PAYA LEBAR AIR BASE, Singapore –
Two B-1B Lancers assigned to the 345th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, arrived at Paya Lebar Air Base, Singapore, Jan. 18-24, as part of the United States Air Force's regular training and engagements with key partners in the region.
"Events like these are really important for us to get out and interact with different countries, see how they operate and ensure that we're working under the standard operating procedures," said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Matthew Barnard, 345th EBS director of operations.
Aircrews focused on three separate missions: the Republic of Singapore Air Force A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport conducting air-to-air refueling, Japanese Air Self-Defense Force F-15J during bilateral training and joint U.S. Operations.
Barnard described how flying over 24 hours across the Pacific Ocean inside the B-1B is difficult, emphasizing the physical demands on the aircrew with multiple integrations and air refuelings to execute on such a high level over such a prolonged duration.
"One of the risks we took during the sortie was linking with so many different players and organizing multiple tankers in the right space at the right time,” said Barnard. “If any of those pieces fell out, we'd have had to divert aircraft to different locations."
The 345th EBS successfully completed three missions through proper planning while building bridges with key partners and providing valuable professional exchanges and training opportunities with different aircraft and aircrews.
"During our trip, we bridged gaps with our key partners, allowing both of us to gain new valuable experiences," said Barnard. "I'm proud of what we did; we accomplished a lot in a very short period."