ACC chief, Gen. Ronald Keys told Washington-based defense reporters Thursday that there are other platforms, besides a B-52 standoff jammer, and other capabilities that could share in the jamming mission. He said he is considering using systems such as the Miniature Air-Launched Decoy-Jammer (MALD-J) and the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile to kill threats. Other platforms, Keys explained, could include a C-130 variant of current and new fighters with advanced radar systems to “see and block surface to air missiles.”
B-52 Stratofortress bombers marked a new first in Operation Epic Fury when some of the BUFFs flew over Iran carrying JDAM-guided gravity bombs, according to people familiar with the matter. The development signals a weakening of Iranian air defenses and a new use for the venerable bomber in the nearly…