ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - For the first time since the 1991 Gulf War against Iraq 25 years ago, B-52 Stratofortess bombers are being deployed to the Middle East to combat the Islamic State (ISIS). This is according to a statement released by the United States Air Force Central Command, which revealed that a number of B-52s will be operating from the American Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. The commander of US Air Forces Central Command, Lt. Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., said in the statement that the bomber will provide the Coalition continued precision and air power. "As a multi-role platform, the B-52 offers diverse capabilities including delivery of precision weapons and the flexibility and endurance needed to support the combatant commanders' priorities and strengthen the coalition team," he added. He also said they will be ready to carry our airstrikes elsewhere in the Middle East if need be. The B-52 replaces the B-1 Lancer strategic bomber which had been bombing ISIS in Iraq and Syria for months before being withdrawn in February and sent home for maintenance. Bombers of this kind are effective since they can loiter over war zones for longer periods of time and can carry larger payloads. B-1s carried out 7 percent of all the American airstrikes against ISIS but dropped approximately 40 percent of all the bombs dropped in this campaign to date. Unlike the B-1 however the B-52 cannot fly supersonic speeds and therefore cannot reach any part of the current battlefield in minutes like the B-1 can. However it can operate over any area for up to 12 hours and carry a multitude of weapons which can be deployed against ISIS.
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