Air Force photo.
The ‘New’ B-52 -- War Is Boring
The last of 744 B-52 Stratofortresses, an H-model, rolled out of Boeing’s Wichita facility in 1962. Fifty years later in February, the Pentagon identified the B-52 and the U.S. Air Force’s other strategic bombers as vital weapons for the Pentagon’s ongoing “pivot” towards the western Pacific. “The focus on the Asia-Pacific region places a renewed emphasis on air and naval forces,” the Pentagon announced. “Therefore we maintained the current bomber fleet.”
This endorsement spared the 77-strong Stratofortress fleet from cuts affecting the fighter and mobility forces. With low operating costs compared to other warplanes and an airframe life stretching into the 2040s, the B-52′s future is bright. Planned and projected modifications will build on the bomber’s capaciousness and enormous payload, enhancing its sensor and communications suites and weapons options.
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My Comment: From an original fleet of 744 B-52s to 77 today .... quite a testament to the 'old bird'.
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