Air Force Resurrects B-52 Bomber From Boneyard for First Time

DA SWO said:
Never thought of that.
I know the A-model C-5's are getting broken down and serving as can birds for the B/C/M fleet.
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Something stuck with me from years ago. I was speaking to a C-17 pilot for reasons which escape me, but he said the GWOT had already pushed the fleet past it's projected usage rate...and this was in 2004. I guess we don't plan for our a/c to be involved in prolonged wars? Regardless, it stuck with me and seeing the same F-15E or A-10 squadrons on the ramp every few years made me wonder if we're flying them more as a result of the war or cutting hours elsewhere to meet some accountant's or engineer's projections?
 
Freefalling said:
Something stuck with me from years ago. I was speaking to a C-17 pilot for reasons which escape me, but he said the GWOT had already pushed the fleet past it's projected usage rate...and this was in 2004. I guess we don't plan for our a/c to be involved in prolonged wars? Regardless, it stuck with me and seeing the same F-15E or A-10 squadrons on the ramp every few years made me wonder if we're flying them more as a result of the war or cutting hours elsewhere to meet some accountant's or engineer's projections?
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They are flying the piss out of them, and they really don't have a replacement strategy.
 
Hard to pay for replacement cargo and bomber airframes when billions of dollars are going towards the next-gem fighter jet.

Just saying...:-"
 
Viper1 said:
Hard to pay for replacement cargo and bomber airframes when billions of dollars are going towards the next-gem fighter jet.

Just saying...:-"
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F-16 and 15 fleets are getting ready to fall out of the sky, seriously.
Clinton put Military Acquisitions (all services) on a death spiral that will keep going until we fail somewhere.
C-17 and a few others are the only major AF/Army programs that actually accomplished something.
I seriously believe the F-35 was a giant fuck you towards the AF and Navy from Gates.
 
"Airpow__"

The "e" is in the Boneyard and the "r" was cut to fund the F-35.

Besides, if we cut the A-10 we'll need more B-52's....what else will we find to perform CAS?
 
DA SWO said:
F-16 and 15 fleets are getting ready to fall out of the sky, seriously.
Clinton put Military Acquisitions (all services) on a death spiral that will keep going until we fail somewhere.
C-17 and a few others are the only major AF/Army programs that actually accomplished something.
I seriously believe the F-35 was a giant fuck you towards the AF and Navy from Gates.
Click to expand...

How so on the last sentence? I thought Sec. Gates was responsible for enforcing cuts on a major programs going nowhere e.g. the Comanche, etc.
 
Viper1 said:
How so on the last sentence? I thought Sec. Gates was responsible for enforcing cuts on a major programs going nowhere e.g. the Comanche, etc.
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AF wanted to keep the F-22 (built in GA) going and he killed it telling them it was all-in on the F-35 (built in TX BTW), the Navy had also talked about another F-18E/F buy (built in MO IIRC) as a stopgap until the F-35 came on-board (some people thought this was a way to crawfish out of the F-35 program) and he killed that too.
Comanche died under Dummy IIRC.
 
DA SWO said:
AF wanted to keep the F-22 (built in GA) going and he killed it telling them it was all-in on the F-35 (built in TX BTW), the Navy had also talked about another F-18E/F buy (built in MO IIRC) as a stopgap until the F-35 came on-board (some people thought this was a way to crawfish out of the F-35 program) and he killed that too.
Comanche died under Dummy IIRC.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the insight!
 
Time to bring out some airframes that have had some less G loads. I had a friend who worked out there a few decades ago. The preserved-v-salvageable frames were quite well looked after. We had no idea, at the time, that some of these would be going back into service after such a long time. I have to give the program a lot of credit for how well it was researched, and carried out.

All that said, it really speaks well of the platform that was designed as a replacement of the B-29 bomber fleet that closed out WW II. Would they ever consider building a few more new Buffs? The Russians are still counting on their similar design of long range heavy bomber Turboprop Bear bombers. Some interesting developments.
 


From MP.NET

"A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress is towed from a maintenance area at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. The aircraft, tail number 61-1007 and known as the "Ghost Rider,” is being regenerated for active service after sitting in storage since 2008 when it was decommissioned and sent the Boneyard"

Looking Good :thumbsup:
 
Freefalling said:
Besides, if we cut the A-10 we'll need more B-52's....what else will we find to perform CAS?
Click to expand...

You, of all people, fully know the answer.

CAS in the future will be performed by fucking* contractors.;-) Which is not a bad idea at all in my opinion.

*Note: Adjectival and not adverbial.:D
 
With the attitudes in country we'll replace JDAM's in the CAS role. Actually, "dumb" bombs, because we aren't smart enough to be considered "smart" bombs.

Is my bitterness and hate showing? Eh, 6 weeks to go...
 

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