Despite the cooling of tensions between Iran and the United States, the Pentagon has deployed a number of strategic bombers to the Indian Ocean as further deterrence against additional Iranian actions.
The Air Force has deployed an unspecified number of B-52 Stratofortress and B-2 Spirit strategic bombers to the Naval Support Facility (NSF) Diego Garcia, a small but strategically important naval and airbase in the Indian Ocean. A number of cargo and mid-air refueling planes have also joined the strategic bombers.
B-52s have a range of almost 9,000 miles; B-2s have a range of over 11,000 miles with just a single mid-air refueling. Tehran is approximately 3,500 miles away from NSF Diego Garcia; the southern coast of Iran is about 3,000 miles away.
Both aircraft are capable of carrying nuclear payloads. B-52s can carry approximately 70,000 lbs worth of munitions (conventional or nuclear). B-2s can carry about 45,000 lbs but they are stealth-capable, making them an ideal option against targets protected by heavy anti-aircraft systems.
A B-2 Spirit and its impressive payload.
The small naval airbase also houses a Military Propositioning Ship (MPS) squadron. The squadron, which belongs to the Military Sealift Command, can provision a full Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) for up to 30 days of operations.
NSF Diego Garcia sports a single runway (approximately 3.6 kilometers-long). The naval airbase has been utilized for combat operations in that Area of Operations (AO) before. Strategic bombers used it as a staging base in the early days of the Global War on Terror (GWOT).
Tensions with Iran have been sky-high following the targeted killing of Major General Qassem Soleimani, the commanding general of the secretive Quds Force, a combination of CIA and the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), and arguably the most influential Iranian officer in the Middle East.
Despite the cooling of tensions between Iran and the United States, the Pentagon has deployed a number of strategic bombers to the Indian Ocean as further deterrence against additional Iranian actions.
The Air Force has deployed an unspecified number of B-52 Stratofortress and B-2 Spirit strategic bombers to the Naval Support Facility (NSF) Diego Garcia, a small but strategically important naval and airbase in the Indian Ocean. A number of cargo and mid-air refueling planes have also joined the strategic bombers.
B-52s have a range of almost 9,000 miles; B-2s have a range of over 11,000 miles with just a single mid-air refueling. Tehran is approximately 3,500 miles away from NSF Diego Garcia; the southern coast of Iran is about 3,000 miles away.
Both aircraft are capable of carrying nuclear payloads. B-52s can carry approximately 70,000 lbs worth of munitions (conventional or nuclear). B-2s can carry about 45,000 lbs but they are stealth-capable, making them an ideal option against targets protected by heavy anti-aircraft systems.
A B-2 Spirit and its impressive payload.
The small naval airbase also houses a Military Propositioning Ship (MPS) squadron. The squadron, which belongs to the Military Sealift Command, can provision a full Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) for up to 30 days of operations.
NSF Diego Garcia sports a single runway (approximately 3.6 kilometers-long). The naval airbase has been utilized for combat operations in that Area of Operations (AO) before. Strategic bombers used it as a staging base in the early days of the Global War on Terror (GWOT).
Tensions with Iran have been sky-high following the targeted killing of Major General Qassem Soleimani, the commanding general of the secretive Quds Force, a combination of CIA and the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), and arguably the most influential Iranian officer in the Middle East.
In a press statement, President Trump said that “Our great American forces are prepared for anything. Iran appears to be standing down, which is a good thing for all parties concerned and a very good thing for the world.”
A B-52 Stratofortress and its payload.
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