B-52H Stratofortress: Cadillac of the United States Air Force

Known as Americas "Big Stick" the B-52 Stratofortress is the longest-serving front line combat aircraft in history. Its first flight was on April 15, 1952 and since entering service it has been flying operationally for more than 50 years. Its primary role for decades was as a strategic nuclear bomber during the cold war, but other than being on atomic alert the B-52 never deployed its devastating payload of hydrogen nuclear bombs. While the aircraft was a significant nuclear deterrent it only saw action during the extensive conventional bombing campaigns in Southeast Asia, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

One of the most notable missions it has flow was the non-stop 35 hour bombing mission on the first night of the gulf war. B-52Gs took off from a Louisiana AFB, deployed cruise missiles from Saudi airspace hitting key military targets in Iraq, before flying all the way back to home base. The B-52s exceptional range and air to air refueling capability was utilized to achieve this raid which was the longest in history. The engines and avionics have been significantly upgraded in recent years, which have extended the aircrafts service life for the coming decades.

The B-52H is operated by 5 crew members consisting of two pilots, an electronic warfare officer, one navigator, and a bombardier. Boeing built 744 B-52's between 1952 and 1962 with each aircraft containing 90km (56mi) of electrical wiring. The aircrafts eight 17,014-lb thrust Pratt & Whitney TF33-P-3 turbofans and 185ft wing span allow it to lift off at its fully loaded weight of 504,860 lbs. The latest B-52H variant can carry a wide variety of weapons including 20 nuclear or conventional cruise missiles, or up to 81 free-fall bombs and anti-ship missiles.

Another notable aircraft feature is the radar directed 20-mm M61A1 tail cannon operated remotely from the cockpit by the electronic warfare officer. The Stratofortress also employs a bicycle type landing gear which greatly assists the pilots during crosswind landings by slewing the fuselage down the runway. The aircraft can perform very high or very low-level under the radar missions and high explosive or cluster bombs can be mounted externally on the wing pylons, further adding to its payload and capabilities.

The B-52 Stratofortress is one of the most versatile and admired aircraft in United States Air Force service and has proven itself time and again over the years. Not only has it performed exemplary in service but it continues to remain operational as a key part of the American bomber fleet. Its ability to efficiently deliver it devastating payload to any target in the world within 18 hours gives the aircraft a truly global reach. The B-52 is expected to remain in service for years to come and continue its very important role as a global deterrent to terrorism and nuclear threat.

By Don Farley 

The US Has and Will Have the Most Superior Air Force Known to Mankind - Always!

The other day, I was listening to a cable news pundit that was talking about the decline of the United States, as if it was inevitable, as if we'd be overtaken by China and left in the dust. He was speaking as if there wouldn't be two Super Powers at that point, but rather one; China. Well, it's not going to happen like that. Secondly, the EU in a way is a Super Power almost. So, you could say there would be three at that juncture, if the EU stays together and doesn't experience economic collapse.

And speaking of economics, China as somewhat come to a "Y" in the road and they are going to have to make some choices now, and yes, the US does need to balance its books and live more within its means but it still has a GDP 3 times larger than number 2 China, and even more than the entire EU combined. So, it's not even relevant yet. Lastly, our military might is downright scary from the perspective of anyone wishing to challenge us, or the peace, or the free nations of the world you see.

There was an interesting article recently in Government Executive Online titled; "The Pentagon Moves on the New Long-Range Bomber" (article originally came from Global Security Newswire) on May 23, 2011. There was also a nice piece on this in the LA Times the day before. Anyway, here is the essence of the article;

"The Pentagon would like to see the new fleet of nuclear-capable bombers in place no later than the middle of the next decade. It would number between 80 to 100 aircraft that could be flown remotely or by a human pilot. The youngest long-range bombers in the current U.S. nuclear arsenal are more than 10 years old (B-2). The USAF has 20 B-2 bombers, 66 B-1 bombers manufactured in the 1980s, and 85 B-52 bombers that date to the 1960s and have been refurbished."

So, if you've ever wondered what comes next, well, consider that the Black Project Budget is 10s of billions of dollars, so, they've had some 10-15 years working on this next generation of aircraft. Thus, the technology will blow your mind, and now that it is available the Pentagon wants it, and so they shall, with the job of protecting the American People from any and all foreign threats. Don't worry about America my friends, we are doing fine. Please consider all this.

By Lance Winslow

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lance_Winslow

Pentagon weapons buyer quietly visits California to discuss bomber planes

Ashton Carter meets with Northrop, Boeing and Lockheed executives about the military's plans to build a fleet of radar-evading, long-range bombers.

 

Deep in the Mojave Desert, surrounded by tiers of barbed-wire fence, the nation's largest defense contractors work in secrecy designing and building the latest military aircraft at Air Force Plant 42.

The military's top weapons buyer quietly visited the Palmdale facility this month to talk with leading aerospace executives about plans to build a fleet of radar-evading bombers that the military hopes to have ready for action by the mid-2020s.

By W.J. Hennigan, Los Angeles Times
Source link :http://articles.latimes.com/2011/may/22/business/la-fi-new-bomber-20110522