B-52s - Keep 'em flyin' another 30+ years

[Osmium Steele]

What could a single Buff with a payload of JSOWs do to an armored division? (the JSOW/B would have been devastating in this role)


The B-52, as a bomber, still has a nuclear mission in combination with the Air Launched Cruise Missile, said Maj. Gen. William Chambers, the Air Staff strategic deterrence and nuclear integration officer. The continued upgrade of the B-52s electronics and the effort we have underway for a new cruise missile are both examples of where we're taking very old systems and making them last longer.

The planned upgrades total three:

The CONECT program will put a digital backbone and communications suite into the largely analog aircraft.

A new 1760 databus architecture will allow the old bird to drop modern smart weapons from its internal weapon bays.

Strategic radar will replace the B-52's antiquated 1960s-vintage system.

SOURCE (http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2011/10/air-force-b52s-getting-makeover-100411/)

[Tchocky]

Kopieren und Paschten the text into Notepad and back should get rid of all those HTML artifacts or whatever they are.

EDIT - Too quick for me!

Anyways, I'd hate to think about what the service life left in those wings is. What they should have done at least 15 years ago was re-engine them with RB211s, but that got canned.

[TLAM Strike]

Well short of a million screaming Chinamen crossing the border in to Siberia or the DPRK invading the ROK I doubt we will see many major armored battles in the next 20-30 years.

A lot of times in A-Stan (mostly early on) we have seen B-52s loitering above the battlefield to drop JDAMs on targets called in from the boys on the ground. The new Harvest Hawk fills that role a lot better, and I think there is a lot of room in the design for more weapons and sensors.

Plus the airframe stress on the B-52s must be insane by now, another thirty years they would be pushing triple digits.

[Osmium Steele]

Anyways, I'd hate to think about what the service life left in those wings is. What they should have done at least 15 years ago was re-engine them with RB211s, but that got canned.

Maintenance on these ladies is intense. The ground crews are dedicated very similar to the best submarine crews.

To paraphrase the Captain, "You take a bird in the air that you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as a turn of the world. Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down, tells you she's hurtin' before she keels. Makes her a home."

[MH]

No reason not to fly b-52 for another 30 years in places with established air superiority.

[Oberon]

Well, with the risk of going into Dale Brown territory but the BUFFs could make good drone launchers, particularly in terms of scramjet probes and the like.

[TLAM Strike]

Well, with the risk of going into Dale Brown territory but the BUFFs could make good drone launchers, particularly in terms of scramjet probes and the like.
Or for Harpoon Spam against those new Chinese DDGs.

[Ducimus]

If the USAF plans to keep them ongoing in inventory, for christ's stakes, make some new ones and use some of the older ones for spare parts. At this rate, the next pilot that park's his fanny on a BUFF's flight deck will honestly be able to say, "My grand daddy flew this bird!"

[Osmium Steele]

At this rate, the next pilot that park's his fanny on a BUFF's flight deck will honestly be able to say, "My grand daddy flew this bird!"

Already happened. (http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2011/09/ap-b53-co-pilot-follows-grandfathers-footsteps-092311/)


Welch, a B-52 co-pilot, is keeping up his family’s tradition as a B-52 Stratofortress flight officer.
Both his grandfather, retired Col. Don Sprague, of Sacramento, Calif., and his father, retired Lt. Col. Don Welch, of Las Vegas, were B-52 aviators.

[Ducimus]

Already happened. (http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2011/09/ap-b53-co-pilot-follows-grandfathers-footsteps-092311/)

Bloody hell, ok.. make that "My great grand daddy flew this bird!"

[Jimbuna]

The B-52 has given what surely must be unprecedented service to the US.....she is an awesome aircraft.

I'd have thought she would have an important role in delivering stand-off weapons on a huge scale so long as she wasn't within range of enemy fighters.

I do think new builds (if affordable) would prove value for money if said new builds give the same length of service as those before them.

[TarJak]

Don't see why they couldn't keep em going for some time to come with new builds and regular avionics upgrades.

[Tchocky]

I already don't like the B-2's chances against the S-400, nevermind the F-35.

Don't get me wrong, as a bomb truck the BUFF is fine, I just don't see it surviving in anything other than a threat-neutral environment, which isn't really worth the candle.

The H-model carries up to 70,000lb of weapons. A considerably newer, more survivable B-2 carries 50,000lb.

[Oberon]

There's also always the idea they had for the B1s and that's to be a mobile AAM truck. Using the fire data from F-22s at the front, launching long range AAMs which the F-22s guide to the target. Could saturate the battlefield with AAMs quite quickly. The only snag is having to pack in a tonne of ECM to prevent the missile truck being blown out of the sky before it launches.

[Tchocky]

There's also always the idea they had for the B1s and that's to be a mobile AAM truck. Using the fire data from F-22s at the front, launching long range AAMs which the F-22s guide to the target. Could saturate the battlefield with AAMs quite quickly. The only snag is having to pack in a tonne of ECM to prevent the missile truck being blown out of the sky before it launches.

Doesn't do much when the OPFOR has some of these (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novator_K-100) against AMRAAM's ;)

[kraznyi_oktjabr]

I already don't like the B-2's chances against the S-400, nevermind the F-35.Just a check. Do you mean B-2's or B-52's chances?

[Tchocky]

Just a check. Do you mean B-2's or B-52's chances?

B-2, actually. I should have been clearer. Trying to make the point that the threats to current state-of-the-art aircraft are very real, nevermind the vulnerability of the fifty-two.

[TLAM Strike]

Doesn't do much when the OPFOR has some of these (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novator_K-100) against AMRAAM's ;)
Or even some of these:
http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/6944/f14grskyhawk.jpg