The Monster Missile Unleashed by B-52s in a Mission that US Tried to Hide

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A handful of elite airmen from the United States Air Force's 596th Bomb Squadron were awoken by the sound of a blaring alert siren on the dawn of January 16, 1991. After months of training for a highly secretive mission they were not even fully informed about, the mysterious endeavor suddenly became real.
As a result of the Iraqi leadership's August 1990 invasion of Kuwait, 57 aviators aboard seven B-52 Stratofortresses carrying a highly secretive new American weapon were about to embark on the longest aerial sortie ever conducted to that day.
It was dark, rainy, and with high winds when Operation Senior Surprise was launched, and it would take exhaustive efforts to keep the iconic B-52s aloft.
After 15 hours of arduous conditions above the Atlantic and into the Middle East, the airmen now faced an even more daunting challenge: to deploy the new weapon accurately and hit all their desired targets…
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Join Dark Skies as we explore the world of aviation with cinematic short documentaries featuring the biggest and fastest airplanes ever built, top-secret military projects, and classified missions with hidden untold true stories. Including US, German, and Soviet warplanes, along with aircraft developments that took place during World War I, World War 2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf War, and special operations mission in between.
As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Skies sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect and soundtracks for emotional impact. We do our best to keep it as visually accurate as possible.
All content on Dark Skies is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas.

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30 сен 2024

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Комментарии : 662

@johngaltman Год назад

I was in the Air Force for 21 years, and we would use the term Secret Squirrel to refer to things you didn't generally talk about in public, but I had no idea where the term came from until now... Thanks.

@Kriss_L Год назад

The term is pretty generic in the intel community, and was around long before 1991.

@FatherMartin Год назад

I first encountered the term in the 1970s, in reference to people involved in sigint duties. It came from a TV cartoon series that first aired in 1965 - a search on RU-vid for "Secret Squirrel & Morocco Mole" might find an episode.

@darkwood777 Год назад

Secret Squirrel was a popular Saturday morning cartoon character in 1965. He was a secret agent with gadgets in his trenchcoat, and he had a sidekick named Morocco Mole who talked like the actor Peter Lorre. Military members who grew up in the 60s would later use the name to refer to covert activities.

@bucknasty69 Год назад

That’s interesting to know where the term secret squirrel came from. I was in the Army from 2009 to 2013 and we still used that term then. It’s funny how military slang has a tendency to stick around for many years. We also still said di di mau as well and Vietnam has been over for decades.

@ffjsb Год назад

@@darkwood777 I barely remember that show, but I've heard that term used for ages for a lot of things, even outside of the military.

@Old_B52H_Gunner Год назад

I flew in the H model B-52 and was also on alert at that time, however they used G model B-52s exclusively in the first gulf war leaving the H models to pull nuclear alert at home even though, and perhaps because we had a longer range between refueling.

@stanleyross9981 Год назад

The "G" models were scheduled for destruction, therefore, if a few were lost during the Gulf War, it would be no loss to the total number of Heavy Bombers in the inventory, whereas if an "H" model was lost it would reduce the total number of Heavy Bombers left. Also the "G" models had the new GPS systems installed, they had not gotten to the "H" models yet. Due to inflight refueling the range difference between "G" and "H" models had a nominal effect.

@TheOriginalFaxon Год назад

@@stanleyross9981 Yup, and we did indeed lose a B-52, as well as several more getting shot by Iraqi anti-air missiles and surviving but in a damaged state, if memory serves. The Operations Room has a series on Desert Storm with the exact details of every aircraft that was shot down during the initial air campaign in the opening hours of the war. Totally wild how one F-16 pilot was able to dodge 6 missiles, only to get back and have the mechanics discover that his countermeasures dispensers weren't even working and had not deployed a single flare or chaff canister, so he had survived on sheer skill and endurance.

@weirdshibainu Год назад

I can't ever look at a B-52 and not think of Dr. Strangelove

@mountainjeff Год назад

She came from planet Claire.

@pcInCA Год назад

A Fella' Could Have A Pretty Good Weekend In Vegas With All That Stuff.

@jamessimms415 Год назад

@@pcInCA The original script called for Slim Pickens to say ‘Dallas’ instead of ‘Vegas’. However between the time it was filmed & premiered, JFK was assassinated in Dallas. To avoid bad memories, Pickens went in & redid the dialog. You can still see him mouth ‘Dallas’ instead of ‘Vegas’.

@DSAK55 Год назад

and General Buck Turgidson

@Michael_Smith-Red_No.5 Год назад

"We cannot allow a mine shaft gap."

@dougmackenzie5976 Год назад

Mercy. There is SO much wrong here. I was actually part of the first deployment of the AGM-86B ALCM. I was a nuclear weapons technician, responsible for maintaining the W80 warheads. The ALCM was a very accurate missile, for the deployment of nuclear resources, unlike your portrayal. Additionally, your hyperbolic delivery surrounding the Gulf War mission is laughable. We trained endlessly for these missions. We weren't exhausted, or under any different kind of stress than we were under for any mission, training or otherwise. You also state some things I'd like to refute, here, but cannot, due to their classified nature. You make much ado about what was simply the work we trained for. Was it a long mission? Yes. So were so many others. Once you're past 12 hours on duty, regardless of one's position, it's difficult and tiring. -That was why we trained endlessly: To acclimate ourselves to the conditions we knew we'd face when we'd get called up for the real show.

