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B-2s practice bombing in Hawaii

B-2 Spirit stealth bombers deployed to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, dropped several 2,000-pound bombs on a weapons range in Hawaii on Oct. 23, Pacific Air Forces announced.

The bombing run, part of Exercise Koa Lightning, required the B-2s to fly from Guam to Hawaii and link up with tactical air control party airmen on the ground before dropping their ordnance at the Pohakuloa Training Area, according to a PacAF press release.

Using old-fashioned “dumb bombs” without precision guidance, the TACPs and B-2 crews coordinated a mock air attack that successfully hit the targets, the release said. TACPs are airmen embedded with Army units who coordinate close air support for ground troops.

They typically work with fighters, attack aircraft and B-1 or B-52 bombers rather than the stealthy B-2s.

The B-2s deployed to Guam in early October from the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., as part of the continuous bomber presence at the base.

Pacific Air Forces has been deploying B-1, B-2 and B-52 bombers to Andersen under the continuous bomber presence policy since March 2004.

Once a sleepy Air Force way station, Andersen has seen its stock rise in recent years.

It is the westernmost Air Force base on U.S. soil, placing it within easy striking distance of continental Asia. Guam is about 2,500 miles from Beijing and 2,100 miles from Pyongyang, the North Korean capital. Hawaii is more than 5,000 miles from Beijing and 4,500 miles from Pyongyang.

Andersen is expected to get 1,000 additional airmen, a permanent tanker squadron and seven Global Hawk surveillance drones during the next several years.