Ready for War: Why B-52 Stratofortress Bombers Landed at a Civilian Airport

Travelers at Chennault International Airport, outside of Lake Charles, Louisiana, were treated to a rare sight as two United States Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bombers landed at the civilian airfield. It wasn’t due to an emergency nor were there any problems at Barksdale Air Force Base (AFB), located some 200 miles away—and rather it was part of Bayou Vigilance, an exercise aimed at increasing the readiness and lethality of the 2nd Bomb Wing (BW).

The pair of B-52H aircraft from the 20th...