Six B-52H bombers and their crews from the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale AFB, La., have returned to their Louisiana home after spending about a week at Minot AFB, N.D. The Minot Daily News reported yesterday that the Barksdale B-52s were dispatched Aug. 31 to Minot—home to the Air Force’s only other B-52 wing—as Hurricane Gustav threatened the Gulf Coast, potentially affecting the aircrew training schedule. As part of Minot’s hospitality, the Barksdale aircrews were able to use the simulator of Minot’s 5th BW during their visit, according to the newspaper.
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall doesn’t see great value in trying to break the Sentinel ICBM program off as a separate budget item the way the Navy has with its ballistic-missile submarine program, saying such a move wouldn’t create any new money for the Air Force to spend on other…