@TheJessfletcher17 Год назад

How does the dial a yield work? if you can talk about such things

@dougmackenzie5976 Год назад

@@thomasmelvin1333: Piss off. Don't like free speech? Tough. Deal with it, little kid.

@brandonbarber6797 Год назад

Doug what are you on about.... This video was about the pilots and loads themselves not some A. M. O amo troop, I have doubts you where even involved since this was a conventional sorte not a nuc sorte so why would a nuc troop be involved? -a 462

@mikemontgomery2654 Год назад

I’m glad you said something. I was raising my eyebrow when that was stated. My next immediate reaction was: what are you talking about? These crews train to do what they did. The B-52 was always meant to be a long range, endurance bomber. I still think it is a cool video. I was only 6 years old, when that strike happened.

@dougmackenzie5976 Год назад

@@mikemontgomery2654, thanks, Mike. And it wasn't something new. In WWII, B-29s flying from Tinian often had 12-14 hour missions. -In far less capable aircraft, and against a foe that would often ram the B-29s to take them out of the air. WE went through nothing like that. THOSE men were real heroes.

@studuerson2548 Год назад

I had the 'pleasure' of a dollar ride on a B-52 doing a strike training profile on the Yuma range. I swore if I was assigned a BUFF out of pilot training, I'd turn in my wings and sit silo duty for my commitment. It was as close as I ever came to losing my lunch, and it just kept going on...and on...an on for hours. Real cred to 52 crews. Salute.

@TheCth777 Год назад

Was it especially turbulent or something?

@andrewheckerson6441 Год назад

I was born and raised at Barksdale. My father was part of the weapons testing for that mission. I remember the day all those planes took off but never knew the impact of that day. All of the telemetry for those missiles was done at his shop. I'm so proud of what he did

@trespire Год назад

I was called over a few times to the Armaments Shop in our Maintenance Squadron, to extract stripped fastners. Some of those little "smart" electronics cost upwards of $400,000. The electronics are very tough and built to withstand very high loads. Ex IAF Structural maintainer.

@manuelvasquez5040 Год назад

Ax0000000xx0ada

@manuelvasquez5040 Год назад

@curtisplumb540 Год назад

@noname2-190 9 месяцев назад

@@trespireit always amazed me that the electronics on those guided 155mm rounds withstand the forces they are subjected to during firing

@carlmcneill1139 Год назад

I was stationed at Barksdale during Desert Storm. I was supposed to go with part of my squadron to Saudi Arabia but I was taken off the list just 3 days before they flew out. I can remember driving by the flight line one day and seeing those 7 B-52s sitting out there with the cruise missiles on them. Our flight line had been empty for months except for occasional refuelers coming in to pickup cargo. The front half of those places serve as cargo areas. I thought those 7 bombers were there for maintenance until one day I drove by again and saw the missiles hanging on the pods. I remember them being the story out about this mission a year later. I gout to see a lot of cool things while I was stationed at Barksdale. I saw Air Force One, a shuttle piggyback on a 747 that stopped there, and 2 Russian Tu-95 Bear bombers that were part of an exchange program. We sent a B-52 and 2 KC-10s to Russia and they sent 2 bombers to our base after the cold war had supposedly ended (it never really ended).

@jamesheilman2634 Год назад

Thank you for sharing your story

@cruisinguy6024 Год назад

Great story, must have been an experience to see the Bears up close! Such a unique looking aircraft - just like the BUFF is. Minor note, the space shuttle was the rocket powered lift vehicle. The orbiter is what the crew rode in and was transported across the country on NASA’s 2 special 747s.

@Svensk7119 Год назад

@@cruisinguy6024 That may be it "officially", but it ain't the shuttle actually. When folks say "space shuttle", they think a' the thing with wings. The part that carried people.

@dishusse Год назад

@@Svensk7119 "Space Shuttle" is a kind of unofficial name of the whole thing. The official name was STS - Space Transportation System. The Orbiter was the rocket powered lift vehicle. It sat on the large external tank that fed fuel to the Orbiter's three rocket engines. Strapped to the external tank were the two solid rocket boosters.

@Svensk7119 Год назад

@@dishusse I know that, that is, all those terms. But when I think "space shuttle", I think of the orbiter. I know that I am not alone.

@Dimitri-Jordania Год назад

I used to have 2 squirrels named Secret Squirrel & Morroco Mole (named em after the old old tv show). I miss them so much..

@wunerwaffles Год назад

RIP to your squirrels bro

@andyshane4167 Год назад

I got out in '88 but immediately recognized an old friend from Loring. I think two concepts were confused, at the beginning. A longtime fellow airline pilot now on the cusp of joining me in retirement also flew the mission. I flew Eldorado Canyon, the strike against Libya, and our launch was similar to this. Rather than being awakened at 3AM, our navigator arrived at a Fairford pub where the rest of us were tucking into fresh cobbler and coffee made by the innkeepers' daughter, breathlessly announcing we were to be suited up and in the secure briefing room back on base no later than an hour. An Alert response would never be used for such a mission; indeed, crews in this video are shown lined up in Life Support at the helmet-checking station; are being briefed. The fact that they were in the Alert facility sleeping gets conflated with the Cold War mad scramble of an Alert klaxon, that awful surprise that can take you from slumber to engine start in the span of five minutes. No, in fact Senior Surprise crews -- irreverant crew chiefs laughing dubbed it "Secret Squirrel" -- were awakened with an intercom broadcast at "... 3:00 a.m. ... “All Sierra crews report to the vault.” "The Vault" is slang for a secured mission study and briefing area where classified data is stored and accessed. From there, an orderly transition to the flightline with engine start, taxi, safety checks, ATC clearance, launch. I didn't examine all of the mission details, but a formation of tankers was likely launched at the same time or not too long afterward for refueling, with others to follow. Anyway, good product. It would be immeasurably helpful to involve crews in these to smooth out the details.

