4 B-52s deploying to Middle East amid threat of "possible attack"

[Spike]

Four B-52 bombers are being deployed to the Middle East in response to what administration officials said earlier this week are threats of a possible attack by Iran or allied fighters on American troops in the region. Two of the bombers are expected to leave Tuesday from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, arriving at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on Wednesday, CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports.

White House national security adviser John Bolton said on Sunday that the U.S. was deploying a bomber task force and the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group to the U.S. Central Command region, an area that includes the Middle East. Bolton said the movement was in response to "a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings." He didn't provide details, but said the U.S. wants to send a "clear and unmistakable" message to Iran that "unrelenting force" would meet any attack on U.S. interests or those of its allies.

"The United States is not seeking war with the Iranian regime, but we are fully prepared to respond to any attack, whether by proxy, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or regular Iranian forces," he said.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-b52s-deploying-middle-east-iran-threat-today-2019-05-07/

---------------------------


Buff!

 

[Sarge]

Man, those ***** attack our guys in Afghanistan almost on the daily. All the 107 and 120 rounds the bases take are Iranian made. There is intel that members of the Revolutionary Guard are operating in the Bagram area. Not sure why we haven’t obliterated these ***** a while ago.

 

[Spike]

The only thing I remember about Al Udeid AB is they had a Pizza Hut and u were allowed two beers a day



maybe we're ready to test some new hardware?




The B-52 Bomber: Getting Ready to Carry Nuclear-Armed Cruise Missiles?

The Air Force is now arming its fleet of B-52 Bombers with prototype nuclear-armed cruise missiles to prepare the aircraft for the possibility of launching the Long Range Stand Off (LRSO) weapon.

In recent years, the historic B-52 bomber has been able to carry JDAM weapons externally, but through a currently ongoing Internal Weapons Bay Upgrade, the aircraft will be able to internally house some of the most cutting edge precision-guided Joint Direct Attack Munitions and Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles, among others

The 1760 Internal Weapons Bay Upgrade, or IWBU, will allow the B-52 to internally carry up to eight of the newest “J-Series” bombs in addition to carrying six on pylons under each wing.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/b...ady-carry-nuclear-armed-cruise-missiles-47582

 

[Steelerfan]

That article fails to mention that the Mossad were the ones who alerted Washington to the threat.

 

[Ironcitysteelers]

Didn’t we just send a second battle group today?

Seems like shot might go down?

 

[Spike]

Didn’t we just send a second battle group today?

not sure about battle group, says ship, we're sending in the Marines


The US is sending another warship and more missiles to the Middle East

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon approved the deployment of a Patriot missile defense battery and a Navy ship to the Middle East amid increasing tensions between the United States and Iran.

A warship, USS Arlington, with amphibious vehicles and aircraft on board, will also join the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group in the Gulf.

USS Arlington is a San Antonio-class ship that transports U.S. Marines, amphibious vehicles, conventional landing craft and rotary aircraft with the capability to support amphibious assault, special operations, or expeditionary warfare missions,”

.https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/10/the...es-to-the-middle-east-amid-iran-tensions.html

 

[Spike]

Iran moving ballistic missiles by boat, US officials say

Washington (CNN)Intelligence showing that Iran is likely moving short-range ballistic missiles aboard boats in the Persian Gulf was one of the critical reasons the US decided to move an aircraft carrier strike group and B-52 bombers into the region, according to several US officials with direct knowledge of the situation.

The concerns over the movement of the missiles was one of multiple threads of intelligence from various sources that led the US to believe Iran had a capability and intention to launch strikes against US targets.

It's not clear if the Iran could launch the missiles from the boats or if they are transporting them to be used by Iranian forces on land.

The Pentagon is considering sending additional firepower to the region including anti-missile defense systems, the officials said.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/07/politics/us-iran-transporting-missiles/index.html

--------------------------

Derpa derpa


Iranian news agency ISNA quoted Ayatollah Tabatabai-Nejad in the city of Isfahan as saying: "Their billion dollar fleet can be destroyed with one missile.

