Air Launched Cruise Missile armed with the W80-1 thermonuclear warhead

[StromXTc]

i thought that title might get your attention. Thought this might be interesting. Subject has been bantered about here before with the Tucson Air Force "Boneyard"

https://www.popularmechanics.com/mi...mail&date=051619&src=nl&utm_campaign=16877050

 

[redden68]

That's recycling done right!

 

[gixxerjasen]

Interesting stuff. My grandfather started out as a navigator on the B-26 in WWII and finished his career in the BUFF. He passed away when I was a kid. Redden68 is correct, recycling and engineering done right, amazing to see they still have a place and a need after all these years.

 

[one Wolf]

The B-52's have had an amazing service life. First test flights in 1952 and in service since 1955.

 

[Thrasherg]

I love seeing these old girls being given a new lease on life!! May she have many trouble free hours flying!!

 

[gixxerjasen]

Interesting article I read today from a few years ago. Looks like the plan is to keep them around till the 2040's potentially.

https://www.wired.com/2016/04/gods-green-earth-b-52-still-service/

 

[Texas T]

The B-52's have had an amazing service life. First test flights in 1952 and in service since 1955.

I grew up with them.

We had the B-47s on our first tour on Guam, then when we transferred to Westover in MA with the 99th Bomb Wing the B-52s all had black curtains around the bomb bays - my dad later told me that was because they were loaded with nukes, and this was right after the Cuban Missile Crisis. When we returned to Guam in 1965 there were still a few B-47s around, but as Vietnam began to really wind up we had more and more BUFFs coming to the base and Operation Arc Light had just begun a few months before we got back to Guam.

A typical mission would involve as many as 36 B-52s plus supporting KC-135 tankers, and the mission would launch at approximately 23:30 hrs each night. When your bedroom window is 5,000 feet from the beginning of the runway and the planes are leaving at 30 second intervals, and your windows (louvers) are open because your dad hasn't put air conditioning into the house yet... well, you just don't get a lot of uninterrupted sleep. The missions were typically close to 12 hours, so if they launched on a Friday or Saturday night I'd be able to watch them return around noon the following day.

We lost our Base Commander (Gen Crumm) just a couple of days before he was to transfer stateside; his and another bomber came together in mid-air and his went into the sea. His body was never recovered. We had one B-52 and I think one KC-135 lost shortly after take-off and went into the ocean on the north side of Guam. Again, I don't think there were any survivors.

I was a pretty naive kid even though I was exposed to all of this for years. It wasn't until I watched this YouTube video that I really and truly understood the danger my dad was in during these missions. This video is almost an hour long, but it really drives home how fleeting life can be, and how everything can change in a heartbeat. I highly recommend the video for those that want some more insight into the planning and execution of these missions.

 

[_RG_]

Wow! Those chaps had fur in abundance.