Boeing has released an image via Air and Space Forces Magazine showing what the re-engined B-52H will look like.
Oct 26, 2022 17:03:57 #
DIRTY HARRY
Loc: Hartland, Michigan
Boeing has released an image via Air and Space Forces Magazine showing what the re-engined B-52H will look like. The aircraft, which will be powered by eight F130 turbofans, will also have a major revamp of its avionics suite, with the new AN/APG-79 radar combined with an underwing Litening or Sniper targeting pod, will render the characteristic undernose blisters redundant, returning the B-52 to its original clean nose profile.
Also noticeable are two large blisters atop the wingbox on the fuselage, contents and purpose of which remain classified.
Indeed, it could very well be that the upgraded B-52Hs get a new designation, such as B-52J or B-52K.
I SAW THE VERY FIRST TWO B-52H AIRCRAFT TO BE PUT INTO SERVICE IN THE SPRING/ SUMMER OF 1961 AT KINCHELOE AIR FORCE BASE . ONE HAD TWO SKYBOLT MISSILES, ONE UNDER EACH WING. THE SKYBOLT PROGRAM WAS CANCELED ABOUT A MONTH LATER. IT WAS A VERY EXCITING DAY FOR AN 18 YEAR OLD KID.
Also noticeable are two large blisters atop the wingbox on the fuselage, contents and purpose of which remain classified.
Indeed, it could very well be that the upgraded B-52Hs get a new designation, such as B-52J or B-52K.
I SAW THE VERY FIRST TWO B-52H AIRCRAFT TO BE PUT INTO SERVICE IN THE SPRING/ SUMMER OF 1961 AT KINCHELOE AIR FORCE BASE . ONE HAD TWO SKYBOLT MISSILES, ONE UNDER EACH WING. THE SKYBOLT PROGRAM WAS CANCELED ABOUT A MONTH LATER. IT WAS A VERY EXCITING DAY FOR AN 18 YEAR OLD KID.
Oct 26, 2022 17:06:50 #
Oct 27, 2022 06:14:48 #
Oct 27, 2022 08:09:54 #
These upgrades have been long in coming. The engines should result in good savings for the Air Force. The older engines were not efficient so fuel saving should be significant. Also, parts and support were beginning to be a real issue.
For me, the real surprise was the addition of the Raytheon AN/APG-79 radar. This is a very modern electronically scanned radar found in many new fighter aircraft. Being digital, it can be easily modified through software to perform a wide variety of purposes. As a retired USAF radar guy (and stockholder in Raytheon) this was a very interesting development.
For me, the real surprise was the addition of the Raytheon AN/APG-79 radar. This is a very modern electronically scanned radar found in many new fighter aircraft. Being digital, it can be easily modified through software to perform a wide variety of purposes. As a retired USAF radar guy (and stockholder in Raytheon) this was a very interesting development.
Oct 27, 2022 08:14:31 #
I really wonder how far this plane would make it on a bombing raid before been shot down , This is a huge radar target .
Oct 27, 2022 08:35:08 #
agillot wrote:
I really wonder how far this plane would make it on a bombing raid before been shot down , This is a huge radar target .
The blisters above the wing box may have something to say about that...
Oct 27, 2022 08:38:49 #
Oct 27, 2022 09:06:04 #
agillot wrote:
I really wonder how far this plane would make it on a bombing raid before been shot down , This is a huge radar target .
True. But there are some other strategies in its use. One primary use is as a bomb truck. It can transport a lot of tonnage in bombs, much more than a fighter/bomber and it can remain in the air for many hours. Today with the use of JDAMS and other smart weapons, the B-52 could stand off some distance from a target area and allow the smart bombs to be guided into specific targets many miles away. Drones, fighter aircraft, or even ground troops can designate specific targets, and relay that data to the bomber which downloads the target data to a bomb(s) and releases them. They then fly a programmed track to the designated target.
The bomber itself remains a relatively safe distance away from the area.
Oct 27, 2022 09:50:10 #
StanMac
Loc: Tennessee
DIRTY HARRY wrote:
Boeing has released an image via Air and Space For... (show quote)
That is an amazing life span on any aircraft, especially such a large military craft. A testament to the design and engineering of the day.
Stan
Oct 27, 2022 09:54:51 #
StanMac wrote:
That is an amazing life span on any aircraft, especially such a large military craft. A testament to the design and engineering of the day.
Stan
Stan
Do not forget the Boeing KC-135s. They also came about around the same time as the B-52 and they are also still serving and will be for the next few years.
Oct 27, 2022 10:45:40 #
From '81 through '83 I was stationed at Wright-Patterson AFB and was assigned to the the program office responsible for B-52 development. Back then we had received an unsolicited proposal from Boeing to re-engine the aircraft with four CFM-56 high-bypass turbofan engines. We didn't do it because at that time there were still parts available for the engines. Today, not so much.
Oct 27, 2022 11:06:16 #
I was fortunate to ride along on an 11-hour mission with one of the first B-52s in 1958. Quite a bird back then and still today.
Oct 27, 2022 14:59:35 #
Red6 wrote:
..... As a retired USAF radar guy (and stockholder in Raytheon) this was a very interesting development.
Thumbs up from another retired USAF radar guy - Hughes MG13 and MA1 airborne systems and the Raytheon AN/FPS-108 COBRA DANE phased array radar on the island of Shemya, Aleutian Islands, Alaska.Oct 27, 2022 15:40:04 #
NDMarks
Loc: Dublin, Ca
In 1966 I was stationed at an AF base in Texas for training and there was also a B-52 wing there. At night they would rev up the engines and you could actually feel the ground vibrate. This is the only plane I know of that has wheels at the ends of the wings. I wish I could have a video of a B-52 landing and seeing the wings droop. On this current photo I don't see the wing wheels.
Oct 27, 2022 15:56:30 #
DIRTY HARRY
Loc: Hartland, Michigan
NDMarks wrote:
In 1966 I was stationed at an AF base in Texas for training and there was also a B-52 wing there. At night they would rev up the engines and you could actually feel the ground vibrate. This is the only plane I know of that has wheels at the ends of the wings. I wish I could have a video of a B-52 landing and seeing the wings droop. On this current photo I don't see the wing wheels.
B-47 U-2 ?
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