"If they attempt any move, they will ... (face) dozens of missiles because at that time (government) officials won't be in charge to act cautiously, but instead things will be in the hands of our beloved leader (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei)"

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019...p-middle-east-deter-iran-190511053143462.html

 

[jitter77]

even if iran is bluffing they already won in a sense. How much money is it costing us to mobilize all this stuff?

 

[Ironcitysteelers]

Do they really have the capability to sink our ships?

 

[Spike]

Iran is getting ready to test a nuke?

even if iran is bluffing they already won in a sense. How much money is it costing us to mobilize all this stuff?

We move ships around all the time, that means nothing, cost of having a Navy





Marine expeditionary unit on Kearsarge transits Strait of Hormuz

An U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship and a Marine expeditionary unit transited the Strait of Hormuz this week after the Pentagon already dispatched a carrier strike group and an Air Force B-52 bomber task force to the region amid tensions with Iran.

The amphibious assault ship Kearsarge transited the Strait of Hormuz, bringing with it the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit.

The official said that the Kearsarge is now in the Arabian Sea and that it was a scheduled transit. The voyage was unconnected to the threats from Iran, the official added, but the ship is still an asset available to U.S. Central Command as long as it is operating in the region.

https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/ne...nsits-strait-of-hormuz-amid-iranian-tensions/

 

[stillerfaninfl]

If you see BUFFs headin' your way, it's probably time to stop jaggin' around.

 

[DBS1970]

Do they really have the capability to sink our ships?

ASMs are relatively cheap and if they lob enough of them at once yes they can hit and sink at least some of out vessels. The counterstrike from the battle group would devastate the Iranians.

 

[Spike]

"The Spice must flow." - Baron Harkonnen


Two Saudi oil tankers attacked in the Persian Gulf

Two Saudi Arabian oil tankers were sabotaged in an attack over the weekend near the Strait of Hormuz, the kingdom’s energy minister said, sending oil prices higher amid heightened military tensions in the Persian Gulf.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/saudi-oil-tankers-attacked-before-entering-persian-gulf-11557725971

 

[Buster]

Someone is asking for an ***-kicking.

 

[Ironcitysteelers]

ASMs are relatively cheap and if they lob enough of them at once yes they can hit and sink at least some of out vessels. The counterstrike from the battle group would devastate the Iranians.

I guess my question was more, sure I’m sure lot of folks got stuff that could do it.

But they are saying we got one missle to sink our carrier. So

1. Do they are is that fluff
2. Ok they do, but could it ever get past our def

3. Yeah if they did I’m sure the Wolf’s would let **** fly that have been their for awhile

 

[Confluence]

I guess my question was more, sure I’m sure lot of folks got stuff that could do it.

But they are saying we got one missle to sink our carrier. So

1. Do they are is that fluff
2. Ok they do, but could it ever get past our def

3. Yeah if they did I’m sure the Wolf’s would let **** fly that have been their for awhile

i think the navy wants to try some new toys and show the Russians, the Chinese and all the other despots.

Sent from my SM-N950W using Steeler Nation mobile app

 

[Spike]

Do they really have the capability to sink our ships?

The problem there for the Navy is the geography, it's a bathtub and we don't have a lot of room to maneuver, they have shore based missile batteries that can reach us too

and subs


Iran Tests Sub-Launched Cruise Missile

Iran launched a cruise missile from one of its submarines during annual naval exercises in the Strait of Hormuz. According to Iranian media, the missile was launched from a Ghadir-class Iranian navy submarine and hit a predetermined surface target during the drill. The unidentified cruise missile can also reportedly be fired from Iran’s Tareq– and Fateh-class submarines.

https://www.militarytimes.com/flash...s-cruise-missile-from-submarine-during-drill/

 

[Spike]

If you see BUFFs headin' your way, it's probably time to stop jaggin' around.

