The b-52

[aj_addons 0]

does the b-52 have anysort of self protection ability or it totally reliant on fighters having cleared the air first for it as the things so big anything could take it down asuming it could catch up with it or intercept it?

[PhilippRauch 0]

well just a week ago i saw a report on the b1 on discovery or some other of those knowledge channels...

it said that the b1 crews have been trained to attack with conventional bombs over the last years and are now ready to be used as such...

their speciality is to attack in a highspeed lowlevel flight and drop their 80 or something mk82s in a couple of seconds on the target...

since the plane has no active defense systems, the way to escape a enemy interceptor is to switch to their autopilot...

if the plane detects an enemy interceptor in an 40miles (or km?) radius the crew switches on the autopilot, release the flightstick and hopes that the autopilot does what its intended to do...

it will dive down to about 150m and will follow the contours of the terrain on its own, thus disabling the enemy planes ability to track them with their radar...

..

well i tell you, seeing that plane literally "spitting" out their payload just looks awesome (frightening at least)..

i would keep the b52 and the b1 as long as possible, since developing new bombers is damn expensive...

but from their 800+ B52s the US had, most will be destroyed over the next years, due to those contracts (START? or was it SALT? dont know)

but i still think, that the b1 is the best looking bomber around...

edit:

i think the b52 had/has some guns on the tail... (at least on my plasticmodell i had as a youth ;) )

[SpongeBob 0]

edit:

i think the b52 had/has some guns on the tail... (at least on my plasticmodell i had as a youth ;) )

Had. They even shot down some Migs over North Vietnam.

[aj_addons 0]

i think the tu-95 bears had something similar to that aswell still dont fancy having just that as protection

[bmgarcangel 0]

Not to mention those guns on the back weren't all that accurate and were never reliable in case you didn't read up on history. Alot of crews that had to like defend themselves against soviet incterceptors during the cold war had to kick the robotic rear turret a few times just ot get it working. You couldn't just switch it on and expect it to fire away all the time.

Now today, I believe they should put it back on along with sam defense but hell, we have the fighters to protect that damned airplanes anyhow so why do we need defense on em?

~Bmgarcangel

[Skewballzz 0]

I live by the saying "if something isnt broke, dont fix it". Thats one of the reasons I own an AK47 while my friends all own post ban M4's hehehe. Anyway...

All the USAF has to do is throw some more modern computers in the B52 and it'll do. I noticed one of the problems of modern US defense ( ) technology is that they have been acting like they know what kinda war they will be fighting, as they think they can make the war that way. The more versitility they have the better they can be. Yes, maybe the b52 couldnt handle a heavy AA sector, but we have other tools for that.

People seem so closed minded in these forums. There will be a job for the B52 in the future, but there will be jobs it can not do. Thats why we got the F22, F117, B2, etc.. The more tools you have that are for different jobs, the more efficient you can be in doing those jobs.

[hellfish6 7]

People seem so closed minded in these forums.

You find that everywhere on the net. People have opinions and this is the one place they can voice them without getting the evil eye from someone else.

[Skewballzz 0]

good point hellfish. I gotta hand it to u though, after seeing you on these forums for quite a while, you always seem to have quite an open mind....

[bmgarcangel 0]

I believe it can make it in the future for a long time. Perhaps we'll get in an accident here and there but seeming how the americans ( which I am ) always maintain their aircraft in terms of safety, do you see a wing falling off? I don't.

One thing...I don't think we should have all this new crap put into the B-52's. The Old stuff works just fine i bet. The problem with new stuff, its new...it breaks down alot as seen with other things that have been replaced with new computers and shit.

But i'm open to keeping it around well into my adulthood

Perhaps my kids will see it flying around when they go into the military..i'm only 17 but I believe it will be around even then! CRAZY

~bmgarcangel

[Commander-598 0]

Because I live about thirty miles out on the flightline to Barksdale AFB(Big Bomber Base in North LA), I am a very knowledgable source on B52s.

I can't count the number of times I almost went deaf when a B52 came in on approach over my head within miles of the runway.

One thing i've noticed, is that they put off a lot of black exhaust...

[drewb99 0]

One thing i've noticed, is that they put off a lot of black exhaust...

They're like freaking cropdusters sometimes

I, for one, can't wait for the new 4-engine replacement program to get those fog machines off there.

[DracoPaladore 0]

Didn't the F4 Phantom have the same problem?

[ozanzac 0]

Quote[/b] ]

Quote[/b] ]The Big Ugly Fat F****r carpet bombs equally as well today as it has done so since the Vietnam era.

Please stop being racist towards the carpet bombs, how can all of them be big fat and ugly etc.

ban him

Urghh.......Hmmm.

I'll stop referring to the B-52 as that as soon as some of the pilots who fly them or once flew them do so as well.

[aj_addons 0]

who needs radar to detect those thing binoculars will do just fly towards the smoke

[PhilippRauch 0]

F-4 = cropduster also..

[Harnu 0]

People seem so closed minded in these forums.

You find that everywhere on the net. People have opinions and this is the one place they can voice them without getting the evil eye from someone else.

Well, not *all* opinions  

I dont see the problem with the B52 continuing to be used. For it's role that it has been adapted to, it seems to work well. Kinda intresting to wonder what the next bomber will be like to replace that droopy winged B52.

[bmgarcangel 0]

I guess so,,,,,,,,

[MLF 0]

Click Me

Links of B52 test flights, really cool vids i must add.

[Grizzlie 0]

Somebody in Pentagon had to read Dale Brown's "Last flight of Old Dog"

IMO BUFFs still can handle most of today's challenges "with a little help of friends" like Prowlers or F-117.

I'm wandering if what Clancy wrote about those "jammers" B-52 is truth?

Somebody during WWII said that it is better to move enemy six feet down than 2 miles back, and BUFFs can do it with "dumb" bombs.

Of course some "facelifting" would be welcomed

[Harnu 0]

Click Me

Links of B52 test flights, really cool vids i must add.

Of a very, very, small B52.

[MLF 0]