A B-52H b
omber from the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot AFB, N.D., left the base for good on Jan. 21, on a flight to Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., where it will be placed in recallable storage by the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group. This aircraft, with tail number 61-0027, is the latest of 18 H-model B-52s that Air Combat Command is retiring to reduce the B-52 fleet size to 76. The Air Force began pulling these B-52s from service last July. (Minot photo caption by SSgt. Keith Ballard)
As the threat of Iranian-made drones grew, the Air Force rushed last year to equip F-15E Strike Eagles in the Middle East with a cheap, cost-effective way of defeating them. The service fielded the new capability in roughly a week.
