Hello everyone, you are watching another episode of Military TV.
In today’s session, we will answer the question Why the B-52 bomber could fly for a century!
The B-52H Stratofortress refer to a long-range, heavy bomber that can
perform a variety of missions. This aircraft 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. The bomber is capable of flying at high subsonic speeds
at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet equals to 15,166.6 meters. With global precision
navigation capability, it can carry nuclear or precision guided conventional munitions.
Anyway, before we move further, let’s take a look at a long history of B-52
Originally, the B-52 was envisioned as a straight-wing bomber with six propeller-driven
engines. In 1946, it was known as the XB-52 design. After that, the Air Force decided to
make it an all-jet aircraft. The designers spent two days in Dayton, Ohio, making the necessary
adjustments and producing a 33-page how-to book as well as a scale model fashioned from
wood purchased from a local hobby shop. The B-52A and B-52B were developed as a result. Moreover,
the Boeing Company designed the B-52, popularly known as the Stratofortress, a long-range heavy
bomber that was first flown in 1952 and delivered to the military in 1955. Despite being designed as
an atomic-bomb carrier capable of reaching the Soviet Union, the B-52 has proven adaptable to
a variety of tasks, with dozens of B-52s still in service in the early twenty-first century.
Let’s take a look at its operational history. Although the B-52A was the first production
variant, these aircraft were used only in testing. The first operational version was
the B-52B that had been developed in parallel with the prototypes since 1951. First flying
in December 1954, B-52B, AF Serial Number 52-8711, entered operational service with 93rd
Heavy Bombardment Wing (93rd BW) at Castle Air Force Base, California, on 29 June 1955.
The wing became operational on 12 March 1956. The training for B-52 crews consisted
of five weeks of ground school and four weeks of flying, accumulating 35 to 50 hours in the air.
The new B-52Bs replaced operational B-36s on a one-to-one basis.
Moving further, here is some specific information regarding its design.
The B-52 has a wingspan of 185 feet and a length of 160 feet. It is powered by eight jet engines
mounted under the wings in four twin pods. The plane’s maximum speed at 55,000 feet or
17,000 metres equals to Mach 0.9 which is 595 miles per hour, or 960 km/hr.
At only a few hundred feet above the ground, it can fly at Mach 0.5 (375 miles per hour).
It originally carried a crew of six, its sole defensive armament being a remotely controlled
gun turret in the tail. In 1991 the gun was eliminated, and the crew reduced to five.
Furthermore, it can be noticed that the B-52 shared many technological similarities with
the preceding B-47 Stratojet strategic bomber. The two aircraft used the same basic design,
such as swept wings and podded jet engines and the cabin included the crew ejection systems.
For the information, the B-52 went through several design changes and variants over
its 10 years of production. They include XB-52, that is two prototype aircraft with
limited operational equipment, used for aerodynamic and handling tests.
Followed by YB-52 which is one XB-52 modified with some operational equipment and re-designated.
Also, B-52A, only three of the first production version, the B-52A, were built,
all loaned to Boeing for flight testing. The other variant is NB-52A, the last B-52A (serial 52-0003)
was modified and redesignated NB-52A in 1959 to carry the North American X-15. B-52B/RB-52B.
The B-52B was the first version to enter service with the USAF on 29 June 1955 with the 93rd
Bombardment Wing at Castle AFB, California. There are actually some other variants to name a few.
Well, the most important point that we need to highlight is “Do you think is it possible
that this bomber might fly for another 50 years?
It can be predicted that the B-52H Stratofortress remain in service for another 100 years,
supposing that the Air Force's modernization initiatives succeed in the next decades. In fact,
the iconic bomber has been in service since 1955, and experts believe it will
remain in operation into the 2050s. Is that really possible? The jet's weaponry, on the other hand,
are always improving as the plane receives upgrades. The B-52H can carry nuclear-tipped
hypersonic missiles and precision-guided conventional bombs, among other weaponry.
Furthermore, some other distinction factors that make this aircraft last longer are:
First, it has a constant update of its system. The B-52H can re-target these weapons in flight.
The plane is equipped with a sophisticated communication system that includes new data links.
With intelligence feeds that overlay visuals on monitors employing a suite of LCD screens,
it can see the battlespace. Moreover, the B-52H will receive an updated radar, new engines, and
improved nuclear command and control capability in the future. Second, the engines are top-notch with
new ones on the way. The airplane has an extensive range. the plane has a very long range. The
payload is enormous. Engineers have mastered the upkeep of many models throughout the last decade.
As a result, the B-52H is a tribute to American defense innovation as a whole.
For the last point, let’s take a look its recent operational performance.
In February 2015, hull 61-0007 Ghost Rider became the first stored B52 to
fly out of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base after six years in storage.
B-52s are periodically refurbished at USAF maintenance depots such as Tinker Air Force Base,
Oklahoma. Even while the USAF works on the new Long Range Strike Bomber, it intends to keep
the B-52H in service until 2045, which is 90 years after the B-52 first entered service, an
unprecedented length of service for any aircraft, civilian or military. Moreover, on 9 April 2016,
an undisclosed number of B-52s arrived at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar as part of Operation Inherent
Resolve, part of the Military intervention against ISIL. The B-52s took over heavy bombing after
B-1 Lancers that had been conducting airstrikes rotated out of the region in January 2016. Lastly,
in April 2016, B-52s arrived in Afghanistan to take part in the war in Afghanistan and began
operations in July, proving its flexibility and precision carrying out close-air support missions.
In conclusion, the USAF continues to rely on the B-52 because it remains
an effective and economical heavy bomber in the absence of sophisticated air defenses,
particularly in the type of missions that have been conducted since the end
of the Cold War against nations with limited defensive capabilities. The
B-52 has also remained in service since there has been no reliable replacement
That’s all for today, if you more interesting information regarding this bomber,
please feel free to drop any comments below!
That’s al for today, see you next time!