The Air Force Will Triple Its US Bomber Airspace To Perform More Low Level Runs

[xchrom]

http://www.businessinsider.com/air-force-tripling-bomber-training-airspace-david-cencioti-the-aviationist-2013-1



According to the Associated Press, the U.S. Air Force has launched a six-year plan to more than triple the airspace used for its bombers to accommodate more training sorties of its Dakotas-based B-1 and B-52 planes.

A final environmental impact review is being finalized but talks with American Indian tribes (and the Federal Aviation Administration) have already begun.

The purpose of such discussion is to reach an agreement that “would legally bind the Air Force with commitments to avoid, minimize, and mitigate adverse effects to historic properties.”

The current training area, dubbed the Powder River Training Complex, is centered few miles to the northwest of where South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana meet.


Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/air-force-tripling-bomber-training-airspace-david-cencioti-the-aviationist-2013-1#ixzz2IKROnpgO

[dixiegrrrrl]

1. Wonder how much fuel it takes to keep one of these in the air for an hour?

SO glad we can afford to burn up so much aviation fuel....

[NoMoreWarNow]

2. so wasteful, so disgusting

fuck the airforce

[Thor_MN]

3. When was the last time the Air Force actually used a low level run in combat?

When would the Air Force ever do a actual low level run in the future?

[Abnredleg]

4. Desert Storm

B-52s flew numerous very low level (under 500 feet) missions during Desert Storm.

Most of the operations since have been at medium levels since the US has had air supremacy and is able to operate at higher altitudes. Threat levels are always changing, however, so the military still trains at low levels.

[greytdemocrat]

5. Attention True Gun Nuts...

The gubmint is "gearing up" to deal with you!!!!!

[TwilightGardener]

6. Used to wake up to those B-1's rumbling over my house--they are pretty damn cool.

As long as Indian tribes and ranchers agree, I don't see the problem with this. There is just not much out there--that's why Ellsworth and Minot make sense.

[nick of time]

7. Those B-1's are beautiful aircraft,

unilike those ugly ass B-2"s.
I remember in Vietnam the B-52 arc light strikes, those were a sight to behold.

[TwilightGardener]

8. I do like B-52's as well--

Big old beastly workhorses.

[nick of time]

9. Another one I thought was a pretty good looking plane

was the FB-111 Aardvark.
The NVA called them the Whispering Death.