L'anno del B-52 .....

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richelieu
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Re: L'anno del B-52 .....

Messaggio da richelieu » 14 marzo 2018, 9:55

Rimotorizzazione ..... un ulteriore passo avanti .....
The US Air Force is likely to issue a request for proposal for its Boeing B-52H Stratofortress bomber engine replacement programme close to the first quarter of 2019, according to an Air Force document released on 13 March.
Fonte: flightglobal.com ..... "USAF likely to issue B-52 engine replacement request for proposals in early 2019" .....
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richelieu
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Re: L'anno del B-52 .....

Messaggio da richelieu » 24 marzo 2018, 23:58


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Re: L'anno del B-52 .....

Messaggio da richelieu » 17 aprile 2018, 20:41

In volo verso il secolo di vita ..... :shock:
The U.S. Air Force has finally decided to fund a re-engining of the B-52H bomber, and has described a plan to keep the fleet of 76 jets in service until at least 2050.
The fleet will also receive new radars.
The service now plans to retire the much younger but costly-to-operate B-1 and B-2 stealth bombers as new, stealthy B-21s are delivered by Northrop Grumman starting in the late 2020s.
In mid-2016, the average flying time logged by each B-52 was 17,867 hours, but the USAF has not reported any major structural issues that could derail its latest plan.
A total of $727.5 million in development spending has been allocated for re-engining over Fiscal Years 2019-2023, plus nearly $550 million for production starting in FY2022.
The Air Force plans to select the new engine in the third quarter of FY2019 (the end of June next year).
The new radar choice will follow a year later, with a development spend of nearly $900 million envisioned.
In total, the service has allocated nearly $2.1 billion in RDT&E and over $1.3 billion in production funding for B-52 modernization and capability improvements over the next five years.
Fonte: ainonline.com ..... "USAF To Fly the B-52 into the 2050s with New Engines, Radars" .....

Una recente immagine della stiva (da altra fonte) .....

Immagine
A U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress aircrew member explains features of the aircraft’s bomb bay to members of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during an aircraft introduction tour at RAAF Base Darwin, Australia, April 4, 2018.
Members of the 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron conducted the exchange as part of a week-long Enhanced Air Cooperation exercise, designed to develop operationally resilient air operations capabilities in Australia through bilateral collaboration and synergistic actions.
(U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Alexander W. Riedel)

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richelieu
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Re: L'anno del B-52 .....

Messaggio da richelieu » 20 aprile 2018, 9:31

richelieu ha scritto:In volo verso il secolo di vita ..... :shock:
La stessa notizia ..... vista dallo 'AIR FORCE Magazine' .....

..... "Bombers in 2050" .....
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Re: L'anno del B-52 .....

Messaggio da richelieu » 6 luglio 2018, 0:09

Un cómpito insolito ..... portato a termine con successo ..... :thumbright:
Two B-52s and airmen from the 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron were flying a regular training sortie on June 25 as part of the Air Force's continuous bomber presence in the Pacific, practicing dropping bombs on a training range north of Guam when an unusual and urgent call came in.
The US Coast Guard called the squadron's operations center with a real-world tasking - a small sailing skiff has been missing for six days south of the island, and they needed help.
The only aircraft available and ready were the two B-52s, which had taken off with training munitions and Raider call signs to train at the isolated island north of Guam.
The B-52s headed south, about 350 nautical miles off the shore of Guam and were tasked with checking out two coordinates where the ship could be.
Fonte: airforcemag.com ..... "B-52s Deployed to Pacific Divert from Bombing Training, Help Rescue Wayward Boat" .....
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Re: L'anno del B-52 .....

Messaggio da richelieu » 25 luglio 2018, 9:43

Ancora sulla rimotorizzazione ..... la 'doppietta' di GE Aviation .....
GE Aviation plans to offer two engines in the Air Force’s B-52 re-engining program, which is finally gaining steam after decades of debate.
Speaking to reporters at the Farnborough International Air Show in England last week, company CEO David Joyce said GE is confident that both the CF34-M and the more advanced Passport engine are “good candidates” for the program.
Joyce said the Dash-M, which flies on the Embraer 190, is proven technology, with 7,000 departures every day.
It’s not only “incredibly reliable,” but also the “perfect thrust size” for the B-52, he added.
However, if the service prioritizes fuel efficiency, Joyce said GE can offer the Passport, which will allow for about 14,000 hours time on wing.
Fonte: airforcemag.com ..... "GE Aviation to Offer Two Engines in USAF’s B-52 Re-Engining Program" .....
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Re: L'anno del B-52 .....