@RacerX1971 Год назад

I was stationed in Loring 1981..CE

@angelosasso1653 Год назад

The B-52 is still one of the most impressive aircraft. Gigantic and armed to the teeth...

@flickingbollocks5542 Год назад

I've sat in the cockpit of one at Darwin Australia. Tiny and cramped. But a huge beautiful aircraft. The whole museum is built around it and the other planes fitted under and around it. However I'd rather be in a Tu 160. Larger toilet, kitchen and bed.

@sim.frischh9781 Год назад

Which makes me wonder all the more how they could name the unit "Secret Squirrel". I wonder what other units are called. "Murky Mouse"? "Silent Sparrow"? "Fleeting Flea"?

@flickingbollocks5542 Год назад

@@sim.frischh9781 Pig-Penetrator was a secret program, also known as "Porky"

@flickingbollocks5542 Год назад

@@sim.frischh9781 And "Secret 🎅 Santa" was one where Soviet spies and American double agents threw their car keys in a bowl.

@angelosasso1653 Год назад

@@flickingbollocks5542 Interesting, thought it would be more spacious.

@gjantonio Год назад

The B-52 is THE embodiment of "I'm going to outlive you AND the heat-death of the universe"

@channelview8854 Год назад

Squirrel: Gets all the credit. Moose: Am I nothing to you?

@dougtaylor7724 Год назад

Took off, immediately lost an engine and kept going. That’s how tough the 8th Air Force is. We are not missing this one over a bad engine guys!

@itsjohndell Год назад

I was in F111-F at RAF Lakenheath when we received the first gen ALCM and glad to get them. The lower accuracy didn't matter (early-80's) as they were nukes but having them in the rotary bay allowed us to stand off and not use the LABS with B-61. The BUFF flew before I was born and will fly long after I am dead. Without question the single best Bomber design of the 20th Century.

@paul.alarner6410 Год назад

the lancaster was half its size yet could carry the same weight of bombs!

@svartmetall Год назад

What on earth are you talking about? As good as the Lanc was for its time, the B-52 can carry almost 5 times its bombload.

@johnjohnson5818 Год назад

I was born in '47. In Ohio at age 7, I would look up in the sky and see these long, straight white lines in the sky. The lines came to a sharp point and the point moved forward. I did not know about B-52s then, but I knew it had to be an airplane. Subsequently, I have realized for a long time that those were probably B-52s flying out of Wright-Pat down by Cincinati, Ohio and finally achieving flight altitude over Akron. Those birds have been in service for a long time now.

@prosay Год назад

My brother in law was stationed at Lakenheath, we visited for several days when I was in England. My Nephew was a high risk baby and was taken off base to the local hospital, to be born. He has both American and British birth certificate. It is in a beautiful part of the english countryside.

@paul.alarner6410 Год назад

@@zorkatasic-ls1tv the grand slam was 22.000lbs!

@acefox1 Год назад

1:53 Citation needed for the claim that a cruise missile caused the loss of an F-111 in the Libya raid. The crews that flew that raid say the F-111 was lost because the mission planners routed all the planes in on the same route at predictable intervals.

@bobmorgan1575 Год назад

Figures. I've heard that a lot of the bomber losses on the Hanoi runs were due to the same problem, same flight plan raid after raid after raid.

@fooman2108 Год назад

There's an old joke amongst the F-111 Cruise involved in Eldorado Canyon. Turns out today hit cut off his brother's house killed his favorite camel and his brother in the home. The joke amongst the F-111 Crews on why we missed Kadafi that night it wasn't our fault we didn't know it was the camels turn to be on top that day

@buzz-es Год назад

Still not talked about very much, nice coverage.

@rvrschrs64 Год назад

Amazingly, the B-52's are challenging 17th century ships of the line for front line longevity. Of course, technology improves things. The naval guns moved from lighting a wick to flint lock firing. The B-52's get constant upgrades in electronics, of course, and very recently with all new engines. I'm 76 years old and remember watching a movie called "Bombers B-52" when I was a kid.

@AsbestosMuffins Год назад

gotta get those engines swapped out though, the engines on the b52 are ancient

@earlsmall9808 Год назад

Me too -- saw the first flight on KING or KOMO then ....

@amg863 Год назад

They're making new Rolls-Royce engines to replace the Pratt and Whitney engines on them so they last another 30 odd years. Basically they're going to have been in service for a century

@earlsmall9808 Год назад

Born to a Boeing mom and dad in 1946 I got to watch the first BUFF take off on KING or KOMO, then flew the F, G, D and H. Led a cell out of UT the day after Saigon fell. Sorry to find out that our Gunner, Granville B. Lane passed away a while ago.

