From the “Hey we’re still relevant!” files comes the Air Force’s airpower summary report.
While I’m a bit skeptical of the effect that “dropping flares” has on an enemy that has endured six years of cluster bombs, PGMs, and the United States Marines, the thought of using a B1 bomber in a CAS role never fails to impress me. Close air support was never the aircraft’s intended use, so while it might not be the optimal ground support platform. you can’t help but to admire the Air Force’s adaptability. The F-111, our old medium-range bomber, would have been a superb aircraft for this type of mission (F-111s dropped roughly half the ordinance used in Desert Storm), but we got rid of it in the mid-90s. Shame. Back to adaptability, I do wish that the AF would demonstrate the same flexibility in their press releases. These robotic airpower summary reports can put even a diehard aircraft junky like myself to sleep. Somewhere along the way, the Air Force developed an obtuse, corporate way of releasing information to the public. They’ve cleaned up the “bomb them back to the stone age” language of Curtis LeMay, and replaced it with a more politically correct, sanitized methodology. Great way to avoid controversy, but also a great way to avoid readership. Crazy, alpha-male talk and the F-111. Two legends that the Zoomies should have never parted ways with.
