Russia’s Tu-22M3 bombers unique blue hue of its engines’ afterburners.

Its too bad that the B1 Bones will face retirement in a few years. I don't particularly care for subsonic plodders they are planning on as it's replacement. Its crazy to consider we wore out everything chasing Terrorists all these years.

 

Everything except the B-52s. Those are expected to stay in service until at least the 2070s!!!! There was an initial study back in the 1990s to retrofit the remaining aircraft in service with more fuel efficient engines (the Pratt & Whitney JT8D-200 series turbofans used on McDonnell Douglas MD-80s and the Rolls Royce RB211-535 series used on Boeing 757s were the prime candidates) but nothing came of it.

 

B-52s are great machines. Two days a go I saw one taking off at March AB ...

 

Yup. And woe to those who happen to get caught in its crosshairs on a bombing run...
Popular joke:How do you end a bingo game in Iraq??
Answer: Yell “B-52”!!!!

 

We have one that visits jacksonville every year. Get pretty upclose and personal with the #### thing on the ramp at the show. Its usually older than I am. Not by much. And to run them to 2070? Thats suicide in the face of the new weapons we are working on.

Shreveport off I-20 is our Nuclear Strike with a bunch of B-52's as does Minot, Grand Forks etc. But Shreveport LA is the big one.

In the old days of the Cold War we used to flush bases of big bombers in a very short time. I don't exactly remember how many but within say 20 minutes there is quite a few that are gone trying to get clear of the pending inbound soviet nuclear missile heading for that base.

With today's weapons fast enough theoratically to get there faster than the bombers can waddle and wallow onto the runway might as well dispose of the whole thing. They will be destroyed in place.

Once in a blue moon if you have a scanner listening to around 265 or so megahertz give or take 10 you will hear the plain english Doom51 exerecise indicating authentication from Command that releases the weapons in actual war. Doom51 usually broadcasts off the west coast about 600 miles or so.

 

I saw a Buff at the museum at Wright Paterson. Even though she's a big girl, she's smaller than I thought.

 

Yup. I’ve seen quite a few B-52s doing maneuvers out of Barksdale AFB. As old as they are the BUFFs(as B-52s are “affectionately known”) are an important part of the U.S. nuclear triad.

 

[Video] The B-52 Strategic Bomber that Landed at Duxford and Performed the Shortest Runway Landing Ever Done by a BUFF - The Aviation Geek Club

 

When you don't have to worry about it ever taking off again.

 

We had a situation at a small bizjet field one day NW of Baltimore and it was sort of a almost gale steady wind straight down the runway.

My pilot set us up for short final and we turned base and then final at like 200 yards from end of the strip then dropped like properly on full flaps straight down towards the numbers below.

Believe it or not, we came out of that drop near stall with the horn going and perched on the #### numbers, rolled 30 feet and done. Full stop. USUALLY we come down, touch and roll for a while.

I don't think I will ever have or witness that kind of landing ever again. We were in a 172 super. Which was a rather nice plane for what it was but not as nice as our favorite the Archer.