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Scalp Hunters: the 93rd Bomb Squadron by Kevin Jackson
Driving down the huge ramp at Barksdale AFB, on the outskirts of Shreveport, Louisiana, you pass countless B-52H tails proudly displaying “LA” tailcode of the 2d Bomb Wing (BW). After passing well over a mile of the imposing bombers, you notice that the codes in two rows have changed to “BD” and the tails are topped with ”AFRC” titles. This signals your arrival at the US Air Force’s only Reserve bomber unit, the 93d Bomb Squadron (BS). The “Scalp Hunters” are widely-known for their Native American squadron patch and distinctive “SCALP” radio call sign.
Operating under Air Force Reserve Command’s (AFRC) 10th Air Force, the 93d BS stood up at Barksdale in 1993. Part of the 917th Wing, along with the A-10s of the co-located 47th Fighter Squadron, the 93d operates independently from the 2d BW and concentrates on the conventional bombing mission. This, however, does not mean the squadron has no close ties with its active-duty brothers. The 93d has been instrumental in the integration of a number of new systems that have gone on to be applied throughout the B-52H community, most notably the introduction of targeting/navigation pods throughout the fleet. The 93d BS, with its wealth of experienced personnel, was the ideal unit to work with the test community to integrate the pods, and then to develop a training syllabus for the initial cadre of regular-force Radar Navigators to use the new system.
From Cold War to CAS
In 2002, the Barksdale reservists were given the go-ahead for a series of tests designed to refine the B-52’s precision-strike capability. The tests used the Northrop Grumman Litening II precision attack targeting system, in an effort to help aircrews better locate, identify, and verify assigned targets before delivering weapons.
“We've been pushing this initiative since 1998, after learning Air Force Reserve Command was purchasing this system for its F-16s,” said Lt. Col. William “Sleepy” Floyd, 93d BS radar navigator and test project manager who is known in the B-52 community as “The Podfather.” “Without a doubt, having the capability to use advanced sensors as our ‘eyes’ for locating and identifying targets from the altitudes at which we operate is an enormous benefit.”
The Litening II targeting pod contains a high-resolution, forward-looking infrared sensor with wide field-of-view search capability and a narrow field-of-view acquisition and targeting capability. The pod also contains a digital camera used to obtain target imagery in the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, a laser designator for precise delivery of laser-guided munitions, and a laser rangefinder for exact target coordinates.
For the tests, technicians from the 917th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron modified two B-52s. “We had to install heavier gauge wire and larger circuit breakers to support the increased amperage needed for the pod, along with modifying the attaching station with different electrical connectors and video lines,” explained MSgt. Kermit Morris, a 917th bomb-navigation technician. “Installing the pod was relatively easy, and we didn't encounter any problems that couldn't be fixed on the spot,” added MSgt. Johnnie Gilbert, a 917th weapons technician.
With the pod still in the testing phase, the 93d used the Litening II to strike targets at an airfield in northern Iraq on April 11, 2003, during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). A mixed crew of reservists from the 93rd BS and active-duty airmen flew the bomber from RAF Fairford in the UK, dropping one laser-guided GBU-12 Paveway II munition on a radar complex and another on a command complex at the airfield.
The 93d BS achieved full combat ready status with the Litening II in July 2006, another first for the B-52, and has subsequently been involved in training Radar Navigators from Barksdale’s active-duty squadrons. The initial cadre has returned to its units to instruct others, as the whole B-52 community introduces the system. “This was another major milestone for the B-52 and the 93d,” said Floyd. “Our unit has invested over 10 years of effort, dedication and persistence to achieve probably the most combat-relevant enhancement to the current B-52 mission. The B-52 targeting pod integration program is a perfect example of a total-force effort that involved every facet of the B-52 community.”
Following from this success, Boeing was awarded a contract in September 2008 for full integration of the Sniper XR Advanced Targeting pod into the active-duty B-52 units. The 93d BS will continue to use Litening II pods funded through AFRC.
Experience Counts
A fine illustration of the capabilities of the 93d BS’s reservists was their success at the resurrected “Buff Smoke” competition, hosted by the 2d BW in December 2008. Competing against Barksdale’s three other B-52 squadrons, the 93d set Buff Smoke on fire, winning the Best Squadron, Best Crew, Best Aircraft Maintenance Unit and Best Crew Chiefs awards.
