The versatility of the B-52 Stratofortress combined with the precision of Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) enables the US Air Force to hit targets accurately and with overwhelming firepower.

On February 4, 2018, for example, a B-52 Bomber conducted a massive airstrike against a Taliban training camp in Afghanistan's Badakhshan province, dropping the most munitions ever launched by a B-52 and destroying the camp.

The strike was conducted in high mountain terrain and took out three well-fortified defense fighting positions, degrading the Taliban's ability to conduct training and operations in the region.

The B-52 dropped 24 precision-guided munitions -- "the most ever launched by a B-52," according to the Air Force.

An Air Force video showed the entire mountaintop camp had been destroyed in the strike -- the second conducted by a B-52 that week -- with a previous strike hitting a Taliban drug lab.

The B-52 Stratofortress is the Air Force's stalwart subsonic heavy bomber for all-range, all-weather missions across the globe.

With unparalleled payload capacity, variety and flexibility, the B-52 can transport 32,000kg of ordnance, including nuclear and conventional bombs, mines, precision-guided missiles and JDAMs.

It can deliver the full array of weapons in the Air Force arsenal, making it one of the most lethal and flexible aircraft ever fielded.

There are 76 B-52s in the Air Force inventory, making it the force of choice if a large number of aircraft are needed to rapidly destroy multiple targets in multiple places.

Precision-guided munitions

The JDAM-B-52 combination demonstrates the Air Force's formidable power.

A single B-52 can carry 20 GBU-31 907.2kg (2,000lb) or 24 GBU-38 226,8kg (500lb) JDAMs internally. It also can potentially carry a number of bombs via its external pylons.

The JDAM guidance kit converts unguided, free-fall bombs such as the Mark class into "accurate, adverse-weather 'smart' munitions," according to the Air Force.

Its tail-control system and global positioning system (GPS)-aided inertial navigation system guides the bomb to its target, using either manually entered coordinates or coordinates automatically entered with onboard aircraft sensors.

With GPS activated, the JDAM can strike a target within a margin of error of five meters or less.

JDAMs can be used to direct multiple weapons in a single pass, aiming at a single target or at multiple targets.

They can use a variety of warheads including the 907.2kg (2,000lb) BLU-109/MK-84, the 453.59kg (1,000lb) BLU-110/MK 83, or the 226,8kg (500lb) BLU-111 MK-82.