The B-52s that deployed to fight ISIS earlier this year are still standing up and have not been flying high-tempo operations, though they have been “picking up the pace,” said Air Forces Central Command boss Lt. Gen. Charles Brown during a Thursday briefing. Since the B-52 hasn’t been based in the US Central Command area of operations for 26 years, the command needs to build up its logistic supports to “make sure they’ve got everything they need,” he noted. The operations tempo has continued to increase over the past six weeks, and will continue to do so, Brown said. The Stratofortresses replaced B-1s, which recently rotated out of CENTCOM for the first time since 2001 after setting records for the amount of weapons dropped during its last deployment. Still, the B-52 is another strike platform available and, “I like having them here,” Brown said.
The Pentagon has concluded a new agreement to buy laser-guidance kits that turn rockets into drone-killing weapons. BAE Systems and the Defense Department announced a framework deal of up to seven years for 25,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System guidance kits annually for the U.S. military.