Messaggio da richelieu » 31 luglio 2018, 9:12

Esercitazione combinata USAF-JASDF .....

Immagine

Two U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress bombers, assigned to the 96th Expeditionary Bomber Squadron, Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, participated in a routine bilateral training mission July 26, 2018.
The bombers took off from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, and integrated with six Koku Jieitai (Japan Air Self-Defense Force) F-15 fighters in the vicinity of Japan.

Fonte: pacaf.af.mil ..... "US, Japan bomber-fighter integration training showcases strength of alliance" .....

Da fonte giapponese ..... https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/ ... 2AKDdIzaM8 .....
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richelieu
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Re: L'anno del B-52 .....

Messaggio da richelieu » 6 agosto 2018, 11:17

Esercitazione combinata USAF-USN nel Mar Cinese Orientale (dal 'Daily Report' dell' AFA) .....

Immagine
B-52s, Poseidons Train in East China Sea .....

Two B-52Hs flew alongside two US Navy P-8 Poseidons over the East China Sea in another show of force in the region on Wednesday, days after a similar flight alongside Japanese aircraft in the region.
The bombers, part of the 96th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, which is deployed to Andersen AFB, Guam, as part of the Air Force’s continuous bomber presence mission, flew alongside the Poseidons in the vicinity of Japan over the East China Sea on Aug. 1, according to Pacific Air Forces. (*)
The bombers were supported by a tanker from the Hawaii Air National Guard, according to Pacific Air Forces photographs of the mission.
The flight came five days after two B-52s flew alongside Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-15s on a bilateral training mission near Japan.

- Brian Everstine
(*) ..... pacaf.af.mil/ ..... "U.S. Air Force B-52s train with U.S. Navy P-8s in East China Sea" .....
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Re: L'anno del B-52 .....

Messaggio da richelieu » 28 agosto 2018, 15:11

Rimotorizzazione ..... a quanto pare, questa volta, stanno facendo sul serio ..... :shock:
U.S. Air Force Looks To Fast-Track B-52 Reengining .....

Guy Norris (AW&ST - August 28, 2018)

