Barksdale kicks-off Buff Smoke competition

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Jerome Baysmore
  • 2d Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La --  About 21 jets and 150 Airmen gathered here Tuesday to showcase their skills to start this year's Buff Smoke competition.

Aircrews, crew chiefs, maintainers and weapons loaders from here and Minot Air Force Base, N.D., compete for bragging rights and to be dubbed "The Best of the Best."

"A lot of people give 110 percent for this competition," said Maj. Stephan Purdum 2d Operations Support Squadron Weapons and Tactics deputy chief. "It's a fun competition for bragging rights and a good time--everyone is going to learn something."

The 10-year Stratofortress pilot and lead Buff Smoke competition planner added that planning for this competition took over a month.

"It's a competition to test the operations of the B-52 aircrews, load crews and maintainers," he said. "It's designed to improve our community of practice, promote camaraderie and compile our lessons learned."

For more than 40 years B-52 Stratofortresses have been the backbone of the manned strategic bomber force for the United States. The B-52 is capable of dropping or launching the widest array of weapons in the U.S. inventory. This includes gravity bombs, cluster bombs, precision guided missiles and joint direct attack munitions.

According to the latest records, the 2d Bomb Wing hasn't hosted or taken place in a Buff Smoke competition since June 2005.

"This is a very intense competition involving individuals who are at the tip of the spear," said Capt. Rolland Coleman, 2d OSS conventional plans. "It's a competition between guys who have been flying the Buff for one year versus a guy who's been flying for 20," he said.

"It's a huge event to determine, 'I'm the best radar navigator because I dropped the most bombs,' or 'I'm the best electronic warfare officer because I 'jammed' the best.'"

Captain Coleman added the competition wraps up in an awards ceremony Friday at 3 p.m. in Hoban Hall to highlight significant events and the competition's main goal--to name the overall winner.

"We're taking the commander's direction and [increasing] our combat capability, but it all comes down to one thing--Friday."