A lone 5th Bomb Wing B-52 Stratofortress launched on a 24-hour training sortie, striking simulated targets in France and Germany from its home station at Minot AFB, N.D., announced Minot officials. Refueling four times en-route, the B-52 dropped simulated joint direct attack munitions and unguided munitions as part of a multinational exercise in France, and worked with NATO joint tactical air controllers over Germany, during the late May mission, stated the officials in Minot’s June 12 release. “Flying a long-endurance sortie is outstanding training for aircrew, since it forces them to train in a very real combat-like environment after flying for a long time to get to the area of responsibility,” said Capt. Jarred Prier, 5th Operations Support Squadron mission commander. “Crews often fly long-endurance sorties on our Guam deployments, but this particular mission was a rare opportunity,” he added. The crew linked up with a French air force KC-135FR for fuel, and scrimmaged with French fighters along the way, according to the release. (Minot report by SrA. Jessica McConnell)
Depot-level maintenance took longer than expected for nearly three-quarters of Air Force aircraft from fiscal 2019-2024, according to a new report, as unplanned repairs rise across the aging fleet. The report, from the Government Accountability Office, also found that the extent of the delays has been masked because officials often revise their target timelines after unplanned work occurs.