The enduring effort to reengine the venerable B-52, a saga extending back to the 1970s, is poised to enter its final chapter in September when the U.S. Air Force is expected to approve a program to replace the engines on the long-serving bomber.
The move, if sanctioned, is likely to be executed under a recently adopted Pentagon “rapid-prototyping” acquisition policy and follows Air Force warnings in 2017 that the bomber’s obsolescent Pratt & Whitney TF33 engines will not be sustainable beyond 2030.
Reengining also would come as the aircraft’s role as a future launch platform for long-range standoff and hypersonic weapons becomes increasingly key to U.S. long-range strike capability.
Combined with the growing urgency over supportability of the TF33, a military variant of Pratt’s late-1950s JT3D turbofan, and recognition that the life of the B-52 would be extended to 2050 and beyond to help counter emerging long-range strike threats, the program has been gathering momentum since 2016.
In its fiscal 2019 budget request, the Air Force called for $280 million to update the B-52H fleet, of which $64.5 million is earmarked for the start of the reengining program.
Having rejected the results of earlier studies on replacing the B-52H’s eight 17,000-lb.-thrust TF33s with four 35,000-lb.-thrust high-bypass-ratio turbofans, the Air Force has briefed industry on its requirement for modern, fuel-efficient commercial engines that can replace the old units on a one-for-one basis.
Under the B-52 Commercial Engine Replacement Program (CERP), the service needs 650 engines, including 42 spares, to upgrade its operational fleet of 76 B-52s.
Twenty additional powerplants will be needed initially for the retrofit of two bombers for flight testing.
Although the Air Force initially presented a notional schedule in late 2017 that indicated reengining of the first batch of 10 bombers would begin in fiscal 2026, the service now believes the B-52 program is a good candidate for acceleration under the streamlined Section 804 acquisition process introduced in the fiscal 2016 National Defense Authorization Act.
Under this act, rapid prototyping of “middle-tier” programs (intended to be completed in 2-5 years) can be accelerated to enable residual operational capability within five years of the finalized requirement.
Will Roper, the assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics, says the service is “considering whether it is appropriate to apply that process to the B-52 CERP.”
The Air Force confirms that Roper also is scheduled to announce a decision on CERP at the end of September.
This is separate from deciding if the reegining should be considered a Section 804 program.
Boeing, which was selected earlier this year as the integrator for the reengining program, acknowledges many details of the acquisition strategy remain to be worked out.
Boeing B-52 program manager James Kroening says, “The questions being asked over the application of Section 804 to the reengining program are where does the prototyping concept make sense in - firstly - reducing the technical risk of the integration and, secondly, accelerating delivery of the capability to the government and warfighter. Those are the things we are working through now with the government.”
Overall it appears that regardless of the Section 804 acquisition process, elements of the CERP likely will remain baselined around the original plan of modifying a pair of test aircraft.
The final shape of the test and development effort will reflect the outcome of ongoing discussions over how the streamlined prototyping process might be applied.
Kroening says these discussions are focused on, among other areas, “the extent to which one applies a more rapid prototyping approach and doesn’t fully produce a system that’s exactly representative of the production kit, and how much one might use that for early testing for instance, and then evolve it into a production representative test.”
According to the Mitre Corp., a federally funded research and development center, the rapid-prototyping approach for the B-52 may take the form of a cyberspace fly-off between the contenders, which will compete with “digital-twin” versions of their engines.
Using this approach, it estimates, the Air Force could cut up to five years out of the usual time taken to make a fielding decision.
The baseline fuel-improvement requirement is 20% - with a stretch goal of 40% - compared to current performance.
As currently envisioned, assuming the program gets the go-ahead, requests for proposals (RFP) will be issued to interested engine-makers between October and the end of the year.
As program integrator, Boeing will work with each of the engine-maker candidates over a six-month period, evaluating a matrix of propulsion and system designs.
This first phase will culminate with Boeing submitting reports to the Air Force.
“The second step would be the issuing of the actual RFP and [beginning of] the source-selection process with the knowledge of not only what engine suppliers might offer, but also a concept of the complexity of the integration involved with the various engines,” explains Kroening.
The contract then would likely be awarded in the second half of 2019.
General Electric is proposing variants of its CF34-10 regional airliner engine and Passport business jet powerplant.
Pratt, which also has studied a TF33 upgrade package and previously proposed a PW2000 (F117) variant during the four-engine B-52 powerplant replacement study, is offering a version of its PW800 business jet engine, which incorporates the core of the PW1200G geared turbofan.
Rolls-Royce, which in the mid-1990s teamed with Boeing to offer leased RB211-535E4s as an option for the bomber, is proposing the BR725 - a variant of the BR700 already in service with the Air Force as the F130.
Rolls also may offer a variant of its recently revealed BR700-derived Pearl engine family.
It remains unknown whether other engine-makers such as Safran, which attended industry day events for the B-52 program, or Honeywell, are also in the hunt.
Boeing says no “official narrowing of the field has yet occurred.”
Despite overall plans to minimize the impact of the engine change on aircraft and airframe systems, Boeing says the program presents a major integration challenge.
In addition to the new engines, which will be rigged for quick-start capability, the modifications will involve new cowlings, integrated nacelles and redesigned struts.
The struts will incorporate an added precooler as well as new electrical, hydraulic, fuel and pneumatic lines.
Additional generators will be added, doubling the current tally of four, necessitating an all-new power systems architecture.
Wiring for the full authority digital engine control units in the new powerplants also will be added.
Flight deck changes will include replacement of the many current “steam gauge” engine displays with a flat-panel multifunction display.
“As this aircraft will be in service well beyond the middle of the century, we want to be smart about how that cockpit display is designed and integrated so it can look forward to future opportunities to have an even more integrated cockpit,” says Kroening.
The overall integration task “is a significant endeavor, so we anticipate engaging a large element of the Boeing enterprise to accomplish the program,” he points out.
The group, which includes Boeing Commercial Airplanes, will be headquartered at the company’s Oklahoma facility, but will require “significant” engineering and other program support from other Boeing sites.
Boeing’s analysis of the engine options also will consider the interactive compatibility effects on the bomber’s weapons and its new, yet-to-selected, radar systems.
“It’s not completely obvious, but we will have to consider the power-generation system and what impact a different ‘quality’ of power being generated might have on one radar versus another,” adds Kroening.
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Re: L'anno del B-52 .....

Messaggio da richelieu » 29 agosto 2018, 12:51

Le nuove armi ipersoniche e il ruolo che il B-52 ricoprirà nel loro sviluppo .....
B-52 Readied For Intense Hypersonic Weapons Test And Deployment Role .....

