Air Force B-52 bombers drop laser-guided bombs for first time in a decade

Laser-Guided Bomb Units, commonly referred to as LGB's, were dropped from the bomb bay of a B-52 Stratofortress for the first time in nearly a decade during an operational test performed by the 49th Test and Evaluation Squadron Aug. 28, 2019.

The munitions used to be dropped from the bomb bay of the jet using a cluster bomb rack system, but the method raised safety concerns and the practice was eliminated.

"We've still been able to utilize LGB's underneath the wings of the B-52, but they don't do very well when carried externally because they are susceptible to icing and other weather conditions," said Lt. Col. Joseph Little, 49th TES commander.

According to Little, the seeker head of the LGB can be adversely affected by the elements, potentially reducing its effectiveness.

US Air Force Senior Airman Endina Tinoco wires a GBU-12 laser guided bomb after it was loaded onto a Conventional Rotary Launcher in the bomb bay of a B-52 Stratofortress at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, Aug. 20, 2019.

(US Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Gregory Steele)

The advent of the Conventional Rotary Launcher, a bomb bay weapons platform made available to the B-52 fleet in 2017, provides an alternative to the cluster bomb rack system and may once again allow LGB's to be dropped from inside the jet.

Doing so would keep the weapons protected from the elements, reducing the effects of weather. It also has the potential to increase the jet's lethality.

"It's another arrow in the quiver, it gives us the ability to carry more LGB's on the aircraft or give more variation on a conventional load," said Little. "It adds capability and is another thing you can bring to the fight."

Little explained the CRL was not originally designed for gravity-type bombs like the LGB, but recent software upgrades to the system now allow for such munitions.

Getting to the point of operational testing required a team effort between the 49th TES and Reserve Citizen Airmen of the 307th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. The 307th AMXS took the lead in configuring the CRL to accept the LGB's.

US Air Force Staff Sgt. Skyler McCloyn and Staff Sgt. Nathan Ehardt load a GBU-12 laser-guided bomb onto a Conventional Rotary Launcher in the bomb bay of a B-52 Stratofortress at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, Aug. 20, 2019.

(US Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Gregory Steele)

SSgt. Skyler McCloyn, 307th AMXS aircraft armament systems mechanic, served as the loading team chief for the event.

"It was very cool mission," said McCloyn. "It is exciting to know you are a part of something that could have a long-term impact."

The experience of the Reserve Citizen Airmen contributed greatly to the success of the effort, according to McCloyn.

"When you are doing something for the first time there will always, be kinks," said McCloyn. " But the expertise we have from working with so many type of munitions allowed us to adjust and work through those issues without much trouble ."

Little appreciated having the breadth and depth of experience offered by the unit.

"The 307th AMXS is on the leading edge of weapons loading and giving the rest of the B-52 maintenance community the data they need for unique scenarios like this," he said.

This article originally appeared on Business Insider. Follow @BusinessInsider on Twitter.