gigantic four B-52 Stratofortress bombers with nuclear capacity arrived at the Morón de la Frontera Base (Seville) on February 24, coinciding with the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Boeing B-52Hs, assigned to the 5th Bomber Wing of the United States Air Force from the Minot Air Force air base (North Dakota) mobilized in our country in support of the Bomber Task Force either Bomber Task Force (BTF): “The B-52s are training with the Allied Air Forces during their BTF (Bomber Task Force) mission, strengthening our Euro-Atlantic partnership,” NATO explained in a statement.
The so-called BTF tasks are joint operations that the United States carries out throughout the world to reinforce their commitment to their allies. “The 23rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron is delighted to be back in the European area of operations working alongside our NATO allies and partners to further strengthen our partnership in the region,” said Lt. Col. Ryan Loucks, commander of the 23rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron.
The grandfather of the Air Force is still in top form
It was the 1950s and the United States was immersed in the heyday of the cold war arms race. Its nuclear program was still trying to increase the destructive potential reached a few years earlier by the Little Boy and the Fat Man in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively. However, the project would also require a high-altitude, high-carrying intercontinental bomber to be able to launch these weapons if necessary.
The person in charge of developing that aircraft would be Boeing Military Airplane Co., which at that time had extensive experience in the development of bombers such as the B-29. This is how the B-52 Stratofortress would enter service, a true flying fortress which would become part of the US Air Force in 1855. Since then it has participated in the Vietnam War, two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And from what we are seeing, he is in great shape.
Although -yes- after almost 70 years activehas received quite a few updates, so it includes the most modern technologies. In fact, the country’s Department of Defense has already warned that it does not intend to retire the B-52 until the year 2050, at least. After all, it is one of the elders and more reliable Air Force assets.
We are talking about this monster of 83.25 tons, 48.5 meters long, 56.4 wingspan and 12.4 high, can house inside -nothing more and nothing less- than 31.5 tons of artillery. It is prepared for the delivery of gravity bombs, cluster bombs, joint direct attack munitions and precision guided missiles (both nuclear and conventional).
Despite its enormous size, it can travel to a maximum altitude of 15,000 meters and 1,000 kilometers per hour, although the estimated cruising speed is 800 kilometers / hour. It has a maximum autonomy in combat mode of 14,000 kilometers, although it is common for it to take off with less fuel to facilitate the maneuver and then recharge its tanks in the air. This capacity for aerial refueling gives the B-52 a range virtually limited only by the resistance of its five crew members.
Discussion about this post