Guy Norris (AW&ST - August 29, 2018)

The B-52H’s ample wing and external load-carrying capability have contributed to the aircraft’s prominent role in hypersonic testing and, as a result, the bomber’s future is closely tied to the upcoming demonstration and deployment of the U.S. Air Force’s first-generation hypervelocity strike weapons.
With major upgrades underway and reengining planned to sustain the B-52H to 2050, the Air Force intends to retain the long-serving bomber as the mainstay of its long-range strike fleet alongside the new Northrop Grumman B-21s as they are delivered beginning in the late 2020s.
In particular, the B-52 is set to play a major role in enhancing standoff capability because rocket-boosted and air-breathing hypersonic weapons will be large, making them a challenging store for internal carriage.
“On hypersonics, there are several activities going on, mostly in terms of different types of weapons demonstrations,” says Boeing Bombers Program Manager Scot Oathout.
“The B-52 is in the middle of those as the technology and the two approaches to hypersonics mature.”
The program is involved in much of that flight test and evaluation.
It is a very fluid and dynamic world we are in now, he notes.
The Air Force says the B-52 “is scheduled to be the launch platform for several hypersonics weapons demos in the 2019-20 time frame,” and adds that in view of the urgency placed on these efforts, two of them are being accelerated for rapid prototyping under the Pentagon’s new Section 804 approach to acquisition policy.
These are the Lockheed Martin AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) and Hypersonic Conventional Strike Weapon (HCSW).
“The expected success of one or more of these hypersonic programs would not change the mission of the B-52, but only enhance its long-range strike capability,” the service explains.
Nearer-term testing already is planned for DARPA’s Tactical Boost Glide (TBG) demonstrator, a rocket-powered Lockheed Martin hypervelocity glider that provides the basis for the AGM-183A.
The TBG is scheduled for flight tests in 2019 while the follow-on rapid-response weapon is targeted at early operational capability in 2021.
The solid rocket-powered HCSW meanwhile is slated to enter initial service in 2022.
The Air Force’s air-breathing hypersonic weapons are powered by scramjet engines, prototypes of which were launched by a B-52 during NASA’s X-43 tests in the 2000s and by the follow-on Air Force/Boeing X-51A in 2010-13.
Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works and Raytheon are working under contract with DARPA to develop the conceptually similar Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC).
Flight tests of the winning HAWC design on a B-52 are expected to begin before fiscal 2020.
Regardless of the mix of final configurations, “the B-52’s future is enhanced by that potential capability,” Oathout says.
“It is a big truck and easy to modify to carry extremely large things long distances, so it fits well with that profile well into the 2040s and 2050s and whatever technology that brings us.”
To prepare for the larger weapons, Boeing and the Air Force are studying “enhanced carriage options and exploring different pylons,” Oathout says.
With the B-52 having carried such external loads as the 10,150-lb. AGM-28 Hound Dog supersonic missile and special-mission heavyweights such as the D-21 stealth drone and X-15 hypersonic test aircraft, the design team now is studying configurations to increase capacity for multiple high-speed weapons.
“We are looking at more than a single carriage type of pylon,” Oathout explains.
Moves in this direction were signaled in June when Air Force Materiel Command issued a request for information on a new external weapons pylon that will take the B-52’s current 10,000-lb. maximum external load (across two underwing pylons) to 40,000 lb.
The new pylon is planned to succeed the current Improved Common Pylon, which has been in service since the 1960s.
“When it was introduced, there wasn’t a requirement nor did anyone foresee a need to carry weapons heavier than 5,000 lb.,” adds the Air Force, which is targeting a development to fielding time of 36-72 months.
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richelieu
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Re: L'anno del B-52 .....

Messaggio da richelieu » 5 settembre 2018, 10:28

La veglia delle aquile ..... tanto per citare il titolo di un ben noto film dei primi anni Sessanta .....

Immagine
US Air Force bombers have kept constant watch and alert over the Pacific since 2004 as part of the continuous bomber presence mission.
In recent years, this deployment has taken on increased importance in regions such as the contested South China Sea and near-regular flights to the Korean Peninsula as tensions flared.
Air Force Magazine recently visited B-52s and airmen from the 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron who conducted this mission over the summer.
..... "Bombers Watching Over the Pacific" .....
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Re: L'anno del B-52 .....

Messaggio da richelieu » 1 dicembre 2018, 11:19

Quanto chiasso per una goliardata !!!
Non si rendono conto che, comunque la si giri, si tratta pur sempre di 'volatili' ..... :angel8:
A commander of a B-52 Stratofortress squadron at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, was recently relieved from duty after sexually explicit and phallic drawings were discovered inside the bomber's cockpit screens during a recent deployment, Military.com has learned.
A command-directed investigation anticipated to be released by Air Force Global Strike Command in coming weeks will show that Lt. Col. Paul Goossen was removed from command of the 69th Bomb Squadron Nov. 27 because penis drawings were discovered on a moving map software displayed on the nuclear-capable B-52's Combat Network Communication Technology (CONECT), according to a source familiar with the incident.
Fonte: military.com ..... "B-52 Squadron Commander Fired over Penis Drawings in Bomber Cockpits" .....

