Latest news with #Stratofortress
Business Insider
30-06-2025
- General
- Business Insider
America's oldest bombers have officially been flying for the Air Force for 70 years
This past weekend marked another decade in service for America's oldest bomber. The B-52 Stratofortress,affectionately nicknamed the "Big Ugly Fat Fellow," has been flying for the US Air Force for 70 years. The air service has been upgrading the strategic bomber for years, allowing it to continue to play a key role in the Air Force's long-range strike capability. Far from a relic, the plane can serve as a conventional missile truck and a nuclear deterrent. Over the weekend, Air Force Global Strike Command Public Affairs celebrated the 70th anniversary of the delivery of the first operational B-52, which was originally delivered on June 29, 1955, to the 93rd Bomb Wing at Castle Air Force Base in California. "For seven decades, the B-52 has stood as a symbol of American airpower," the command said in a press release. "With its unmistakable silhouette and dual-capable nature, the Stratofortress continues to serve as a visible and credible strategic deterrent for the United States and its allies." There are 72 B-52 bombers active with the Air Force, with some in conventional roles and others still able to serve in a nuclear capacity. Others that are no longer in active service remain in long-term storage at the Air Force's "boneyard" in Arizona. Since the 1950s, the B-52 made by Boeing Military Airplane Co. has undergone numerous upgrades that have preserved the lumbering aircraft as a formidable bomber for the Air Force. The B-52 remains a reliable platform for long-range strategic bomber missions even though it lacks the speed of the B-1 Lancers and the stealth of the B-2 Spirits, which were used to drop bombs on three of Iran's nuclear facilities earlier this month. The bomber boasts a lighter maintenance lift, lower operational costs, and a heavy payload. The B-52 can carry an estimated 70,000 tons of mixed ordnance, from stand-off cruise missiles to weapons like naval mines. Emerging hypersonic weapons have also been tested on the bombers. Though built during the Cold War to function as a high-altitude strategic bomber, it can serve a range of missions. The B-52's airframe and durable design have kept the planes in good condition over the decades. And upgrades to their weapons capacities, communications and radars, hardware, and software have kept the planes modern, as well as capable of receiving future updates. "Since its creation, the B-52 has anchored strategic deterrence for the nation," said Maj. Gen. Jason Armagost, Eighth Air Force and Joint Global Strike Operations Center commander, per the release. He added that the Air Force is looking "to the next model to serve as the physical embodiment of the idea of peace through strength and carry us into the 2050s." Plans for the next version of the B-52, the J-model, include engine and radar upgrades, as well as a new long-range stand-off missile that will replace the plane's aging air-launched cruise missiles. But these planned updates have faced challenges. A US Government Accountability Office report said last year that the engine replacement program, which seeks to substitute the B-52's older engines with new military-configured commercial ones, was delayed "in part due to funding shortfalls to complete the detailed design." The operational capability date for these engines was delayed to three years after initially planned. The Air Force originally announced plans to update these engines back in 2021 for improved fuel usage and easier maintenance. The cost, too, jumped from $8 billion to about $9 billion. Costs to replace the radars of the B-52s to provide greater range and resistance to electronic warfare countermeasures also saw an increase, per the GAO. The upgrades are critical for the Air Force to follow its plan of keeping B-52s active into the 2050s, a plan that would see the plane fly for a century. Last year, the B-52 bomber successfully conducted a first-of-its-kind test of the All-Up-Round AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon, a hypersonic missile, in the Western Pacific. The missile is a multi-stage, boost-glided weapon with a hypersonic glide body that can maneuver at high speeds. Such weapons are difficult to intercept, and the US military and its rivals have heavily prioritized the development of hypersonic weapons in recent years. While the missile received mixed results throughout testing, leaving its future in the Air Force's arsenal unclear, it marked an interesting moment for the B-52, which continues to be important for long-range strategic missions.
Arab News
17-06-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Four heavy US bombers stationed at key Indian Ocean base: image analysis
PARIS: Four US Stratofortress bombers are currently stationed at the Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean, according to an AFP analysis of satellite imagery, as the conflict between Israel and Iran extended to its fifth straight day. The base, leased to the United States by Britain, is one of its key military facilities in the Asia-Pacific region, and was used as a hub for long-range bombers and ships during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The four B52H Stratofortresses, which can carry nuclear weapons or other precision-guided munitions, were spotted on a southern tarmac at Diego Garcia on Monday at 0922 GMT. Images provided by Planet Labs indicate they arrived in mid-May. A C-17 Globemaster III troop and cargo transport plane is also at the base, according to the AFP analysis, as well as six jets likely to be KC-135 airborne refueling tanker. The Pentagon said Monday that it was sending 'additional capabilities' to the Middle East amid an escalation of the Iran-Israel conflict, while the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz canceled a Vietnam visit to head toward the Indian Ocean according to Marine Traffic, a ship-tracking site. Washington has also redeployed around 30 refueling planes toward bases in Europe.
The National
28-03-2025
- Politics
- The National
A symbol of massive firepower: Why the US flies B-52 bombers over the Middle East
It was built by Boeing during the Cold War era to carry out nuclear missions and made its maiden flight in April 1952. The B-52 bomber, also known as the Stratofortress, is an imposing sight in the skies, its wide wing span creating a widely recognised silhouette. It has eight long-range engines and can carry a wide variety of munitions, including long-range nuclear missiles and 500-pound bombs. 'It has been in continuous operation since about the mid-1950s,' Mark Cancian, a retired colonel and senior adviser at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, tells The National. 'Measured by longevity, it may be the most successful aircraft in history.' That success, Col Cancian says, is thanks to the continuous upgrades the aircraft has received over its decades-long lifespan, one that, according to Boeing, could stretch beyond 2040. 'The aircraft today are very different from what was originally built … the offensive avionics and defensive avionics have been vastly upgraded and replaced, and the engines are being upgraded also.' In the first months of President Donald Trump's second administration, the US Air Force has carried out several missions involving B-52 bombers in the Middle East. They usually consist of flyovers in the region, sometimes with allies, and refuelling exercises. Gen Michael Kurilla of US Central Command said the missions 'demonstrate US power projection capability, commitment to regional security and ability to respond to any state or non-state actor seeking to broaden or escalate conflict". In photographs from a recent mission on March 6, Israeli fighter planes were seen escorting a B-52 bomber. While the exercises are often planned months or even years ahead of time, Col Cancian believes they serve as a direct warning to Iran. They also come at a moment when the US is set for a major escalation in the Red Sea against the Iran-backed Houthis with the expected presence of a second nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. 'President Trump has taken a very hard line on Iran in his second term,' Col Cancian says. 'He has been willing to use force in the Middle East, against the Houthis, for example. But I think it's unlikely the United States would attack Iran; more likely, the United States would help Israel attack Iran.' The US would do this by providing the Israelis with bunker-busting munitions, intelligence or electronic support in an effort to destroy underground Iranian nuclear sites, he says. But in the event of a military confrontation between Washington and Tehran, the B-52 could be used to fire long-range missiles from outside Iranian airspace. 'They are too vulnerable to air defence systems,' Col Cancian says, adding that the US would probably opt for the stealthier B-2 or B-1 bombers for missions inside Iranian air space. 'The B-52 symbolises massive firepower … its strength is in stand-off, staying outside of the air defence bubble and then firing into it.'
