European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 03, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 a a a the stars and stripes sunday february 3,1991war in the Gulf rb-1 sitting but Gulf War but b-52 is key player by Chuck Vinch Washington Bureau Washiington the $280 million b-1 bomber considered by some to be the most sophisticated weapons system of the 1980s, will sit out the persian Gulf war.�?T. A a a a a a a a a. A a a. A a a.  faster and higher than the b-52 Strat fortress can carry a bigger payload and has a radar profile 99 percent smaller. But it is grounded while the legendary b-52, older than Many of the pilots who Fly it bombs iraqi troops and equipment. A a a a a from 20 to 50 of the huge b-52g bombers Are involved in operation desert storm and none has been the question of Why the b-1, meant to be a a a Bridges Between the b-52 and the b-2 stealth bomber has been left on the sidelines has cropped up occasionally Over the past few weeks in the Pentagon. 5 the most immediate answer is that the Fleet of 97 fils has been grounded since dec it 20, after engine mishaps in october and december. Those were Only the latest problem to plague the bomber since the first one was delivered in late 1986. But air Force officials said that even before the grounding the b-1 was not considered for use in the Middle East because its primary role is strategic nuclear deterrence not conventional missions. An air Force spokesman maj. Dick Cole said the aircraft is certified to carry Only one Type of convention Hal munition a 500-Pound bomb. It can carry 84 of those in its three bomb Bays. The b-52g, on the other hand can carry 500-Pound, 750-Pound and 2,000-Pound bombs As Well As the Exter a Nally mounted have Nap and Harpoon guided missiles. A every weapon that is delivered from aircraft has to be certified through multiple drops of the weapon under various conditions Quot Cole said. The air Force plans to eventually certify the a Leto carry More conventional munitions although Cole said the aircraft probably never will carry the have Nap and Harpoon missiles. That a because it is not designed for externally mounted  the b-52 just has a much wider menu of weapons that it can deliver a he said. A a it a far More preferable for conventional  officials deliberately decided against beginning b-1 conventional weapons certifications until the entire Fleet was operational a Milestone reached Only 2xh. Years ago. A we told Congress that the b-1 would have dual Ca. Abilities for nuclear and conventional missions but we be always put the emphasis on the nuclear aspect a Cole said. A when it was decided that we needed a Stopgap sys v Tern Between the br52 and the it-2, the idea was to develop an. Aircraft As quickly As possible that could be put on Day to Day nuclear  but even if the b-1 was certified to deliver a wider Range of conventional weapons critics said its questionable whether the aircraft would be of much use in the persian Gulf in Light of the number of problems in the past few years. The aircraft is notorious for its Cranky defensive avionics system and its most recent problems involve engine failures caused by fan Blade breakdowns. A it would be a real disaster for the air Force to try to put the b-1 into play in the Middle East and then be unable to get them off the ground or worse to have them get shot Down because their defensive systems did no to work a a Senate staffer said. The Fleet was grounded three times in 1989. Two of those occurred after a is experienced fuel tank and escape Hatch problems while the other grounding was ordered after a by crashed at Dyess Albi Texas late in the year. The Accident that led to the current grounding of cur red dec. 19, also at Dyess. A b-1 practising a touch and go landings had an engine catch fire and come apart spraying shrapnel Over another engine As Well As the fuselage and Wing. Six weeks earlier in october an engine fell off a b-1 during a training flight Over Southeastern Colorado. Cole said investigators believe both incidents were caused by cracks in the engine fan Blades and possibly the failure of the retainer of rings that Anchor the fan Blades to the engine Core. Routine operational training flights Are barred until the problems can be fixed although about one third of the Fleet remains on Alert and a could be used in a Cri Sis a Cole  air Force has launched a $7 million repair program Cole said. He could not estimate when the grounding will be lifted. The service also has spent More Tjian half a billion dollars in an Effort a so far unsuccessful a to fix the aircraft a defensive avionics system. Officials discovered Early last year that a warning receiver designed to Alert pilots to enemy missiles works inadequately Ornot at All when the b-1 is on Low level bombing runs Over land. Cole said the avionics system \ also has a tendency to lock onto the blk a own radar the b-1 is. The b-52 the troubled b-1 bomber is supposed to replace the b-52, the old warhorse of the . Bombing Force. Here is How the old and the new planes compare. B-1 bomber a Sis. Ltd Crew a. 4 maximum Takeoff weight 477,000 lbs. A fuselage length 147 feet win Span 136 feet height. I 34 feet maximum Speed. 