The U.S. Air Force sent the B-52 Stratofortress bomber, one of the largest aircraft in the world, to join the coalition team in the fight against ISIS
U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress aircraft flew out last weekend from the Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, and arrived at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, to join the coalition forces in Operation Inherent Resolve against ISIS. According to ARMY.MIL, the B-52 can carry large quantities of precise ammunition. It also indicates that this is the first time in 29 years that a B-52 bomber is sent for military operation under the U.S. Air Forces Central Command
Lt. Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., the commander of U.S. Air Forces Central Command and Combined Forces Air Component, said, "As a multi-role platform, the B-52 offers diverse capabilities including delivery of precision weapons and the flexibility and endurance needed to support the combatant commanders’ priorities and strengthen the coalition team."
The coalition, led by the United States, conducted more than 33,000 airpower missions against ISIS. Since the beginning of the operation, the coalition struck about 776 mortar systems, 1,933 logistics buildings housing these weapons, 662 weapons caches, and 1,341 staging areas.