Il laconico comunicato ufficiale ..... minot.af.mil ..... "Minot squadron commander removal" .....
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richelieu
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Re: L'anno del B-52 .....

Messaggio da richelieu » 26 dicembre 2018, 18:40

Un articolo .....

..... historynet.com ..... "Boeing B-52: Stratosaurus" .....

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Re: L'anno del B-52 .....

Messaggio da richelieu » 23 gennaio 2019, 0:24

Arriverà mai il giorno in cui questi ormai 'eterni' velivoli saranno rimotorizzati ?

..... http://www.airforcemag.com/MagazineArch ... -B-52.aspx .....

:scratch:

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Re: L'anno del B-52 .....

Messaggio da richelieu » 1 febbraio 2019, 19:02

Rimotorizzazione ..... la proposta di RR .....

Immagine

..... "American-Made Power for the B-52" .....
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Re: L'anno del B-52 .....

Messaggio da JT8D » 27 febbraio 2019, 22:53

Rolls-Royce seleziona il sito di Indianapolis per la produzione del motore F130, la sua proposta per il re-engine del B-52:

https://www.md80.it/2019/02/27/rolls-ro ... -del-b-52/

Paolo
"La corsa di decollo è una metamorfosi, ecco una quantità di metallo che si trasforma in aeroplano per mezzo dell'aria. Ogni corsa di decollo è la nascita di un aeroplano" (Staccando l'ombra da terra - D. Del Giudice)


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Re: L'anno del B-52 .....

Messaggio da richelieu » 1 marzo 2019, 0:08

Un radar AESA per la Stratofortezza ?

... FlightGlobal ... https://www.flightglobal.com/news/artic ... 52-456163/ ...

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Re: L'anno del B-52 .....

Messaggio da richelieu » 10 marzo 2019, 23:35

Mari della Cina ... la parola, tanto per cambiare, ai B-52 ...
A U.S. B-52 bomber was sent near disputed islands in the South China Sea and another circumnavigated Japan, conducting joint military exercises with the Air Self-Defense Force, the U.S. Pacific Air Forces said Wednesday.
Monday’s mission in the contested South China Sea was the first reported flight in the area by a B-52 since November.
The Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) said that the two B-52s had taken off from Andersen Air Force Base on the U.S. island territory of Guam, and participated in “routine training missions.”
L' articolo ... japantimes.co.jp ... "U.S. sends B-52s for missions over disputed South and East China seas and around Japan" ...

Aircraft Spots Twitter ... ...
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Re: L'anno del B-52 .....

Messaggio da richelieu » 17 marzo 2019, 19:24

Dove si parla di ... manutenzione ...

... barksdale.af.mil ... "Phase inspections keep the B-52 flying" ...

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Re: L'anno del B-52 .....

Messaggio da richelieu » 17 aprile 2019, 9:34

Quattrini a palate per la modernizzazione ... e non solo per quella del B-52 ...
Boeing has secured a $14.3 billion contract for upgrade work for US Air Force B-1 and B-52 bombers.
“This B-1/B-52 Flexible Acquisition and Sustainment contract provides for the upcoming modernisation and sustainment efforts to increase lethality, enhance survivability, improve supportability, and increase responsiveness,” says the US Department of Defense in a 12 April contract award (*).
Fonte: flightglobal.com ..... "Boeing in $14.3bn deal for B-1, B-52 modernisation" ...

(*) ... https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/ ... e/1813270/ ...
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Re: L'anno del B-52 .....

Messaggio da richelieu » 7 maggio 2019, 23:36

I 'veterani' di nuovo in prima linea ...
Air Force B-52s will deploy to the US Central Command area of operations along with the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group in response to “recent and clear indications” that Iranian forces were preparing to possibly attack US forces, the Pentagon announced Tuesday.
Defense officials did not clarify how many B-52s would make up the task force, or which squadron they are from, in a Tuesday statement.
The White House on Sunday said the task force and carrier deployment is a message to Iran that any attack on US forces or interests would be “met with unrelenting force.”
... airforcemag.com ... "B-52s to Deploy to CENTCOM Following Iranian Threats" ...
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Re: L'anno del B-52 .....

Messaggio da richelieu » 12 maggio 2019, 14:07

richelieu ha scritto:I 'veterani' di nuovo in prima linea ...

... airforcemag.com ...
"B-52s to Deploy to CENTCOM Following Iranian Threats" ...
.
Sono due i B-52 che sono andati a rafforzare quelli già inviati in Medio Oriente ...