@gotcha1885 Год назад

They're getting even newer engines in about 4 or 5 years.

@jackwalker9492 Год назад

I was Infantry a long time (loved it too). The USAF has saved a lot of our lives and every branch of service has its own, unique mission and structure, they are all really good at it and have my undying resoect and gratitude

@thehark6247 Год назад

another flag waving crazy spews forth,

@bucknasty69 Год назад

Until the Air Force drops ordnance on American forces. The USAF killed more Americans than the Iraqis did in Desert Storm.

@willwozniak2826 Год назад

@@thehark6247 show some respect. People risk their lives, dying for you Fool.

@blitzmania3404 Год назад

Does the army and marines really do much in terms of secrecy don’t get me wrong both army and marines have my utmost respect but in terms of secrecy I could see marines but army?

@jackwalker9492 Год назад

@@blitzmania3404 Both do.

@ryankennard6626 Год назад

I was stationed at Barksdale AFB and was called into work from a unit Labor Day party to launch Operation Desert Strike in 1996. The two B-52H bombers that participated in Desert Strike broke the record for longest sortie. I was “selected” to work, because I was dumb enough to own a cell phone in 1996 and was the designated driver and was therefore the least inebriated. The Commander had to activate someone from admin as part of the operation… to replace me as DD.

@thomasmanson1119 Год назад

Great video. Thanks for sharing. Tom KC3QAC, 8th AF, 381 SMW, 532 SMSq

@aaronnichols8159 Год назад

Greatest aircraft of all time. Full stop. Will crack a century of frontline service by the lead power

@willdsm08 Год назад

I wonder if these men would have been brave enough to take on a balloon?

@michaellinner7772 Год назад

I'll never forget where I was and what I was doing when I heard about this. It wasn't because it was so significant but rather, because I had just found out that my wife was cheating on me on my birthday no less. Worst present ever 🤯😱😩 That kind of gut punch usually leaves a mark. Back to the point of the video, I'm pretty sure Saddam regrets his actions now, you know, on account of being dead and all. I've been told that being dead is definitely NOT preferable to being alive but, I've only been told that by some people who are actually alive. The jury's still out as far as the dead people's responses.

@WFKURadio24 Год назад

Secret Squirrel is a term still used by combat veterans. It's not operation secret squirrel. There are thousands of secret squirrels.

@macmedic892 Год назад

And blue falcons… but they aren’t remembered quite as fondly.

@shdwbnndbyyt Год назад

No, the original Secret Squirrel from the 1960's is the only one with his own catoon series... Hanna Barbara.

@tyrone-tydavis5858 Год назад

You can find the details of these top secret missions in Joe's garage.

@macmedic892 Год назад

Right next to his Corvette. Highly secure facility.

@CrackedCandy Год назад

When asked in a press briefing how well the GPS jammer worked, they showed a GPS bomb blowing up a GPS jammer. They said the GPS bombs work pretty well. There was a lot of chest thumping in the video game war from the airforce

@Aqueox Год назад

That 90's footage is so damn nostalgic...

@colliswilliams8992 Год назад

It's hard to believe we had technology like this in the 90s, but in 2021 we had to leave that entire airfield full of equipment for the Taliban because there was just no way to destroy it. Hard to believe.

@johnjohnson5818 Год назад

Biden.

@williamweir2744 Год назад

He is a joke

@charlesbrakeville5825 Год назад

I've lived by Barksdale since 1975 when my dad retired from the Air Force. That mission wasn't very classified as to what they were leaving to go do for anyone that paid attention. It was all over the local news stations when they took off loaded with cruise missiles & had been sitting on the alert pad with cruise missiles slung under their wings. We had been seeing them fly around for days prior loaded & ready to go too. It was also where President Bush landed on 911 after the Trade Center attacks & addressed the nation. I remember & got to go see the Bears while they were here. I also remember getting to see an SR- 71 land here due to a minor mechanical emergency. Saw the shuttles several times too. We used to have an A-10 Active, Reserve & ANG wing here along with KC-135s & KC-10s. Hated to see them all be pulled out of here. Only H model BUFFs here now. Still home of the 8th Air Force & 2nd Bomb Wing & also HQ of Global Strike Command. I still get to go out there on a regular basis to take my mother. I love it. It's a beautiful base with a lot of history.

@glenmallory6181 Год назад

Thank you so much for the new transition animation. The "old movie film" transition with its bright flashes and verticle squiggles caused me to unsubscribe from all of your channels. It was a coincidence that I had missed this one. I will now see if I can subscribe to all of your channels again. I have always loved your content.

@stevefranklin9920 Год назад

I cannot say enough of how much I appreciate your documentaries! You bring much needed history lessons to the American public!! Thank you and may God bless your work!!

@onlinebills9169 Год назад

Taking a girl for dinner and a movie back in the day. "Operation secret squirrel" was every man's plan, during the movie!

@shdwbnndbyyt Год назад

I always wondered why they used the old 1960's cartoon show "Secret Squirrel" for military operations. Did they use Atom Ant also?

@sparc77 Год назад

Thanks for the story. I am proud to have been a member of the 596th and have flown with Jay Beard when he was an aircraft commander.