Buff Smoke began in 2005, and is designed to help B-52 aircrews, crew chiefs, load crews, and maintainers sharpen their combat skills. It incorporates all the variables required to launch a B-52, from the maintenance personnel to the aircrew who fly the mission. Bombs are loaded and dropped, electronic countermeasures are used, and all activities are timed and scored. Inspectors use the scores to determine what would be a successful combat mission.
"I am very proud of our team," said Col. Ed Walker, 917th Wing Commander. "This success is both timely and illustrative of the credibility the Air Force Reserve Command and 10th Air Force have with 8th Air Force. I am especially pleased with the maintenance recognition."
For the 93d Bomb Squadron, this was their first time competing in Buff Smoke since its inception. "It's a great honour to win the Best Squadron Award," said Lt. Col. Keith Schultz, 93d BS Commander. "It is something I expected from my people all along. They have always been the cream of the crop – things other people find challenging, we find second nature."
New Role, New Vision
Following a recent review of the USAF’s role in nuclear deterrence, and a re-awakening to the importance of the B-52 as one of America’s most valuable assets, a number of changes will be implemented throughout the B-52 community in the coming year. As part of this transition, the 93d BS has been selected by Air Combat Command and AFRC to convert from an active combat role to a training one, instructing the B-52 community’s future war-fighters.
The 93d BS’s Director of Flight Operations, Lt Col Joe Jones summed up the unit’s view of their new role. “We are collectively excited about our impending switch to this new mission. The 93d is an experienced cadre of war-fighters with an average cumulative experience of 3500 hours in the B-52. The majority of our members have seen a significant amount of combat that ranges from deployment in Desert Shield/Desert Storm to an average of four deployments for participation in the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. We are highly skilled in the use of the Litening II advanced technology targeting pod and have used this new platform to engage in close air support, Improvised Explosive Device search, armed overwatch, mobile convoy overwatch, and airborne artillery missions. Elements of our unit have been in every major initiative in both Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. We are now ready to seed the young minds and hearts the future B-52 crews with this spirit of innovation and experience.”
By June 2009, the majority of the 93d’s crews will have completed the B-52 flight instructor course. The squadron will then realign its facilities to absorb the extra manning coming into an enlarged 93d BS, including approximately 45 instructions from the 2d Bomb Wing’s 11th BS, which up until now has been the B-52 “Schoolhouse.” The 11th BS personnel will retain their squadron number as “associates,” but serve with the 93d under the “Total Force”’ initiative. With its mixture of reserve and active-duty instructors, the 93d will perform all B-52 aircrew training and operate somewhere in the region of 16 B-52Hs, up from the current fleet of eight.
In the third quarter of FY09, the 93d will assume all training responsibilities for crewmembers in their initial “B-course” qualification for the B-52. Ultimately, the 93d BS will produce 44 new bomber pilots and navigators, and 22 electronic warfare officers, per year. Additionally, they will train approximately 22 pilots upgrading from first officer/co-pilot to Aircraft Commander. Currently, all navigators exiting training are to be dual-role navigators (qualified as navigator and radar navigator), and the 93rd will perform upgrade training to qualify all current non-radar navigators for both roles.
These changes are part of the biggest upheaval of the B-52 community since the end of the Cold War and the demise of Strategic Air Command. They are designed to meet the challenges of nuclear surety and the new arenas of conventional warfare that developments in precision weaponry have opened up to the Stratofortress. The 917th Wing and the 93d Bomb Squadron will no doubt continue to play a major role in maintaining the effectiveness of the mighty “Buff”.
Acknowledgements
The author thanks everyone with the 917th WG Public Affairs office, especially Jessica Daurizio, and the personnel of the 93d BS for their outstanding help during my week at Barksdale. Special thanks go to the crews of “SCALP 93” and “SCALP 94,” especially Capt. Casey Gough, Capt. Maury Kent, Lt Col Bill Floyd and Lt Col Al Ringle, for a memorable flight. Additional thanks to SSgt Mike Andriacco from the 2d BW.
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