profoundly changed. It now considers it normal to use nuclear battlefield weapons in a conventional war! NATO policy was last resort to stop the Soviet steamroller. The USA is more nervous about nuclear proliferation and very concerned about the weapons being stolen by terrorists; North Korea was the final straw. B52s with more efficient engines will have far longer range compensating for fewer overseas bases. They can deliver small weapons nuclear and non nuclear anywhere. Need 24/7 availability but not nuclear protection because ICBM-ing them would kick off MAD. Faiford is possibly being resurrected as one of the few remaining "SAC" overseas bases but whether it will host nukes is questionable. There are also B1s and B2s. If so this might result in RC135s and tankers staying at Mildenhall.
Filmman

Or maybe Fairford will become a host to both, and more? The Buffs and B-2s can only operate efficiently in Europe from Fairford while the USAF can’t afford to have 3 flying bases in the UK. And who says Fairford couldn’t become nuclear capable? Who says it doesn’t have a limited capability already? Who knows, who knows

The peace lobby, remember Greenham Common and activists at Fairford - including someone attaching themselves on base to a bomb carrier; no parking signs around the area and several hundred policemen who were quite friendly but found it a waste of their time. An obvious nuke presence might cause too many political problems for a Minority Government reliant on the DUP for a very small majority. Possibly an Israeli model, everyone knows they have it but they don't confirm that they have it.
Filmman

page_verify wrote:Or maybe Fairford will become a host to both, and more? The Buffs and B-2s can only operate efficiently in Europe from Fairford while the USAF can’t afford to have 3 flying bases in the UK. And who says Fairford couldn’t become nuclear capable? Who says it doesn’t have a limited capability already? Who knows, who knows

Has DBH said whether this will affect the refund policy for advance-purchase FRIAT Mach 3 tickets ??