Boeing B-52 set to receive major radar upgrade

Flight Global ^ | 5/19/2010 | Flight International

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

Ping

[unkus]

What magnificent airplanes!

[Jack Hydrazine]

How much longer are these bombers going to be allowed to fly?

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

Until the year 2040

[rawhide]

I remember reading about a day when an engine went out on one of these birds, and the pilot requested an emergency landing, and the tower radioed back, ‘Ah yes, the dreaded 7-engine landing’.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

Since the USAF seems utterly incapable of producing any new bomber designs at affordable cost and in sufficient numbers, the service might as well pull out the old 1950s design and start producing these fantastic aircraft again using modern technology.

But, I guess the USAF brass would screw that up as well.

[catman67]

An indication of the service life of the B-52 would be to imagine the Air Force flying operational missions in Vietnam with the Wright Military Flyer!

[AF_Blue]

“sustainability/supportability” = spare parts availability

[screaminsunshine]

We oughta replace em with 747’s for a bigger payload. Carpet bombing is needed in several areas.

[G Larry]

In 1971 I was excited about the prospects of flying “defensive fire control” in the B-52D and was disappointed to learn latter models would move me out of the tail gunner position, into a camera operated position, behind the EWO officer.
I ended up working in nuclear weapons and never did fly or get stationed in ‘Nam.
40 years later I’m not so sure I’d be excited about flying in this same airframe.....

[N. Theknow]

Carpet bombing is needed in several areas.

I hear you.

But D.C. is Restricted Airspace.

[GBA]

When was the last engine upgrade? Swap out the 8 old for four new high bypass turbofans and keep it flying for another 50 years.

[Paradox]

The Plane That Time Forgot.

[SJSAMPLE]

That was already discussed and dismissed, over a decade ago.
Still worth reviewing every ten years or so, just to see if it’s economically feasible.

[driftdiver]

“An indication of the service life of the B-52 would be to imagine the Air Force flying operational missions in Vietnam with the Wright Military Flyer!”

A Wright flyer with vastly improved avionics, air defense, engines, and flight crew.

The B52 of today is vastly more capable than the early models. The airframe itself is largely the same but then the laws of physics and aerodynamics haven’t changed much since 1950.

[N. Theknow]

Three cheers for the BUFF’s and the fathers and their sons who have flown them.

[mountainlion]

But D.C. is Restricted Airspace

Not to the Air force.

[Dilbert56]

How about reviving the B-58 Hustler? One bad-ass looking bomber.

[Little Pig]

Actually, that comment was made by an F-16 pilot who, although running low on fuel, was put into a holding pattern to allow that B-52 with one engine out to make an “emergency” landing.