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The B-52 lives on

Charmonium

Charmonium

Lifer
The last of 744 B52's was delivered in 1962 but the Air Force plans to keep them in service until 2040 - more than 80 years after the first delivery in 1955.

It's array of ordnance is still impressive.

b52.jpg


This photo shows the entire arsenal of a B-52 Stratofortress.
The standard loadout for this plane includes eight AGM-84 Harpoon missiles, four AGM-142 Raptor missiles, 51 500-pound bombs, 30 1,000-pound bombs, 20 AGM-86C conventional air-launched cruise missiles (CALCM), 12 joint stand-off weapons (JSOW), 12 joint direct-attack munitions (JDAM), and 16 wind-corrected munitions dispensers (WCMD), according to Airforce-technology.com.
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More info:

http://www.businessinsider.com/here...ru&utm_medium=email&utm_content=MarketsSelect

http://airman.dodlive.mil/2012/04/alive-and-kicking/
 
that's incredible. the airframe must be so freakin overdesigned - but that's what allows it to stay in service so long (in addition to excellent current engineering/maintenance/retrofits)
 
There is a real Beryllium ball.

I used to do the final balancing on those that went into the Nav systems on them.

rwJ71gQ.jpg


I like F-15Ks and a few other things I've done here and there.

Nice Lego 🙂
 
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If you like B-52's read some of the early Dale Brown books. They're technothrillers in the Tom Clancy vein, mostly about special weapons programs centered on heavily modified and modernized B-52s. Good reads if you're into aviation warfare fiction.
 
I worked on B-52G's back in 1978-1982 and they were pigs back then... I got to work a bit on B-52H's during the same period and they were the same... Antiques to say the least but a strong airframe and some awesome landing gear...

80 years I mean like damn...?
 
Why would they get rid of them; what would their replacements do that they can't? We have fancy fighters and fighter/bombers to clear the air and AA defenses, so all the B52 typically has to do is show up and drop bombs everywhere.
 
Ruptga said:
Why would they get rid of them; what would their replacements do that they can't? We have fancy fighters and fighter/bombers to clear the air and AA defenses, so all the B52 typically has to do is show up and drop bombs everywhere.
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Rolling Thunder

Gx3MOLl.png
 
Looks like they are finally going to re-engine them too. High bypass turbofans will greatly increase range and efficiency, long overdue. The JT3D is ancient.
 
Bartman39 said:
I worked on B-52G's back in 1978-1982 and they were pigs back then... I got to work a bit on B-52H's during the same period and they were the same... Antiques to say the least but a strong airframe and some awesome landing gear...

80 years I mean like damn...?
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Lots of things have been upgraded since then even ...

It is one hell of an airframe.
 
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The last of 744 B52's was delivered in 1962 but the Air Force plans to keep them in service until 2040 - more than 80 years after the first delivery in 1955.
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only 90-something remain, all the last-produced H models.

if i keep a broom for 80 years, and change the head 10 times and the handle 5 times, is it still the same broom?
 
The Boston Dangler said:
only 90-something remain, all the last-produced H models.

if i keep a broom for 80 years, and change the head 10 times and the handle 5 times, is it still the same broom?
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Bad analogy.

Not even in the ball park.

I'm not sure myself, I think it is more like 78 active or something.
 
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My dad worked for Boeing when the B52 was launched and watched the first one roll down the runway and take off... He's 82 now
 
K1052 said:
Looks like they are finally going to re-engine them too. High bypass turbofans will greatly increase range and efficiency, long overdue. The JT3D is ancient.
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With RB211s? I thought that plan was still on the shelves?

I guess it wouldn't be such a bad time to consider them now that 757s are increasingly being retired. A lot of them already went to Fedex, though iirc they're done adding any more to the fleet for now.

Haven't read of any other engine being considered yet.
 
MongGrel said:
Bad analogy.

Not even in the ball park.

I'm not sure myself, I think it is more like 78 active or something.
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what are you talking about? that is a perfectly good analogy.

the b-52 went through 8 discrete generations over 10 years of production, with continuous hotfix and upgrade programs. the survivors have been re-skinned, re-winged, re-bellied, re-brained, re-engined....everything. components that aren't new are cannibalized from retired airframes. so tell me how the head and the handle haven't been replaced multiple times
 
Lots of things built in the WWII era were made to impressive standards. The DC3 always impressed me as a will not die aircraft.
 
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