@irongoatrocky2343 Год назад

I can remember doing Paint Hanger jobs in the 90's at Payne Field in Everett WA (Boeing Everett) in one of the flight line ramps was a G Model Buff (the one Boeing retained as a Test Bed).......a few years ago it was fully restored to its Vietnam livery, and transported by land to the Museum of Flight at Boeing Field in Seattle and reassembled, It sits on a purpose built structure in an area called Veterans Park just behind the Static Display Pavilion there......a truly Magnificent Aircraft.....

@john_in_phoenix Год назад

People don't seem to understand that the world existed before GPS. MLRS was originally an area weapon with cluster munitions warheads extensively used in the first gulf war. The crews of the B-52s were doing exactly what they were trained to do, fly halfway across the world and launch a full load of cruise missiles. That doesn't mean it was easy, it does mean it was a "normal" wartime mission they trained for.

@ph11p3540 Год назад

One of the most versatile heavy bombers ever invented the B-52 is that giant future proof PC case that's endlessly upgraded. The only thing it can't do is carry super massive MOAB or Daisy Cutter sized bombs.

@JRGProjects Год назад

If the US Navy kept the A-5 Vigilante going this missile would have been perfect, coupled with the Air Force F-111F the standoff abilities of those two would be on par with the MIG-25 Foxbat and MIG-31 Foxhound respectively. Which could come in handy now that we might go to war with Russia.

@mikebox Год назад

I was already on the ground in Iraq. That morning after seeing the flashes all night on the horizon. The many B53’s along with escort aircraft returning back from the bombing run. In the blue sky that morning lying on my back it was a sight to see.

@woodwaker1 Год назад

I was in SAC HQ at Offutt AFB 197-1973, I think it was a mistake to change it to Stratcom. The men and women were dedicated and very proficient at their jobs. LeMay created an outstanding organization that did what needed

@paulhoffman6371 Год назад

I retired from USAF Space Command in 1990. I wasn't a part of the up- or down- link satellite operations in 2STG at Onizuka AFS. I do recall 60-foot satellite dishes being repositioned.

@andie_pants Год назад

Over the many years of my Dark* fandom I've left many a smartass and silly comment. But I've never genuinely thanked the shadowy cabal of awesome people behind these videos. Thank you, Dark team, and especially you, mystery narrator. 🥰

@GwynOnly Год назад

Although this was a fantastic mission, it was not the first time US aircraft based in the US conducted combat operations half a world away in Asia. During the siege of Khe Sanh in Vietnam in 1968, GEN Westmorland ordered Operation Niagara, unprecedentedly intense bombing of the NVA encroaching on the Marine base. A minor part of this was the use of (if memory serves) A4 aircraft of the West Virginia Air National Guard flying multiple refueling legs from their home base to Vietnam and returning without landing.

@smith5312 Год назад

I thought the UKs RAF bomber mission from England to the Falkland Islands was the longest bomber mission ?

@Squodgamullis Год назад

Me too. Nearly 13,000km in that case.

@johnjohnson5818 Год назад

I was working as a contract engineer at MCI and had an unused corner office on the fifth floor. I could look out over Interstate 95(?) and see the Pentagon. On a Friday, as I sat in the office, I saw 3 choppers come in and land on the Pentagon lawn. All three had white tops, that means US government cabinet level or higher. One chopper was the president's and the other 2 were CH-53 gunships, providing defense. I knew then, that Friday, that we were going to war on Monday. It was a weird feeling.

@Rudderify Год назад

Your research and presentation of these stories never disappoints! Thanks for posting!

@josephmartin1540 Год назад

Weird. I remember these first nights of hers. We lived directly under an unusual flight path for B1s heading all eastwardly. Hear them one after another for quite what seemed like hours, though probably not. We knew it was really happening. One weird night!

@ryanmcginnis8646 Год назад

Yo! I know its old stuff to you ...and everyone in the know .!.. but they cant be too acurate or they will get shut down ...i was a boeing kid and still feel boeing and partners are SPOT ON!

@captbart3185 Год назад

If I remember correctly the first air strike was by Apaches at night taking out the Iraqi early warning. Not sure if it was Gulf 1 or 2 but it would make a good video if it hasn’t been done.

@francisschweitzer8431 Год назад

When I was 93rd OMS at Castle AFB in the 80’s …. I had to walk past the ALCM Training room to get to my section…. Oddly enough the Flight Chief and I shared the exact same name …

@mickywanderer8276 Год назад

One B-52 navigator said of some of the missions were to take out artillery batteries the Iraqis would stick in the middle of the desert to try and 'hide' them. The only thing left would be three tracks of bomb craters in the middle of nowhere.

@mrthingy9072 Год назад

"Barksdale Air FORCE Base", please. The distinction is there, an "Air Base" is outside of the US, and an "Air Force Base" is inside the US.

@Narco42 Год назад

for the love of GOD stop saying C-A-L-C-M..... its pronounced as a word: CALCM -> Calc-em

@secondamendment8773 Год назад

I wonder why this wasn’t staged out of Diego Garcia? Even if it was used as a stopover point it would have made the mission much easier considering how much closer it is.

@bobconaway Год назад

4 out of 12 missiles failed to launch. Using the term "successful mission" seems a stretch. I'm glad everyone returned safely.

