Valkyrie

Pictured: U.S. Air Force B-52G Stratofortress tail number 58-0183, known as the “Valkyrie.” This aircraft flew Operation Secret Squirrel, Jan. 16-17, 1991, with the following crew: aircraft commander, Capt. Alan W. Moe; pilot, Capt. David T. Greer Jr.; pilot augmentee, Capt. Joseph M. Hasbrouck; additional pilot, Maj. Stephen D. Weilbrenner; radar navigator, Capt. Blaise M. Martinick; navigator, 1st Lt. John S. Pyles; navigator augmentee, Capt. Matthew G. Casella; electronic warfare officer, Capt. Anthony Bothwell; gunner, Sgt. Danny L. Parker. In the early morning of Jan. 16, 1991, seven B-52G Stratofortresses took off from Barksdale Air Force Base, La., on a secret mission codenamed “Secret Squirrel.” These B-52s flew more than 14,000 miles in 35 hours – at the time the longest nonstop bombing mission in history, a record which would be held for nearly a decade. The aircraft took off with a load of the Air Force’s newest secret weapon, the AGM-86C Conventional Air-Launched Cruise Missile. These new long range weapons were launched from each B-52 at predetermined locations outside Iraqi airspace, striking the first blows of Operation Desert Storm. The missile’s pinpoint accuracy and high explosive power proved it to be a particularly effective weapon against the forces and infrastructure of Saddam Hussein’s regime. The ‘Valkyrie’ is on display at the Pima County Air Museum, Tucson, AZ. (Courtesy photo by H.D. "Buck" Rigg)