US sends B-1B bombers to the Middle East to hunt down IS
US B-1B supersonic bombers were deployed to Qatar to carry out missions against IS and Taliban militants.
Two US B-1B supersonic strategic bombers took off from South Dakota on March 31 and landed at Al-Udeid air base in Qatar.SputnikApril 3, citing a statement from the US military command in Central Asia and the Middle East (US CENTCOM).
US CENTCOM representatives said that these two supersonic bombers will replace B-52 bombers to continue the campaign to destroy the remnants of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq and Syria, as well as the campaign against the Taliban in Afghanistan.
With a payload of 95 tons, the B-1B Lancer is the bomber with the largest payload among the current US strategic bombers. The B-1B Lancer has a speed of nearly 1,500 km/h and can carry satellite-guided JDAM smart bombs of various sizes from 226 kg to 907 kg to increase the ability to attack accurately in all weather conditions.
The B-1B Lancer was first used in combat in 1998 during Operation Desert Fox in Iraq. During the campaign against IS in Iraq and Syria, B-1B strategic bombers of the 34th Expeditionary Bomb Wing dropped more than 2,000 smart bombs in 630 airstrikes against insurgents.