@mpeugeot Год назад

You could have cleaned up the details if you had read Dr. Joiner's paper on the subject, there are a lot of inaccuracies and some important omissions.

@pkat Год назад

How did an AGM-86B cost the loss of an F-111 Crew in Operation El Dorado Canyon? 1. An F-111 could not carry an AGM-86B 2. The F-111s were flown from England, AGM-86B's were not deployed to England 3. The AGM-86B did not have a conventional warhead. we did not nuke Libya. The only way that an AGM-86b could have cost an F-111 crew their lives is if they came up to Minot and interfered with me while I was trying to load the AGM-86Bs on a B-52. (The Vark drivers would have died of "Wrench Ingestion")

@Logan4661 Год назад

BuffStuffer, what a great handle! And yeah, the only way I can figure the comment about ALCM costing an F-111 crew their lives is because we could NOT use them for Operation El Dorado Canyon since going nuclear might have been considered a bit too much by some.

@pkat Год назад

@@Logan4661 The only way a ALCM could have killed an F-111 crew is if they were at a B-52 base and one fell on them. The handle came from my career of loading weapons on a B-52 (stuffing the BUFF) I also "Stuffed" Phantoms, Falcons. and Aardvarks (F-4s, F-16's, and F-111s) We weapons troops find these videos hilarious due to their hyperbolic fantasies

@Logan4661 Год назад

@@pkat In '91 my roommate was a loader, also a buff stuffer. As far as death by ALCM, I was trying to make the distinction between "cost the lives of" and "killed" to offer the video author some type of credit. I agree though, it's a pretty far fetched idea.

@y_ffordd Год назад

Great name, Operation Senior Surprise Secret Squirrel, the US should have bought our Vulcans on the cheap, would have been good to see those still in service.

@R.J._Lewis Год назад

There are a few notes I could give on the video, but the main thing that annoyed me was that it isn't referred to as the "C-A-L-C-M", it's simply called the calcm (pronounced like kalk-em).

@kiowablue2862 Год назад

I found that strangely annoying too. When I worked at Holloman AFB, we referred to them as calc-ems.

@tylerkinley268 Год назад

That's gotta be a crappy feeling to be handed a mission and asking 'what are we up against' only to be told 'we aren't exactly sure'.

@tomcochrane56 Год назад

I thought the British Vulcan bomber flying to bomb Falkland islands was further.

@Rockstago Год назад

Love your video's- from the most important to the most obscure, they are always great! Thanks always as informing us of the most impressive innovative actions that shaped the world we live in-

@rogerscottcathey Год назад

Saw one fly overhead once as a kid while visiting Seattle. It defined my way understanding of "big". Moving by as if in slow motion, it was HUMUNGOUS!

@X-JAKA7 Год назад

AMOGUS

@pilot_bruh576 Год назад

Thats why it's called THE BUFF

@sabahtaha1746 Год назад

the f 111 did not carry cruise missiles

@john_smithchiropractor3931 Год назад

Sad that Eisenhower’s warning fell on deaf ears.😢

@ernestweaver9720 Год назад

From the US to the Middle East and back with no losses. Incredible.

@shaun469 Год назад

Have a look at the mission the british did to the Falklands then

@herptek Год назад

@@shaun469 With far less suitable planes too, and without fancy cruise missiles, only dumb bombs.

@shaun469 Год назад

@@herptek exactly. For the day it was an amazing flight and mission. Only 1 hit the target but it was enough

@cliffdixon6422 Год назад

Using stand off weapons against an enemy who expected massive attack so was playing hide and seek with his air force. In the late 50's/early 60's, the US did two massive simulated war games in their own airspace called Skyshield 1 & 2 to test the readiness of air defence against nuclear armed bombers. The attack (Red) squadrons were B47 Stratojets, B52's and a small contingent of RAF Vulcans. The B47's came in at low altitude, the B52's at mid and the Vulcans at high. The defending F100's, 101's and 102's made short work of the B47's and B52's but only managed a single hit on the Vulcans in each simulation (Both by F101's) - The Vulcans effectively nuked New York both times and one actually landed on a US airfield without interception!

@JM2U Год назад

GREAT WORK!!!! Thank you so much for your dedication and effort!

@z33511 Год назад

FYI -- the "surface to air" launchers at 3:38 - 3:44 are actually field artillery rockets -- FROG-7s and MLRS.

@brucekent1841 Год назад

Stock footage to fill the video.

@Wolverines77 Год назад

WFC's???

@scottcoley1906 Год назад

They need a send one of these to Davos.

@MattBlack-xi4ls Год назад

2:50 mention of Barksdale Air FORCE Base, Strategic Air Command. My favorite base growing up, and my favorite house. It's a beautiful base.

@MW-xm1rc Год назад

Those jet bombers were built in the 60s and are still flying! The guts have been replaced or upgraded several times but the airframe has proved it’s worth.

@kirkwilliams1650 Год назад

The. U.S. Air. Force. Should. Have. 2000's. B-1-B. Rockwell. International. Bomber's. &. 2000's. B-52. Boeing. Bomber's With. The. Tail. Gun's. Re-Installed. > > > >. The. Stand. Off. Capabilities. Of. These. Bomber's. Make. Them. A. Very . Effective. Weapon's Platform. ! ! ! !

