U.S. bomber "own support" on the front line

The B-52 bomber landed at the Fern. Picture source of the United States Air Force

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As a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, the B-52 bomber tried to play a new role-material porter when he was born 70 years. During the recent exercise, in order to test the concept of "fast deployment" pushed by the US military, the B-52 replaced the missiles and bombs with a specially customized freight container, hoping to reduce the burden of the logistics department.

The news release released by the US Air Force showed that in mid-August, the four B-52 bomber departed from the Barcs El Air Force Base in Louisiana, to the Filchaild Base in Washington to perform a "agile combat deployment" (agile battle deployment "( ACE) task. In addition to the crew members, there are 5 ground personnel on each plane.

According to the US "Theater" website, the core of the ACE task is "(combat aircraft) to disperse the deployment of the conflict in a predictive way to improve the survivability of the air power." To this end, a behemoth such as a strategic bomber must also adapt to a relatively simple second and third -tier airport to reduce the demand for logistical support as much as possible.

Different from the past, the B-52 used the "BOCS" (BOCS) that rarely appeared in this deployment. From the official photos, it can be seen that the system is actually a container tailored for B-52. It can plug into the B-52 body bullets. Each bomber can carry two sets of BOCs. The container is approximately cuboid, each of which can accommodate 5,000 pounds (about 2250 kg) supply products and logistics support equipment, which gives the B-52 capacity of up to 4.5 tons.

The "theater" website said that the idea of ​​adding delivery functions for B-52 originated from the beginning of the 21st century. Prior to this, the machine could only play "bomb trucks". According to people familiar with the matter, the B-52 has a small space for temporary materials in the tail area of ​​the machine. Generally, some communication equipment, tools, wires, rags, flashlights, etc. are placed. Oil and hydraulic oil container.

Now the three B-52 troops of the US Air Force are equipped with BOCS. "The system creates opportunities to maintain and operate, transporting anything necessary, and helping the bomber continue to run." A logistical person said.

"Time" is the primary factor to determine the success or failure of the ACE task. It requires the US military to quickly deploy combat aircraft to a place away from the homeland and ensure that they continue to operate. In the past, the B-52 bomber was far from the long-range attack, and the transport aircraft full of supplies "hugged". With BOCS, the B-52 bomber can "support yourself" in a strange environment. The US military officially reported that in the "travel" from Louisiana to Washington this time, the "home" including maintenance tools, backup parts and diagnostic equipment was packed and placed in the airborne container. The machine flew to the destination and practiced the classics such as hanging and maintenance.

"We have proved that we have the ability to scramble to project dense firepower without leaving too much 'logistics footprints' before they perceive the scheduled target." Prades. It is worth noting that BOCS and airborne ammunition are not mutually exclusive. When the fuselage bomb is occupied by containers, bombs and missiles can be hung below the wing, and then reinstalled after reaching the frontier base. Depending on the specific situation, the B-52 can also choose to carry only one container, and the remaining half of the space can still be loaded with weapons.

Foreign media pointed out that there is still a gap between the US military's exercise and actual combat. The "theater" said that Ferchaild Airport, which played the "front-edge base", is also located in the United States. The local facilities such as B-52, runway and other facilities have been renovated in recent years. No stranger. It is an emergency plan for the bomber cargo. As far as B-52 is concerned, the maximum cargo capacity of 4.5 tons is far less than that of a special transport aircraft-the US military C-17 heavy transport aircraft can load about 77 tons of materials at one time, lightweightweight The C-13 tactical transport aircraft can also be equipped with 19 tons.

Therefore, the B-52 of the "self-bringing home" can only be "self-sufficient" in the early stages of combat. If the task lasts longer, it must be supported by professional logistics units. In addition, because the bombers' bullets are relatively slender, the types of goods carried by BOCS are limited, and they cannot easily install ultra -wide and overweight items as specially designed transport aircraft.

The U.S. military believes that in the context of the "big country's competition", expanding the deployment area of ​​the bombers and ensuring its ability to move rapidly. The current base of the U.S. military may be paralyzed soon after the conflict broke out. In a series of exercises in recent years, the U.S. military has managed to increase the foothold of the bomber, hoping that they can play as long as possible in the high intensity conflict.

As the oldest and largest bombers in the U.S. military, B-52 must give full play to the residual heat under the new strategy, and must hone skills such as "pulling goods". In order to achieve the goal of serving to the middle of this century, the aircraft that has passed the "ancient years" will continue to be upgraded, including replacement of active phased array radars and new engines, equipped with hypersonic weapons.

Compared with these cutting -edge technologies, BOCS may not be eye -catching, but its impact on the actual combat capabilities of the US military bomber cannot be underestimated.

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