... dal sito dell' AFA ...
Two More B-52s Deploy to CENTCOM ...

Two more B-52s deployed to US Central Command on Thursday, bringing the bomber task force in the Middle East to a total of four aircraft from Barksdale AFB, La.
The Stratofortresses touched down Thursday evening local time.
The bombers were deployed to CENTCOM along with the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group this week in response to what Pentagon officials said was “very, very credible” intelligence that Iran was preparing to attack US forces or interests in the region.
Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan told lawmakers on May 8 that US officials received the intelligence on Friday and decided over the weekend to deploy the additional forces as a message to Iran that the US would respond to any attack with force.
CENTCOM boss USMC Gen. Kenneth McKenzie emphasized that the US is not seeking a fight, but “if a fight is to be had, … it won’t be a fair fight.”
The first deployment of the B-52s from Barksdale’s 20th Bomb Squadron was supported by two KC-10s from JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.
The tankers offloaded about 180,000 pounds of fuel to help the bombers cross the ocean en route to the Middle East.
Photographs posted by Air Forces Central Command show the bombers touching down at Al Udeid AB, Qatar (*).

- Brian Everstine ...
(*) ... https://www.afcent.af.mil/News/Article/ ... ntcom-aor/ ...

(*) ... https://www.afcent.af.mil/News/Article/ ... abilities/ ...
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Re: L'anno del B-52 .....

Messaggio da richelieu » 14 maggio 2019, 0:10

Velivoli di tre diverse generazioni operano insieme ...
A B-52 from the recently deployed Bomber Task Force to the Middle East flew its first mission on May 12, alongside F-15Cs and F-35s to “defend American forces and interests.”
Air Forces Central Command posted imagery of the B-52s taking off from Al Udeid AB, Qatar, and the three types of aircraft refueling from a KC-135 over an “undisclosed location” in CENTCOM.
AFCENT did not expand on the mission, saying the “B-52H offers diverse capabilities including the delivery of precision weapons” to support “security and stability.”
... airforcemag.com ... "B-52 Flies First Mission in Task Force Deployment" ...
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richelieu
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Re: L'anno del B-52 .....

Messaggio da richelieu » 17 maggio 2019, 0:28

Ripescaggio ...

Immagine

The Air Force has brought back another B-52 from the boneyard.
Tail No. 60-034, known as “Wise Guy,” touched down at Barksdale AFB, La., on May 14.
The B-52H was decommissioned in 2008, and sent to the 309th Aircraft Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
The bomber’s paint is faded, but it still has the “Wise Guy” nose art and MT tail flash for Minot AFB, N.D.

... airforcemag.com ..... "B-52HWise GuyComes Back from the Boneyard" ...
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Re: L'anno del B-52 .....

Messaggio da richelieu » 20 maggio 2019, 23:54

Un messaggio proveniente dal passato ...

Immagine
In the cockpit of “Wise Guy,” a B-52H Stratofortress which had been baking in the Arizona sun at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group since 2008, is a note that reads: “AMARG, this is 60-034, a cold warrior that stood sentinel over America from the darkest days of the Cold War to the global fight against terror. Take good care of her….until we need her again.
The plea, scrawled on a metal clipboard in black marker, proved to be prophetic when both Reserve and active duty Airmen flew the jet to Barksdale Air Force Base May 14 to begin the next phase of its life protecting U.S. interests at home and abroad.
The note’s unknown author probably knew the bomber’s chances of returning to active service were slim.
AMARG is often referred to as the “Boneyard” because aircraft sent to the desert environment are normally picked over for parts.
Most B-52s sent there never fly again.
... af.mil/News ... "Wise Guy back in the sky" ...
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Re: L'anno del B-52 .....

Messaggio da richelieu » 23 maggio 2019, 11:08

Un bel pezzo di B-52, un pizzico di F-35 e ... uno spruzzo di Mirage 2000 ... :chef:
A B-52 flew alongside two F-35As and two Qatari Air Force Mirage 2000s in a formation over the water in Southwest Asia as the bombers continued their public flights to “defend US forces and interests in the region.”
Photographs posted by Air Forces Central Command show air-to-air missiles on the F-35s as they fly alongside the B-52.

... airforcemag.com ... "B-52 Flies Alongside F-35s, Qatari Aircraft as Part of Task Force Deployment" ...
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Re: L'anno del B-52 .....

