B-1 Bomber Has Emerged As An Effective Weapon In Afghanistan

Cold War's B-1 Bomber Emerges as Effective Weapon in Afghanistan -- Politics Daily

The voice on the radio is measured but firm: "Hawk Nine One, this is Hard Rock -- we are taking sustained fire at this time from the compound 50 meters north of Objective Tiger, requesting show of force over the objective, how copy, over.''

Hawk Nine One, a graceful swept-wing B-1 bomber, climbs sharply and snap-rolls to the right. Beneath its gunmetal-gray fuselage, a torpedo-shaped pod stares at the ground 18,000 feet below, processing infrared and television images displayed on screens in the cockpit.

"Hard Rock, Hawk Nine One, good copy,'' Capt. Erick "Sis'' Lord tells the infantrymen on the ground. Lord, barely visible behind his helmet, face shield and oxygen mask, is a back-seat weapons system operator (WSO, or "whizzo''). He's strapped into his ejection seat crammed into a nest of radar and video screens and switches linked to 11 tons of precision-guided bombs poised in the jet's three ample bomb bays.

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My Comment: With the U.S. military now conducting an astounding 1,000 air strikes per month in Afghanistan, they need all the 'birds' in the air that is possible. It is good to see that the B-1 has found some role in supporting the U.S./NATO mission.