@bobmorgan1575 Год назад

At $220M apiece we couldn't even afford a quarter of a B-1B fleet that size. That was the purchase price for them in the eighties. Where would you put that many anyway? I was stationed at Andersen AFB, Guam and in our shop was an aerial photo of the base during Vietnam. Every revetment was filled and there were B-52s parked along the center taxiway and anyplace there was room to park them. I counted 135 of them in the photo.

@andrewvare3173 Год назад

If I piloted s B-52, we'd nickname it "Rock Lobster"

@zrebbesh Год назад

That was a what-the-hell-just-happened mission from the Iraqi POV. "The Americans have no such assets anywhere in this hemisphere! WHERE did that come from?!"

@BoDiddly Год назад

As a Marine during Desert Storm, as we approached the "Line of Death" during the Air war portion, we could see the B-52's fly overhead one after another, almost day and night. Then every 30-60 seconds, from 10-15 miles from the border of Kuwait, we could hear the carpet bombing of Iraqi forces in Kuwait. B-52's bring a lot of awesome power to the fight!

@brandtbollers3183 Год назад

Ave Imperium.

@johnjohnson5818 Год назад

Semper Fi from 5th Marines, VN 68-69.

@BoDiddly Год назад

@@johnjohnson5818 Ooh Rah! 1st bn, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st MarDiv, 1st MEU

@larryhyak2529 Год назад

My Flight command shared a base with a 52 command in the 60's and when it was scramble time there was organized chaos watching SAC perform battle readiness......Best chow halls in the USAF....

@kiowablue2862 Год назад

Best AF chow I ever had was at Ellsworth AFB. The dining hall foyer was packed with Hennessy trophies.

@larryhyak2529 Год назад

@@kiowablue2862 I thought the same of Elmendorf AFB...SAC ate like kings.....

@papabeartx Год назад

I lived about 15 minutes from Barksdale back in the 90s... I was only 5 but I loved going to the air shows there.

@ewanstewart8011 Год назад

Again your video goes above and beyond 👍🏻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

@thegunslinger1363 Год назад

This and your other channels are among my favourites on RU-vid.

@JustChiII Год назад

What other channels does he have? I recognize the voice but can't recall which channel?

@larryswinford3472 Год назад

Just like Doolittle's raid we had problems, but we also had tremendous results. Bravo guys.

@Liferoad371 Год назад

I thought I had covered almost all of the Iraqi war, I missed all of this operation Thanks for another great video.

@mrzorg Год назад

And until that point, we bankrolled that regime...

@jeremystuckey8153 Год назад

Can some one Please tell me why it was exhausting to keep the B52s aloft because it was a dark rainy night? Do trim tabs not work when it's dark and rainy or only when on missions. Seems too me that if it is exhausting flight crews to fly when it is Dard and Rainy they would scrap that aircraft and get a bunch of Cessna 150's that are not exhausting to fly when it is dark and rainy, there never exhausting to fly in my opinion, neither is the 747,767,757,787, only USAF B-52's are exhausting on those dark rainy nights. I'll check back in a few weeks to see if someone figured it out and answers for us.

@Peace5374 Год назад

Awesome video, please do a video on operation power flite where B52s circumnavigated the world in 1957 and also a video on the 44 hour mission where B2 Spirits bombed targets in Afghanistan in 2001 from CONUS

@tireballastserviceofflorid7771 Год назад

I had a good friend who helped develop the new navigation and targeting system for the tomahawk. He had in his possession a top secret photo of the missile hitting an x on a wall after flying 900 miles. I got to see it one time. He was so very proud of his work.

@Youtubeuser1aa Год назад

The guy stole TS data and showed it to you? Wtf

@tireballastserviceofflorid7771 Год назад

@Trump took the vaccine Well that was 29 years ago. You cam always dig him up and have him prosecuted. All you have to do is figure out who the number 2 engineer on that project was and you got your man.

@peterharris-uk2qh Год назад

@@tireballastserviceofflorid7771 😢

@SgtJoeSmith Год назад

ww2 or post ww2 planes and battleships launched desert storm

@epapa737 Год назад

Nothing says a worthy opponent more like "wanting to start a gold backed currency"

@derrrsopp7283 Год назад

The american soldier is very brave to use these types of attacks, wow! Heroes! Look at the danger they bravely march into attacking an enemy that doesn't know he is there, or even at war with them.

@saxxon4620 Год назад

An old friend of mine flew this mission. His first name was Jett, an EWO.

@saxxon4620 Год назад

I believe he said he was stationed in Rota, Spain for the duration of the air war and they regularly flew into northern Iraq.

@douglasbuchanan2973 Год назад

OLD or NEW IF IT WORKS USE IT WHEN WE MUST!!!!!! WIN,WIN,WIN

@johnkalyna2924 Год назад

I was on the USNS Lawrence " Larry G " Gianella oiler, that was off the Kuwaiti Coast. The morning we arrived there, The war had not commenced yet. When I went up to the bridge of the Ship 360' of combat vessels. I walked over to the radar and counted at Least 70 contacts. We were in the middle of everyone. Got shot @, when in Port of Kuwait 🇰🇼. Sadam had knowledge of us refueling So he fired several scuds @ us. Lucky that none connected. ✌️ ☮️.