Messaggio da richelieu » 24 maggio 2019, 11:00

B-52 ... ci si interroga su cosa potrebbe venire dopo ...
The Air Force needs to look to new ways of penetrating enemy airspace as its idea of what should replace the B-52H Stratofortress takes shape, Peter Fanta, deputy assistant defense secretary for nuclear matters, said this week.
The B-52 - a 1950s aircraft that is expected to fly for a century - hasn’t been able to penetrate enemy air defenses for the last 40 or 50 years, Fanta said at a May 23 AFA Mitchell Institute breakfast, so its replacement would need to regain that capability.
“Do you find something that just carries volume and you use the weapon to penetrate, or do you actually build another bomber to do the penetration?” he asked.
“I would suggest that will be assessed as we go through the next round of threat assessments and look at how these threats are evolving.”
... airforcemag.com ... "OSD Official: B-52 Replacement Needs to Penetrate" ...
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Re: L'anno del B-52 .....

Messaggio da richelieu » 27 maggio 2019, 11:31

"Benvenuto a casa, vecchio amico" ...
Ovvero ... come questi veterani di Seattle si sono mobilitati per salvare un B-52 e creare un "Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park" ...
When former Air Force pilot James Farmer first laid eyes on the rusting hulk of the broken-down B-52 bomber in an out-of-the-way corner of Paine Field (*), just north of Seattle, it was like looking upon a forgotten veteran, lying on his deathbed.
“It was heartbreaking,” Farmer said.
“It was like seeing a dear old friend that was just totally deteriorating. Like a friend you hadn’t seen in 30 years and you barely recognize them because they’re in such bad shape. The paint was peeling, it was an ugly color, pieces were falling off. It was nasty.”
The B-52 had been sitting on Paine Field, a former military airport, since 1991, when it was decommissioned from the Air Force.
Eventually donated to Seattle’s Museum of Flight, 40 miles away at Boeing Field, just south of Seattle, it was too big and expensive to move.
So it sat.
For nearly 30 years.
Immagine
(*) ... Immagine risalente al 23 Maggio 2017 ...

... airforcemag.com ... "Welcome Home, Old Friend" ...

Anche qui ... seattletimes.com ... "In blue Seattle, a B-52 used in Vietnam is dedicated as new memorial park opens" ...

Immagine
The bronze aviator statue representing veterans from all the branches who returned from service in Vietnam and a folded flag under the arm for those who did not make it home stands before a lineup of flags ...
(Alan Berner / The Seattle Times)


:usa

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Re: L'anno del B-52 .....

Messaggio da richelieu » 6 giugno 2019, 0:40

Rimotorizzazione ... ormai telenovela ...
I legislatori vogliono vederci chiaro ... prima di sganciare i quattrini ...
The U.S. Air Force wants to get new engines for its heavy B-52 Stratofortress bombers as quickly as possible to keep the long-range aircraft flying for another 30 years.
But lawmakers are insisting that service officials nail down contract specifics before they provide funding.
In a background briefing with reporters Monday, House Armed Services Committee staff members said that the Air Force first has to stipulate definitive requirements with defense companies before proceeding with a program.
... military.com ... https://www.military.com/daily-news/201 ... nding.html ...
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Re: L'anno del B-52 .....

Messaggio da richelieu » 6 giugno 2019, 21:07

A proposito del B-52H che ha preso parte all'esercitazione 'Astral Knight 2019 ...

... usafe.af.mil ... https://www.usafe.af.mil/News/Press-Rel ... -exercise/ ...

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Re: L'anno del B-52 .....

Messaggio da richelieu » 14 giugno 2019, 9:16

Dai tempi d'oro de "Il leggendario X-15" (si tratta del titolo di un ben noto film del 1961 - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055627/ -) ... l'altrettanto leggendario B-52 ha sempre trasportato, sotto la sua robusta ala, qualcosa di 'sperimentale' ...
The US Air Force (USAF) conducted a carry test flight of its AGM-183A Air Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) on a Boeing B-52 Stratofortress aircraft on 12 June at Edwards AFB in California.
The prototype did not have explosives and was not released from the B-52 during the flight test, says the USAF (*).
Instead, a sensor-only version of the ARRW prototype was carried externally by a B-52 during the test to gather environmental and aircraft handling data.
... flightglobal.com ... "USAF B-52 in carry test of hypersonic ARRW missile" ...

(*) ... af.mil ... "Air Force conducts successful hypersonic weapon flight test" ...
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Re: L'anno del B-52 .....

