Bill Walton
Everybody loves the BUFF. Boeing’s B-52H Stratofortress is still a front line weapons system more than sixty years after it entered United States Air Force (USAF) service. Today many of the remaining USAF B-52Hs are based at Barksdale Air Force Base at Bossier City in northwestern Louisiana and Minot AFB at Minot near the Canadian border in North Dakota. YouTuber airailimages uploaded this gorgeous HD footage of two BUFFs working the pattern at Barksdale on April 2nd of 2018. If you relish the distinctive whine of those eight TF33s whistling past, don’t miss this one!
The first B-52H to appear is 61-0010 (CN 464437) named Junkyard Dog and assigned to the 20th Bomb Squadron (BS) Buccaneers of the 2nd Bomb Wing (BW) and based at Barksdale AFB. The other BUFF in the pattern is 61-0003 (CN 464430) named Miss Behavin’ and assigned to the 69th BS Knighthawks of the 5th BW at Minot AFB.
The remaining B-52H-equipped Bomb Wings are the 2nd Bomb Wing The Deuce and the Air Force Reserve Command’s 307th Bomb Wing, both based at Barksdale, and the 5th Bomb Wing Bomber Barons based at Minot. The 2nd BW is made up of the 11th BS School House, the 20th BS Buccaneers, and the 96th BS Red Devils. The 307th BW includes the 93rd BS Indian Outlaws and the 343rd BS Avengers. The 5th BW consists of the 23rd BS and the 69th BS Knighthawks.
The 23rd BS and the 93rd BS both celebrated more than 100 years of service during 2017. Between 1955 and 1992, the B-52s flown by these squadrons were Strategic Air Command (SAC) assets. From 1992 to 2010 they belonged to Air Combat Command (ACC). Since 2010 have been part of Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). Today the 11th BS School House owns training for B-52 crews and maintainers.
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