B-52 training to bring loud noise, detonations near Fort Hood

Coryell County residents near Fort Hood should expect loud aircraft noise and detonations during two training windows set for June 15-16 and June 22-26, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day. B-52 Stratofortress aircraft from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana will release 500-pound munitions in the Fort Hood impact area, and officials said the work will stay within designated training areas on the installation.

Fort Hood said the activity is routine and supports aircrew proficiency and joint readiness. For people living, working or traveling around the post, that means more aircraft overhead and the chance of hearing blasts during the middle of the day for nearly two full weeks of training. The installation’s warning matters especially for neighborhoods around the post, where repeated takeoffs, overflights and detonations can spill well beyond the gate lines into surrounding Central Texas communities.

Fort Hood describes itself as a 214,968-acre installation and the Army’s premier post for training and deploying heavy forces. It says its rolling terrain is suited to multifaceted training and testing, and officials emphasize that the B-52 operations are being coordinated for safety. Barksdale’s 2d Bomb Wing operates three B-52H bomber squadrons, the 11th Bomb Squadron, the 20th Bomb Squadron and the 96th Bomb Squadron, and the 11th is the training squadron. The Air Force says the wing trains all Air Force Global Strike Command and Air Force Reserve B-52 crews, which helps explain why the aircraft are appearing at Fort Hood for this type of exercise.

The installation’s range operations staff says it operates and maintains live-fire ranges and maneuver training areas, while the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization & Security coordinates training support activities to provide a focused training environment. That training comes with a safety warning: Army and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers guidance notes that live-fire work can leave unexploded ordnance and munitions debris on the ground.

Fort Hood officials said anyone who sees unexploded ordnance or a suspicious object should not approach it and should call 911 or the Fort Hood Directorate of Emergency Services at 254-287-4001 for non-emergencies. The Directorate of Emergency Services says its mission is to provide a safe and secure environment for the installation community, a reminder that the noise is temporary but the safety rules remain in place throughout the training windows.