Before the B-52’s arrival in the region, B-1B Lancers served as the primary heavy bombers tasked with carrying out airstrikes against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. The Lancers returned to the United States earlier this year to receive upgrades to their avionics, leaving a gap between their departure and the B-52’s arrival.

The lumbering eight-engine bombers delivered strikes against al-Qaeda and the Taliban during the opening salvos of the war in Afghanistan. In Vietnam, they were famous for their carpet bombing runs against the North Vietnamese, known as Arc Light missions. B-52s can carry 70,000 pounds of conventional munitions, including GPS guided bombs and air-launched cruise missiles. Their large size allows for long periods airborne, however their targeting system is cumbersome. For close air support, B-52s rely on targeting coordinates generated from latitude and longitude, while most aircraft used in support of ground operations locate their targets with grid coordinates.

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The B-52s, along with other aircraft hitting the Islamic State, will be able to drop their ordnance on targets faster, said Col. Steve Warren, a spokesman for the U.S.-led campaign against the militant group. Changes in the rules of engagement, which were first reported by USA Today, mean U.S. jets and unmanned aircraft will now have a shorter approval process for dropping munitions. This means lower-ranking commanders will have more authority when it comes to when and where their forces can drop bombs.

“The more authorities that are delegated down, the more rapidly we are able to respond,” Warren told reporters in a televised briefing Wednesday. Warren emphasized that he thinks this will not translate into more civilian casualties and said that more complicated strikes will still require higher approval.