more AF just arrived



Fully Armed F-15Cs Have Arrived

On May 9, 2018, Air Forces Central Command announced the arrival of the F-15Cs, which had occurred the day before, but offered few details, simply releasing photos showing two Eagles from the 48th Fighter Wing based at RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom taxing at an "undisclosed location" in Southwest Asia

The released pictures also showed that the planes were carrying live weapon loads consisting of 6 AIM-120C Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) and a pair of AIM-9X Sidewinder close-in dogfighting missiles. They also each carried an AN/AAQ-33 Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP) on the centerline, which offers a long-range visual identification capability for the F-15C

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zo...ddle-east-amid-accusations-of-iranian-threats

 

[Steelerfan]

The Iranian sub "threat" is minor. Don't think for a moment that they're not being shadowed by U.S. attack subs. If they attempt to fire their weapons, they'll be toast before it leaves the tube. And its not like their subs are as sophisticated as ours. They make alot of noise and are easy to find. Don't buy into the Iranian propaganda. Just be entertained and smile.

The best part is that since its all underwater, there is plausible deniability. Maybe their subs had navigational errors and disappeared, or something like that.

 

[IndySteel]

Just nuke Iran and be done with them. They openly hate us and wish for death to America. **** em, go meet Allah you ********.

 

[DBS1970]

The problem there for the Navy is the geography, it's a bathtub and we don't have a lot of room to maneuver, they have shore based missile batteries that can reach us too

and subs


Iran Tests Sub-Launched Cruise Missile

Iran launched a cruise missile from one of its submarines during annual naval exercises in the Strait of Hormuz. According to Iranian media, the missile was launched from a Ghadir-class Iranian navy submarine and hit a predetermined surface target during the drill. The unidentified cruise missile can also reportedly be fired from Iran’s Tareq– and Fateh-class submarines.

https://www.militarytimes.com/flash...s-cruise-missile-from-submarine-during-drill/

This is correct.

Early warning is the key and there isn't enough space for a lot of it.

 

[CharlesDavenport]

This is correct.

Early warning is the key and there isn't enough space for a lot of it.

Sounds like a legitimate argument for a preemptive strike at everything that can launch a missile at us at the very first hint of trouble.

 

[Hines57]

Trump ain't ******* around. He's walking right into the face of the enemy and daring them to flinch.

 

[IndySteel]

Trump ain't ******* around. He's walking right into the face of the enemy and daring them to flinch.

It's awesome. Peace through strength. Obama would've apologized a hundred times, bowed twenty times and given Iran another billion dollars of our money by now.

 

[Spike]

I say let the Saudis handle it, let them fight for their oil for once


Oil facilities outside Riyadh attacked

RIYADH/DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia said armed drones had struck two oil pumping stations in the kingdom on Tuesday in what it called a “cowardly” act of terrorism two days after Saudi oil tankers were sabotaged off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.

The energy minister of the world’s largest oil exporter said the attack caused a fire, now contained, and minor damage at one pump station, but did not disrupt oil output or exports of crude and petroleum products.

Oil prices rose on news of the attack on the stations, more than 200 miles (320 km) west of the capital Riyadh.

Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih, in comments run by state media, said the drone attack and Sunday’s sabotage of four vessels, including two Saudi tankers, off Fujairah emirate, a major bunkering hub, threatened global oil supplies.

“These attacks prove again that it is important for us to face terrorist entities, including the Houthi militias in Yemen that are backed by Iran,” Falih said in an English-language statement issued by his ministry.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-s...es-outside-riyadh-attacked-idUKKCN1SK0YY?il=0

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We don't need any more proxy wars


Arms Sales to Saudis Leave American Fingerprints on Yemen’s Carnage

CAIRO — When a Saudi F-15 warplane takes off from King Khalid air base in southern Saudi Arabia for a bombing run over Yemen, it is not just the plane and the bombs that are American.

American mechanics service the jet and carry out repairs on the ground. American technicians upgrade the targeting software and other classified technology, which Saudis are not allowed to touch. The pilot has likely been trained by the United States Air Force.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/25/world/middleeast/yemen-us-saudi-civilian-war.html