Once used to conduct "carpet bombing" the B-52 is now more likely to carry cruise missiles and Laser Guided Bombs
Once used to conduct "carpet bombing" the B-52 is now more likely to carry cruise missiles and Laser Guided Bombs
I know they say airplanes never “get old” as parts are replaced on a schedule of their fatigue life.
But it’s still pretty darn impressive.
Strangest landing gear ever and nowhere near as pretty as the Vulcan, but still an amazing aircraft.
I have read that the DOD projects the B52 to still be in service in 2055. Over 100 years of service. that is amazin. B52 and Ma Deuce. Two success stories from the much maligned Military, Industrial Complex. Air force friends that worked on and flew B52s always referred to them as “The Buf”. Translated to mean, Big Ugly Feller. FELLER? Right!
I remember the 52s when I was stationed very shortly at Robins AFB, GA before heading overseas (one of my TWO short assignments in CONUS during the entire 8 years I did - second was 6 months at NORAD NCMC - the rest was OCONUS).
There, the 52s were part of the 19th Bomb Wing of SAC. They were separated from the rest of the base.
They also ran 52s out of Kadena right before I got there but the Okinawans complained and they moved them to Guam.
Instead of a fully laden B52 crashing on takeoff (their fear), they had no problem with the fully loaded KC-135s that the AF replaced them with - go figure, flaming gas or bombs.)
I just find it amazing that the airframe is original. How do they not have problems with metal fatigue?
He can barrel in that baby so low!
I always chuckle about the "nuclear capable" line reporters like. An F16 is capable of carrying nukes. B-61
I was a SAC trained killer for my first 9 years, 76-85. Barksdale and Griffiss had Gs at that time, and Andersen still had Ds, the tall tails. Amazing birds. They must’ve been over-engineered to a fare-thee-well.
There could literally be grandsons of the first H pilots now flying those same Hs (the only ones left in the active inventory). And if they’re around as long as they claim, there could be great, great grandsons flying them.
The pucker factor maxed out whenever we saw the crews run to the birds cocked on alert on the Christmas tree. You hoped that when they got to the end of the runway, they didn’t go full military power and MITO. That would’ve been a bad day.
13 hour flight had a high-powered crew (because of my presence), THREE Majors!
Highlights were attacking St Louis with Hound Dogs, refueling, and TWO frightening, violent, low level 'oil burner' bomb runs at La Junta, CO.
Now, I was in the USN, on a Presidential Command ship, have visited a dozen or more military airfields, and many other high tech, classified civilian and military facilities, including boomers. But the security and professionalism displayed by SAC at Kincheloe was just way higher than anything else I ever saw in my career. It was a nuke base, which explains part of it, but great leadership and dedication from top to bottom was apparent from the wing commander down to the Airman assigned as my driver.
In my eyes SAC stands alone as the highest standard of excellence in history for a large entity. Great admiration.
At one point there were over 750+ B-52s of various model numbers in squadron service. Now, thanks to end-of-Cold War force reductions and START Treaty terms, there are less than 100.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_B-52_Stratofortress
http://usmilitary.about.com/library/milinfo/affacts/blb-52stratofortress.htm
I had the pleasure, and honor, of serving in SAC at Andersen AFB, Guam back in the mid to late 1980’s. These planes were very loud, but wow, what a plane!