845 Mph weapons Load 75,000 lbs internal b-52g Strat fortress Crew a \ 6 maximum Takeoff weight 488,000 lbs fuselage length 161 feet Wing Span a _ 1-85 feet height 40 feet 8 inches maximum Speed _. 595 Mph weapons Load. About 30,000 lbs. Sources Jane Sall the world s a amps Sharon Kilday Susan Harris aircraft 1990 . Air Force almanac a a mistake it for an enemy radar and Jam it. The b-1 is cited by some critics As a Good argument against a concurrency a a concept under which Denef of mint and production of a weapons system proceed simultaneously. Full operational testing of the b-1 did not begin until mid-1989, almost a year after the air Force took delivery of the 100th and final aircraft. Three b-1 s have crashed since then.  iraqi ruse has . Troops fighting mad northeastern saudi Arabia up the Battle for Khanji is Over and the allies won but . Semcer members Are still shaking their fists in anger Over what they consider cheating by Iraq the fake surrender. Troops have watched Saddam Hussein lob scud missiles at civilian targets mistreat captured Allied pilots and dump Oil in the persian Gulf. But they say they re even More disgusted by iraqi tanks that drove toward Khanji on wednesday with their turrets backward a a Clear sign of surrender a and then turned and attacked. An army intelligence officer said the ploy gave the iraqis a crucial advantage in moving close to . Murine units near the saudi City. Army chaplain Bill trud Geon said troops Are enraged Saddam a troops took advantage of them. A the soldiers feel cheated a said Trudgeon a 41-year-old methodist from Kittanning a. A they think we could have won hands Dow n if it had been a fair fight a he said. A there is a lot of anger out  a a Allied forces recaptured the saudi Border City thurs Day from several Hundred iraqi troops it who moved into saudi Arabia from Kuwait on tuesday night. One Soldier in the operations Center of the army s 1st army div asked about the phony surrender said he simply Isnit going to take it anymore. A added sgt. Lorenzo Mcgahee Quot there ainu to going to be no next time.�?�. _ a Quot More experienced . Officers meanwhile express cd a touch of grudging admiration for the iraqi tactic. A it was a Gutsy move a said maj. Roy Adams the rules rewritten for surrendering by the stars and stripes northeastern saudi Arabia americans Are rewriting leaflets that encourage iraqi troops to give up after enemy tanks entered saudi Arabia by pretending to follow the instructions and then opened  leaflets a air dropped behind the front lines a now will Tell surrendering iraqi soldiers to walk ahead of their vehicles in addition to turning the gun Turret backward when approaching Allied positions officers with the 1st army div said. It according to Marine reports an iraqi Force of about 80 vehicles approached the City of Khanji near the kuwaiti Border late tuesday and Early wednesday. At first the iraqis appeared to be surrendering but within 10 minutes they had begun fighting with saudi and qatari troops it was reported. _ _ despite the hastily rewritten leaflets servicemen Bers said they Felt that the iraqi surrender program is virtually doomed. The leaflets Are put out by an army psychological operations outfit called a Xpsy Ops by Many gis a this completely undermines the entire program that pay Ops Are playing up a said an intelligence officer. A because the next Guys that come through might get blown away. And then there a going to be no More  t he first set of leaflets told iraqi soldiers who want to surrender to Advance toward Allied troops with the leaflet or other White object waving in their raised right Arm. Their weapon should be across their left shoulder with the Barret pointed downward. Information for this article was compiled by Vince Crawley Middle cast Bureau from information provided by Pentagon combat Pool reporters on the scene operations officer for the 3rd brigade 3rd inf div. A it shows that his command and control is still somewhat intact.�?�. A now you never know if they re going to surrender or if they be got something up their sleeves Quot said sgt. James Fletch 26, a Chaparral antiaircraft gunner from Tifton a. He s with tire 1st army div task Quot Force which has its Headquarters in a Isbach Germany. It includes a bread from the a Wurzburg based 3rd.inf div. A a they re a Bunch of sorry bastards a said spec. Be Zamora 21, an infantryman from Corpus Christi Texa i can t imagine we Ever liked them a said maj. Pai Whittaker commander of c co 26th Field support by Quot but this definitely makes them a lot less  \