The U.S. Air Force is preparing to put nuclear-armed bombers back on 24-hour ready alert, a status
not seen since the Cold War ended in 1991.
That means the long-dormant concrete pads at the ends of this base’s 11,000-foot runway
— dubbed the “Christmas tree” for their angular markings — could once again find
several B-52s parked on them, laden with nuclear weapons and set to take off at a
moment’s notice.
Gen. David Goldfein, Air Force chief of staff, said in an interview during his six-day tour
of Barksdale and other U.S. Air Force bases that support the nuclear mission, “This
is yet one more step in ensuring that we’re prepared. I look at it more as not planning
for any specific event, but more for the reality of the global situation we find ourselves
in and how we ensure we’re prepared going forward.”
In this video, Defense Updates analyzes WHY U.S PUTTING B 52 IN 24 Hrs PATROL WITH NUKES
IS A DIRECT MESSAGE TO NORTH KOREA & RUSSIA ?
Goldfein and other senior defense officials stressed that the alert order had not been
given, but that preparations were under way in anticipation that it might come. That decision
would be made by Gen. John Hyten, the commander of U.S. Strategic Command, or Gen. Lori Robinson,
the head of U.S. Northern Command. STRATCOM is in charge of the military’s nuclear forces
and NORTHCOM is in charge of defending North America.
Putting the B-52s back on alert is just one of many decisions facing the Air Force as
the U.S. military responds to a changing geopolitical environment that includes increasing North
Korea & Russian threats.
North Korean regime was successfully tested 100 kilotons nuke as well long range inter
continental ballistic missiles Hwasong 14 & Hwasong 15. Apart from taking many hostile
steps, Russian leader Vladimir Putin has put 13 more submarines into active service since
2014. Russia’s submarine activity is now at its highest level since the Cold War.
Keeping all this in view, Goldfein is asking his force to think about new ways that nuclear
weapons could be used for deterrence, or even combat.
He said, “The world is a dangerous place and we’ve got folks that are talking openly
about use of nuclear weapons. It’s no longer a bipolar world where it’s just us and the
Soviet Union. We’ve got other players out there who have nuclear capability. It’s
never been more important to make sure that we get this mission right.”
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic
bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support
and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) since the 1950s.
Superior performance at high subsonic speeds and relatively low operating costs have kept
the B-52 in service despite the advent of more advanced aircrafts, including the variable-geometry
B-1 Lancer, and the stealthy B-2 Spirit. After being upgraded between 2013 and 2015,
it is supposed to serve into the 2040s. The B-52s are expected to reach the end of their
service lives by 2045, and be replaced by B-21 Raiders.
B 52 are powered by Pratt & Whitney turbojet engines.
The 8 engines of the B-52 are paired in pods and suspended by four pylons beneath and forward
of the wings’ leading edge. It has typical combat range of more than 8,800 miles (14,080
km) without aerial refueling. The powerful engines also enable B 52 to carry
up to 70,000 pounds (32,000 kg) of weapons. The massive range & excellent payload makes
the B 52 apt for strategic bombing since multiple high value targets can be taken out in a single
long distance mission.
U.S satellite intelligence will mean that B 52 will be guided to the target through
the safest path , as well it must be noted that these could also be escorted by fighter
jets like F 22 Raptor , F 35 lightning which will clear the path by taking out air defense assets.
The B 52 is capable of carrying both conventional as well as nuclear weapons.
The ability to carry upto 20 AGM-69 SRAM nuclear missiles was added to G and H models, starting
in 1971. To further improve its offensive ability, air-launched cruise missiles were
fitted. After testing of both the Air Force-backed
Boeing AGM-86 and the Navy-backed General Dynamics AGM-109 Tomahawk, the AGM-86B was
selected for operation for the B-52.
A total of 194 B-52Gs and Hs were modified to carry AGM-86s, carrying 12 missiles on
underwing pylons, with 82 B-52Hs further modified to carry another 8 missiles on a rotary launcher
fitted in the bomb-bay.
The AGM-86 is a subsonic air-launched cruise missile built by Boeing. This missile was
developed to increase the effectiveness and survivability of the Boeing B-52 bomber as
the missile can be fired from standoff ranges. In combination, the missile dilutes an enemy’s
forces and complicates air defense of its territory.
All variants of the AGM-86 missile are powered by a Williams F107 turbofan jet engine that
propels it at sustained subsonic speeds and can be launched from aircraft at both high
and low altitudes. The missile deploys its folded wings, tail surfaces and engine inlet
after launch. Sophisticated guidance makes the missile very accurate.
The missile deploys W80 thermonuclear warhead. It has a range of 1,100 to 2,400 km depending
on variant. This enables the B 52 to launch it far off from the target.
As stated earlier a single B 52 can launch upto 20 of these missiles. Hence, an enemy
force could have to counterattack more than one missile at a time, making defense against
them costly and complicated. The enemy’s defenses are further hampered by the missiles'
small size and low-altitude flight capability, which makes them difficult to detect on radar.
The W80 is a thermonuclear warhead in the U.S. nuke stockpile with a variable yield
of between 5 and 150 kt of TNT. It is specifically designed to be used by AGM-86 as well as the
BGM-109 Tomahawk. It is essentially a modification of the widely deployed B61 weapon, which forms
the basis of most of the current US stockpile.
The W80 is a powerful asset , to give viewers a perspective here is a the comparison.
Trinity Test in New Mexico in July 1945, which ushered in the nuclear age, had a yield of
20 kilo tons. Hiroshima's "Little Boy" bomb had a yield
of 13-18 kilo tons whereas Nagasaki's "Fat Man" bomb had a yield of 20–22 kilo tons of TNT.
Depending on variant G or H , B 52 will be able to launch 12 or 20 of these W80 warheads
carried by AGM-86 missile . This means a single aircraft has a destructive capacity of 12
* 150 that is 1800 or 20 * 150 that is 3000 kt tons of TNT.
This is enough to obliterate major military assets of any country.