After several months of training for their nuclear mission, B-52H crews from Minot AFB, N.D., recently practiced the bomber’s conventional strike role by dropping live cluster bombs during a night training sortie over the Nevada Test and Training Range. “There is no better way to demonstrate your proficiency and build confidence in your capabilities than to go out and drop live weapons on the range,” said Lt. Col. Brandon Parker, 23rd Bomb Squadron commander, in a Feb. 14 release. The 23rd BS crew dropped both unguided CBU-87B combined effects munitions and the GPS-guided CBU-103 wind corrected munitions dispensers during a Feb. 11 night training sortie. “The CBU-103 was a direct hit,” said Capt. Michael Devita, 23rd BS weapons and tactics flight commander. “We don’t get a lot of opportunities like this. We only get to drop about two of these munitions per year,” he added.
A top Pentagon tech official called on industry this week to help the military develop “lighter, more efficient” directed energy weapons designed to go on aircraft and conduct special operations missions or down drones—areas where the Air Force’s directed energy efforts have been quiet as of late.