Dyess Welcomes B-52’s from Minot Air Force Base

ABILENE, TX (KTAB/KRBC)- A group of B-52’s were welcomed by Dyess Air Force Base where they will be conducting joint exercises with B-1 Lancers.

The B-52’s are from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota and will be housed at Dyess for an undisclosed amount of time while Minot conducts routine runway maintenance. The B-52 has seen many iterations over its extended service with the United States Air Force and was once a regular sight over the Abilene skies roughly 40 years ago. The aircraft has been utilized in many different scenarios over the years. One of its most notable was for “Operation Crome Dome.”, a Cold War era mission that ran from 1961 to 1968 in which b-52’s armed with thermonuclear weapons remained on continuous airborne alert. They would fly in regions like the eastern and western seaboard as well as the northern parts of the United States and Canada that put them in positions to attack targets within the Soviet Union if the need were to ever arise. Captain Dylan Collins is Director of staff for the 23rd Bomb Squadron that arrived at Dyess and describes some of the aircrafts history as well as some of its capabilities.

“So, the tales(planes) that we have out here were built it primarily in 1960, 1961.  So, we typically operate anywhere from the surface to flight level five zero zero to 50000 feet and will typically cruise around at about 420 knots but can go up to .84 Mach. Continuously getting upgrades to bring us more into the 21st century and to really just open up our capabilities and keep us relevant. And in any conflict, that can come our way.”

The B-52 has been active in several different theaters over the years. Those include the Cold War, Vietnam and was crucial in Operation Desert Storm. The capabilities of the B-52 Stratofortress stretch beyond a high-altitude heavy bomber. It has also seen use as a reconnaissance aircraft, particularly in a maritime setting in aiding the U.S. Navy. While the B-52’s from Minot are at Dyess partially because of runway maintenance at their own base, they are also present here in the Big Country for cooperative training. Commander of the 23rd Bomb Squadron, Lieutenant Colonel Vincent Noel, Callsign “Rock”, expanded on their presence at Dyess.

“We’re down here to do an agile combat deployment exercise here at Dyess Air Force Base with our gracious sponsors from the seventh bomb wing in the city of Abilene. We’re looking to integrate with our B-1 brothers and sisters and refine some our tactics, techniques and procedures in an austere environment,” Col. Noel explains.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com.