Getting a Guamuppance
This story will not go away but like a good pot of Guambat Stew will only get better as time goes on:
"A fire onboard one of Ellsworth Air Force Bases' B-1 Bombers badly damaged the aircraft as it was landing. It happened Thursday in Guam.An Air Force spokesperson says the fire started in the landing gear of the plane. Everyone onboard escaped without injury, and emergency crews quickly put out the flames.The Air Force is organizing a safety board to examine the accident and determine a cause."
"ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam -- A dull-gray B-2 bomber sat poised in a typhoon-proof air-conditioned hangar, its bat wings stretching 172 feet across. The bomb bay was fitted for 80 GPS-guided bombs, at 500 pounds each, that could be delivered to any target in Asia within a few hours.
The hulking stealth aircraft is a symbol of new times in the Pacific.
"Having this airplane in theater sends a message to the world," said Air Force Lt. Col. Tom Bussiere, of St. Johnsbury, Vt., who arrived at Andersen last February with four of the boomerang-shaped strategic warplanes.
The deployment of Bussiere's squadron, replacing a contingent of aging B-52s, marked part of a broad U.S. military realignment in the fast-changing Pacific. The reposturing, scheduled to run over several years, has been designed to strengthen U.S. military forces in Asia and usher them into a new era, reacting primarily to China's expanding diplomatic, economic and military power.
The rise of China as a regional force has shaken assumptions that had governed this vast region since the end of World War II, including that of uncontested U.S. naval and air power from California to the Chinese coast. With those days soon to end, senior officers said, the U.S. military in Asia is retooling to reflect new war-making technology, better prepare for military crises and counter any future threat from the emergent Chinese navy and air force...." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/16/AR2005091601983_pf.html
The hulking stealth aircraft is a symbol of new times in the Pacific.
"Having this airplane in theater sends a message to the world," said Air Force Lt. Col. Tom Bussiere, of St. Johnsbury, Vt., who arrived at Andersen last February with four of the boomerang-shaped strategic warplanes.
The deployment of Bussiere's squadron, replacing a contingent of aging B-52s, marked part of a broad U.S. military realignment in the fast-changing Pacific. The reposturing, scheduled to run over several years, has been designed to strengthen U.S. military forces in Asia and usher them into a new era, reacting primarily to China's expanding diplomatic, economic and military power.
The rise of China as a regional force has shaken assumptions that had governed this vast region since the end of World War II, including that of uncontested U.S. naval and air power from California to the Chinese coast. With those days soon to end, senior officers said, the U.S. military in Asia is retooling to reflect new war-making technology, better prepare for military crises and counter any future threat from the emergent Chinese navy and air force...." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/16/AR2005091601983_pf.html
"A fire onboard one of Ellsworth Air Force Bases' B-1 Bombers badly damaged the aircraft as it was landing. It happened Thursday in Guam.An Air Force spokesperson says the fire started in the landing gear of the plane. Everyone onboard escaped without injury, and emergency crews quickly put out the flames.The Air Force is organizing a safety board to examine the accident and determine a cause.""The Global Hawk is a long-range unmanned surveillance plane used by the USAF. In order to enhance their usefulness the Air Force would like to see them based globally. This from Gen. Paul Hester, commander of the Pacific Air Forces: "As we develop the Global Hawk, we are going to station them in Guam and we are looking for a consortium of countries to help us out, [including] Australia, Japan, Singapore, maybe Korea."
"Russia announced last week that it would sell up to 40 transport and refueling aircraft to China, a move that will greatly boost the Chinese military’s ability to conduct airborne and amphibious assault operations against Taiwan... “This is the first deal to emerge from Peace Mission 2005,” said Richard Fisher, a specialist on China’s military with the International Assessment and Strategy Center.
“It will increase PLA Il-76 heavy transport numbers by 150 percent to about 50 total, and will be the first sale of the Il-78M refueler — which will handily enable PLAAF and PLA Navy Su-30 fighter bombers to strike as far as Guam,” Fisher said."
“It will increase PLA Il-76 heavy transport numbers by 150 percent to about 50 total, and will be the first sale of the Il-78M refueler — which will handily enable PLAAF and PLA Navy Su-30 fighter bombers to strike as far as Guam,” Fisher said."
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Labels: Guam, Not so pacific Pacific
posted by Guambat Stew at Tuesday, September 20, 2005
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