The US Air Force’s Minot Air Force Base has launched an exercise called Prairie Knight 10-1 to prepare the bomb wing squadron for a conventional operational readiness inspection to be held in August.

The 48-hour exercise has been launched to test the wing’s safe, secure, credible and reliable capabilities in preparation for the inspection.

Vice-wing commander at Minot Air Force Base Col. Julian Tolbert said the two-day event, Prairie Knight 10-1, would measure the wing’s ability to survive and operate in a contingency environment, and would include 24 B-52 combat sorties practicing to place bombs on targets.

Training scenarios included an indoor simulation of a deployed environment and wearing chemical gear in the aftermath of an airfield attack.

The exercise aims to measure reactionary procedures in times of chemical or biological threat.