B-52 smart bomb flattens prison in Syria

According to Syrian media, the US has just used B-52 bombers to bomb Jabhet Fateh al-Sham targets in the town of Sarmada (Syria).

The specific target the B-52 flattened was a building used as a prison by Jabhet Fateh al-Sham (formerly Nusra Front, al Qaeda Syria).

The airstrike killed at least 20 prisoners and injured many others. The exact number of casualties among the terrorists is not yet known.

Exactly four days earlier, a US drone killed three top leaders of the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (JFS) organization in a car as they were on their way to the Bab al-Hawa border crossing to infiltrate into Türkiye.

B-52 bomber.

Al-Masdar News quoted a US military source as saying that the B-52 that bombed the Jabhet Fateh al-Sham target had just undergone an upgrade to integrate many advanced devices and use US smart bombs.

According to this source, manufacturer Boeing has integrated a new rotating bomb rack system, allowing the aircraft to carry many types of smart bombs in its storage compartment instead of mounting them on the wings as before.

Storing all bombs in the aircraft bay will help reduce drag and increase fuel efficiency. In addition, by replacing the launcher with a new rotating bomb rack, the B-52 can carry a variety of bombs, from old bombs to new generation smart bombs, suitable for many different missions.

The aircraft’s electronic control system has also been upgraded, connecting to a rotating bomb rack to help pilots easily select the type of bomb to use. According to this source, the manufacturer has provided 3 B-52 models for testing and evaluation until early 2017.

Initially, the improved system will be tested with 11 tons of JDAM bombs. If successful, Boeing will continue testing with new generation bombs such as JASSM and its JASSM-ER variant, MALD and its radar jamming variant, and MALD/J interceptor missiles.

However, it is not yet clear what type of bomb this B-52 used in the attack on the target controlled by the terrorist Jabhet Fateh al-Sham on January 3.

The B-52 was developed during the early Cold War. It can fly at an altitude of 15,000m with a range of more than 14,000km and can carry 32 tons of bombs and various warheads.

The B-52 is the longest-serving bomber in the history of the US Air Force, and is considered one of the best bombers in history.

According to Baodatviet