Messaggio da richelieu » 24 giugno 2019, 9:39

Tu chiamalo, se vuoi ... B-52J ...
The Air Force is likely to redesignate the B-52H as the B-52J once it receives a slew of modifications adding up to a “major modification,” Brig. Gen. Heath Collins, service program executive officer for fighters and bombers, told reporters June 20.
Typically, the Air Force makes a letter-change designation to an aircraft - what Collins described as “rolling the series” - when it receives enough new and different equipment that it constitutes virtually a new system, he said at the Life Cycle Industry Days here.
The B-52 is slated to receive new engines beginning in about 10 years, and “that probably would be enough” to warrant a letter change, but the venerable bomber will also be getting new digital systems, communications, new weapons, and a new radar, as well as a variety of other improvements.
... airforcemag.com ... "B-52H May Become B-52J" ...
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Re: L'anno del B-52 .....

Messaggio da richelieu » 12 luglio 2019, 9:19

Sarà Raytheon il fornitore del nuovo radar ...
The US Air Force (USAF) plans to upgrade the radar on its fleet of Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers to new active electronically scanned array (AESA) systems, which will be developed by Raytheon.
Boeing says it selected Raytheon to design, develop, produce and sustain the radars, which will be based on the company’s APG-79/APG-82 radar family used on the USAF’s F-15E fleet.
Low rate initial production is scheduled to start in 2024 and the radar is intended to be used on the bomber fleet beyond 2050.
... flightglobal.com ... "Boeing B-52 bombers to get new Raytheon AESA radars" ...

Inoltre ... raytheon.mediaroom.com ... http://raytheon.mediaroom.com/2019-07-1 ... ar-upgrade ...
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Re: L'anno del B-52 .....

Messaggio da richelieu » 16 luglio 2019, 10:17

Atterraggio di emergenza ...
A B-52H Stratofortress from Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, made an unexpected appearance on the RAF Mildenhall flightline June 17, 2019, after experiencing an in-flight emergency, but landed safely and no one was injured.
The aircraft had been operating in the European theater in support of several exercises in the region.
Members from throughout Team Mildenhall were put into action – maintenance, command post, air traffic control from the 100th Air Refueling Wing, a B-52 subject matter expert from the 95th Reconnaissance Squadron, and more.
... usafe.af.mil ... "All hands on deck: Airmen respond to unexpected B-52 landing" ...
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Re: L'anno del B-52 .....

Messaggio da richelieu » 16 settembre 2019, 11:03

Longevità ... ovvero ... in corsa verso il centenario ... :occasion6:

OPINION: Why B-52 remains strategic champion ...

Source: Flight International (13 September 2019)

Second World War dust was still settling when, in late 1945, the US Air Force (USAF) called for a new strategic bomber.
Many design iterations followed, reflecting the rapid ratcheting up of range and speed expectations at the dawn of the jet age.
But the ultimate result, Boeing’s B-52 Stratofortress, has been the most enduring – if not iconic – military aircraft ever.
Think Cold War and the Strategic Air Command, the ­annihilation air power doctrine of General Curtis LeMay, endless tonnes of conventional explosives ­pummelling Vietnam and, in a chilling, thrilling moment of art mocking life, the end-of-the-world as delivered by Dr Strangelove.
The USAF is preparing another round of upgrades to its fleet of B-52Hs – the last of which was delivered in October 1962 as the Cuban missile crisis unfolded – to keep them thundering into the 2050s.
But in this age of long-range missiles, hypersonic speeds and stealth technology, is the B-52 still relevant?
The simple answer is yes.
In terms of range and payload, the B-52 is in a class of its own.
It has also proved immensely versatile over time.
And, critically in combat, the B-52 is robust; when called upon to fly a mission, the aircraft is ready to go.
Stealth jets cannot boast such reliability – and, anyway, anti-stealth technologies are increasingly neutering their signature capability.
The big, lumbering B-52 will ultimately outlive much sexier platforms such as the fast Boeing B-1 and stealthy Northrop Grumman B-2, both of which are to be replaced by the Northrop B-21 Raider – though whether that fast and stealthy platform, expected by around 2025, outlives the B-52 remains, of course, to be seen.
The B-2, which in external profile resembles the B-21, has seen barely 20 years’ service.
If the B-21 reaches that milestone, the B-52 will be approaching its centenary and, as plans stand, still be flying.
In one sense, the story of the B-52 draws an arc from the earliest days of military ­aviation to Armageddon.
From observation duties and then bomb-dropping, to delivering weapons of increasingly destructive power via B-17s, B-24s and B-29s – the first nuclear bomber – to the B-52s that are still with us today, along with a whole arsenal of tactical nuclear weapons that promise mutually assured destruction.
With any luck, we will pop corks to mark the 2052 service centenary of this remarkable aircraft.
The alternative is that the B-52 will have been put to its original purpose.
:usa2:

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