How on God’s Green Earth Is the B-52 Still in Service?

[longknife]

It's probably older than the majority of users here. I can remember when it first flew out of the big air base outside of Riverside, Calif. And the shock to the system when it carpet-bombed 5 miles away in 'Nam.

To ensure that some great-grandkids will have a crack at the B-52, the team in charge of increasing the planes’ lifespan is constantly deploying tactics and procedures—non-destructive inspections, structural integrity evaluations—to study how well the airframes are aging, and what steps can be taken to keep them in top condition. This is, after all, new territory for the military, and aviation in general. But so far, everything suggests that these airplanes can keep flying long past 2040.

Story @ How on God’s Green Earth Is the B-52 Still in Service?

 

[JakeStarkey]

It is a great delivery system for massive amounts of munitions.

 

[rightwinger]

Amazing aircraft....we got our moneys worth on that one
If you remember the 1950s, most jets only stuck around for a few years

C-130 is another airframe that has survived decades of service

 

[Meathead]

Big Ugly Fat Fuckers

 

[Camp]

The DC-47, modified from the commercial DC-3 beats everything in the sky for duration and was produced in massive quantities for WWII. At a minimum, 16,000 were produced. There was so many surplus Dakota aka Skytrain 47's that they halted production after the war. They were used extensively in Vietnam and the USAF didn't finally retire them until 2008. They are still being used by several foreign air forces. That workhorse is still flying after 80 years in the sky.

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

The main reason these antiquated military weapons stick around is because of the jobs provided to those who manufacture them. We have companies manufacturing military equipment in just about every state and no member of Congress wants to cancel a program that would hurt their constituents.

 

[Meathead]

The main reason these antiquated military weapons stick around is because of the jobs provided to those who manufacture them. We have companies manufacturing military equipment in just about every state and no member of Congress wants to cancel a program that would hurt their constituents.

The primary reason these aircraft are still functioning is because they are still functional. There is no reason to date to replace the BUFFs till this very day.

 

[rightwinger]

The main reason these antiquated military weapons stick around is because of the jobs provided to those who manufacture them. We have companies manufacturing military equipment in just about every state and no member of Congress wants to cancel a program that would hurt their constituents.

The primary reason these aircraft are still functioning is because they are still functional. There is no reason to date to replace the BUFFs till this very day.

They fly, their aeronautics are still solid

The engines can be updated, modern avionics, guidance and weapons systems upgraded

B-52s can still put bombs on target

 

[shadow355]

It's probably older than the majority of users here. I can remember when it first flew out of the big air base outside of Riverside, Calif. And the shock to the system when it carpet-bombed 5 miles away in 'Nam.

To ensure that some great-grandkids will have a crack at the B-52, the team in charge of increasing the planes’ lifespan is constantly deploying tactics and procedures—non-destructive inspections, structural integrity evaluations—to study how well the airframes are aging, and what steps can be taken to keep them in top condition. This is, after all, new territory for the military, and aviation in general. But so far, everything suggests that these airplanes can keep flying long past 2040.

Story @ How on God’s Green Earth Is the B-52 Still in Service?

It is a workhorse that performs its job. It puts ordinance on target, and lots of it.

But the politicians want to scrap the A-10, because they say......it has outlived its time.


Shadow 355

 

[Daryl Hunt]

Amazing aircraft....we got our moneys worth on that one
If you remember the 1950s, most jets only stuck around for a few years

C-130 is another airframe that has survived decades of service

Glad you brought that up. Another would be the KC-135 and another would be the U-2.

 

[Likkmee]

Because they were just super. They changed the design a bit about 9 years ago

 

[Daryl Hunt]

Because they were just super. They changed the design a bit about 9 years ago

The bids were put out for a new version of a paperclip in the early 50s. Curtis designed what looks like a paper clip and clipped paper. Boeing designed a paperclip that looked like a bomber and destroyed whole forests. Lockheed designed something that look like a paperclip on radar and flew Mach 3.3+

 

[shadow355]

Amazing aircraft....we got our moneys worth on that one
If you remember the 1950s, most jets only stuck around for a few years

C-130 is another airframe that has survived decades of service

Glad you brought that up. Another would be the KC-135 and another would be the U-2.

Bell "Cobra" attack helicopter. It has been around since the late 1960s.

: Joe

 

[Likkmee]

Because they were just super. They changed the design a bit about 9 years ago

The bids were put out for a new version of a paperclip in the early 50s. Curtis designed what looks like a paper clip and clipped paper. Boeing designed a paperclip that looked like a bomber and destroyed whole forests. Lockheed designed something that look like a paperclip on radar and flew Mach 3.3+

True. Also, like the nookyoulurr bomz that took FreeDumb to Japan, they were assembled with the Super.
Ok. not a b-52 but an S-50 female style.

 

[Likkmee]

Pretty cool eh.That did this.
I wonder if tRump will truly make duh merrikkka great again. I wonder when karma returns the event ?

 

[rightwinger]

Amazing aircraft....we got our moneys worth on that one
If you remember the 1950s, most jets only stuck around for a few years

C-130 is another airframe that has survived decades of service

Glad you brought that up. Another would be the KC-135 and another would be the U-2.

Is the U-2 still flying?

 

[martybegan]

The main reason these antiquated military weapons stick around is because of the jobs provided to those who manufacture them. We have companies manufacturing military equipment in just about every state and no member of Congress wants to cancel a program that would hurt their constituents.

The primary reason these aircraft are still functioning is because they are still functional. There is no reason to date to replace the BUFFs till this very day.

Same as with some other weapon systems, like the 50 cal machine gun. They just haven't found a better thing for the mission yet.

 

[rightwinger]

The main reason the B-52 is still in service is that the Air Force sees its mission as strategic nuclear bombing. Dropping large numbers of conventional bombs like a B-52 was not something the Air Force wanted to invest its money in

 

[Muhammed]

Amazing aircraft....we got our moneys worth on that one
If you remember the 1950s, most jets only stuck around for a few years

C-130 is another airframe that has survived decades of service

Glad you brought that up. Another would be the KC-135 and another would be the U-2.

Is the U-2 still flying?

The U-2 was made obsolete by modern spy satellites.

 

[rightwinger]

Amazing aircraft....we got our moneys worth on that one
If you remember the 1950s, most jets only stuck around for a few years

C-130 is another airframe that has survived decades of service

Glad you brought that up. Another would be the KC-135 and another would be the U-2.

Is the U-2 still flying?

The U-2 was made obsolete by modern spy satellites.

That's what I thought

Same as the SR-71