B-52 Stratofortress full Loadout photo

[Vprbite]

Seriously, I need a cigarette after looking at this photo. Ameriporn!!! I'm amazed at the airframe and how it is still viable and keeps being upgraded.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/heres-b-52-stratofortress-ammunition-181849791.html

[1ststrike]

That is unbelievable! Really neat to see what we had 60 +years ago and use today. Just think what is top secret today.

[Vprbite]

That is unbelievable! Really neat to see what we had 60 +years ago and use today. Just think what is top secret today.

I feel like one of those could fix our Isis problem in about 30 minutes. Though I am also partial to the AC 130 spooky for taking care of rodents like that.

[Fatboy 18]

Stood under the B52 at the Entrance to the Air Force Academy in Colorado, they are massive. A deadly aeroplane but beautiful design.

[Vprbite]

Can any aircraft enthusiasts chime in as to what makes this airframe so upgradable and allows it not to become obsolete? What other piece of military hardware is still in service from then? Deuce and a half is the closest thing I can think of.

[steve911]

Can any aircraft enthusiasts chime in as to what makes this airframe so upgradable and allows it not to become obsolete? What other piece of military hardware is still in service from then? Deuce and a half is the closest thing I can think of.

These jets were built back in the day where Metal was king. Early in my Air Force Career I spent 4 years working as an Aircraft Structures troop on B-52's. Even though it's a huge airplane it was way overbuilt for its size. While flying missions over North Vietnam they would take many hits from the anti-aircraft artillery that would create huge holes. Kind like the B-17's from WWII.

It doesnt need a bus load of computers to fly it. The pilot pushes and pulls on hyd assisted cables to fly the plane. Very old school and simple to maintain. Now dont get me wrong that there arent any computers on the jet, there is plenty of electronics for the navigator, weapons systems officer and countermeasures. I wish there were photos of the beat up jets from back in the 70's. There just didnt seem to be the same emphasis like there was in WWII.

It is one awesome plane for sure....

[Steve M]

Can any aircraft enthusiasts chime in as to what makes this airframe so upgradable and allows it not to become obsolete? What other piece of military hardware is still in service from then? Deuce and a half is the closest thing I can think of.

It's not that the airframe isn't obsolete...it is, but it is sturdy, and it is cheaper to gut it and replace/upgrade the avionics rather than develop a new platform to fill the niche this platform does.

It all comes down to who/what you are fighting, and what you need a platform to do - in case you hadn't noticed, the people we've been fighting lately either don't have an Air Force to speak of, or it was so outdated that it didn't matter. Same for their ground-based defensive systems. It's what is referred to as a permissive environment. Change the environment, and you'd have to change how it is used.

Look at Afghanistan - the B-52 was being used for close air support, which is something the aircraft was never designed to do (and is something you'd never be able to do outside of a permissive environment). Advances in avionics and weapons made that possible. The Air Force had a need for close air support in that theater, and that requires two basic things - persistence and available weapons. There are other aircraft that are better suited for this (the A-10, F-16, and F-15E come to mind), but none of those options can carry as much gas or as many bombs as the B-52. If you get a call to provide bombs on target, but you are forced to RTB because you are out of gas, it doesn't matter how many bombs you have on your wings. Same thing goes for the other case - you can have all the gas in the world, but if you've already dropped all of your ordnance, it doesn't matter how loudly someone calls for a strike over the radio - you don't have anything left to give them.

The B-52 is a good, sturdy bomb truck with long legs. At some point, it will become cost prohibitive to continue flying them (parts obsolescence, OEMs no longer in business, etc.), but they still have some life left. The sturdy airframe is likely the most important aspect to its continued use - if the structure was prone to developing cracks, it would have been abandoned long ago. Below is a decent article talking about the frame's service life:

http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/systems/b-52-life.htm

Once the big stuff starts to fail, it is no longer viable to maintain. What will replace it? That remains to be seen...the wars of tomorrow will likely be far different than the ones we were fighting when this plane was originally developed.

[Vprbite]

Interesting thought about "metal being king" and being overbuilt. I have a friend who owns a gun store and builds custom ARs and many other platforms (certified armorer) and he refuses to deal with the carbon AR-15 because he has seen two catastrophic failires where instead of blowing out the mag well, as it is designed to do, it explodes outward from the breach sending shrapnel into ones face and hands. Big price to pay for 6oz lighter. I guess the same concept with the deuce and a half. Though I think they are being phased out many are being enjoyed in private hands still going fine if you can handle the noise.


But as steve mentioned, it is cheaper to keep this plane in service than build a new one, but that is only the case if it was made well the first time. Impressive piece of american manufacturing.

[ViperPete]

When I was younger I had a huge B52 model airplane. I always loved that plane.

My favorite is still and will always be a B-17 though.

[100]

Seriously, I need a cigarette after looking at this photo. Ameriporn!!! I'm amazed at the airframe and how it is still viable and keeps being upgraded.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/heres-b-52-stratofortress-ammunition-181849791.html11501

[steve911]

If you really want to see alot of ordinance on B-52 Google the videos of the B-52 D models dropping over a 100 500lb on Each plane during the bombing of the North. It was lotsa work keeping the jets flying during that time as with the fuel load and the armament, the jets were stressed to the max. The other thing to notice is that the "D"s had a 3000 gal fuel tank under each wing at the tip. The "H" models had a 500 gal tank.

The other thing that I for got was that the posted max gross take off weight for a Buff was 488,000 lbs. Many left alot heavier than that.

Those were the days.....

[LittleCobra]

When I was younger I had a huge B52 model airplane. I always loved that plane.

My favorite is still and will always be a B-17 though.

Like this?

http://i1050.photobucket.com/albums/s402/InjectTheVenom02/IMAG34371_zps7qzylojf.jpg

[BeBeep]

Still an awesome aircraft. A real bitch to work on however.

[Vprbite]

Still an awesome aircraft. A real bitch to work on however.


I could see that. I bet it's more of a bitch though to be underneath it when the belly opens up.

[BeBeep]

Yes, I would not want to be on the receiving end of that payload. LOL It will definitely ruin your decade.