The U.S. Air Force used a C-5M Super Galaxy aircraft on Nov. 6 to transport conventional rotary launchers from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana for deployment to a combat zone for military use.A CRL is designed to increase the Boeing-built B-52 Stratofortress bomber’s capability to carry smart weapons by 67 percent, the Air Force reported Nov. 30.
“When you take a B-52 and load it with mixed smart weapons you now open up many more options with one aircraft instead of having to call in other aircraft for other types of munitions,†said Master Sgt. Adam Levandowski, Air Forces Strategic Armament Systems manager.
“Now each CRL allows for internal carriage which adds an additional eight smart bombs per aircraft,†Levandowski added.
Senior Master Sgt. Donavan Stinson, CRL project head, said the service updated its equipment and conducted training at Barksdale and Minot AFB in North Dakota to prepare for the adoption of the launchers.
The military branch said the addition of the CRL capability to B-52s seeks to help the Air Force Global Strike Command provide combat support and perform global strike and strategic deterrence missions.