@andywhite40 Год назад

Great video about a mission I hadn't heard of before. What a feat of endurance this was, for both the crews and the aircraft. It certainly is a statement operation to any potential aggressor towards the USA......

@SgtJoeSmith Год назад

Ive heard of it. And this is only part of the story. The AirForce with this Operation fired the 1st shots. But the Army would get the 1st hits. These missiles were fired from a long ways away. Just after these were launched WW2 Battleship MO and WI launched cruise missiles along with other ships in Persian Gulf. At same time several F117 stealth bombers were flying across Iraq to Baghdad. Also 2 groups of 4 Apaches each lead by a Pave Low were heading towards 2 different radar sites. The Apaches would get within range undetected almost a minute early and wait for the call. They took out everything. After all the Hellfire and rockets were launched they moved in closer and emptied guns on anything moving still. That Was H hour. 0238 local time. The F117s were circling Baghdad undetected by now too. As the Apaches headed out they were passed overhead by 3 EF111 Ravens leading attack aircraft. At 0300 the F117s bomb their targets and head out. Couple minutes later the missiles from B52s and Persian Gulf ships start hitting their targets across the country. The B52 operation required 57 tanker sorties BTW. F15Cs, F15Es, F14s, F4Gs, A6 Intruders F18s and British Tornadoes swoop in and do their part. Some bombing runs, Others as escorts for air to air like the F14s and F15Cs. An F15 shoots down an Iraqi Mirage fighter while a 2nd Mirage engages an EF111 Raven. The raven maneuvers and F15 comes up behind Mirage causing Mirage to Try to evade F15 and crash into the ground. This is only time an EF111 got credit for downing enemy aircraft. F4s and F18s bomb targets.While E2 Hawkeyes and E3 Sentrys fly overhead of all the squadrons to help jam radar and direct traffic. F15s take out 2 more Mig 29s. More local B52s and F111s come in behind and do their bombing runs. Wave after wave of fighter jet and bomber squadrons rained hell past dawn. After sunrise A10s went in to take out radar sites and what ever they could find while U2s looked for targets high overhead. Throughout the day more jets came from Turkey and Saudi Arabia including French Jaguars. 2775 sorties were flown in the 1st 24 hours of the air war. The largest orchestrated air war in history. and now you know the rest of the story.

@andywhite40 Год назад

@@SgtJoeSmith Thank you very much indeed for your reply, very comprehensive I must say!!

@SgtJoeSmith Год назад

@@andywhite40 Thanks! The Iowa And New Jersey didn't go cause they were the 1st 2 ships of class built and thus 1st 2 retired and had been retired like the previous year. The MO WI were scheduled to be retired the year this happened but got sent for 1 last mission making 4 wars they were involved with. They used drones to see where shells were hitting as they bombed the shore with their big guns to trick the Iraqis into thinking a landing and invasion from sea was coming while land units from behind advanced. Some Iraqis where waiving white shirts trying to surrender to the drones. The A10s that congress wanted to retire prior to this delivered more than half of all the ordinance if I am not mistaken during the course of the war. Fun fact. Thee Iowa had a presidential suite and bath tub on it and transported the presidents several times. The official WW2 surrender was originally going to take place on the Iowa because of this but Truman being from Missouri, demanded it be done on the MO instead. leaving Iowans like me forever bitter against missourians. lol

@andywhite40 Год назад

@@SgtJoeSmith That's a story about the battleships and I hadn't heard that about the Iowa/Missouri before - I always wondered why the Missouri was chosen ahead of vessels damaged at pearl harbour!!! It's very much on my bucket list to visit the USA and especially the preserved battleships - where's the Iowa homeported??!

@SgtJoeSmith Год назад

@@andywhite40 you tube keeps deleting my comment for some reason. ill try breaking it up

@Astardable Год назад

You got a thumbs up for two reasons One it's a good video and secondly you're one of the few people to pronounce my hometown and current location of Bossier City correctly most people just cannot pronounce it right

@R.J._Lewis Год назад

I was thinking the same thing. Bossier City is not pronounced the way it's spelled!

@wyliemoose5217 Год назад

was at Carswell as a 41150B :) we were trained to build racks and had a bunch made.. a bunch of semi's with flat beds showed up three days before this :)

@ensignd.crexote5350 Год назад

Crazy. I remember Secret squirrel the cartoon. Idk why I’m still surprised

@glennroberts461 Год назад

I enjoy these videos but I do wish he'd check his script thoroughly so he wouldn't make obvious mistakes.

@MrLordBaer Год назад

This mission reads like something out of a Tom Clancy novel.

@MaistoHelix Год назад

The longest combat mission in History, that just gives me goose bumbs....

@mamangisda1573 Год назад

This mission demonstrates how vital air refueling is to Air Force doctrine. It massively extends the range of air-refueled combat aircraft, allows lighter takeoff fuel loads and thus heavier combat payloads, reduces stress on airframes, and provides damaged aircraft with a refueling lifeline that gets them home again (in one case, a KC-135 acted as a tow truck for a stricken F-4 Phantom over the north Atlantic. The F-4 crew landed safely on Iceland instead of ditching--and dying--in the ocean). In 1991, KC-135's didn't yet have GPS. Navigation was via a combination inertial/ded reckoning platform with an accuracy of something like 1.5 miles per hour of operation. Those tanker crews worked pretty hard to get these bombers within striking range.