B-52s officially joined the air war on Monday, striking an ISIS weapons facility in Iraq. The Stratofortress on Monday hit an ISIS building in the village of Qayyarah, west of Makhmur. B-52s, which deployed to US Central Command earlier this month to replace B-1 Lancers that previously returned home, are a unique asset for the fight because of the large weapons payload it can carry, and the length of time it can remain in the air, coalition spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren said during a Wednesday briefing. The B-52s are employing precision weapons in the fight, and are capable of flying close air support for friendly forces, he said. Warren declined to say exactly what kind of weapons the bomber dropped.
The Space Development Agency says it’s on track to issue its next batch of missile warning and tracking satellite contracts this month after those awards were delayed by the Pentagon’s decision to divert funds from the agency to pay troops during this fall’s prolonged government shutdown.
