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Will the U.S use its Legendary B-52 Bomber in the war against ISIS?

Feb 23, 2015

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There is no other reason to invest in that vintage bomber aircraft – except for bombing. Nevertheless, the U.S is offering no explanation for the move.

Recently, CNN has been reporting that the 53-year-old B-52 bomber has been residing in the Boneyard for the past 7 years, along with thousands of other retired aircraft. What makes the return of the B-52H “Ghost Rider” to service so special is that this is the first time Air Force officials have also returned a B-52 Bomber to duty.

The Shreveport Times reports the reason for the return of the bomber was to replace an existing B-52 at Barksdale AFB that has been damaged by fire during routine maintenance. An oxygen leak combined with a spark set the cockpit ablaze, injuring no one but the bomber itself.

There are only 76 B-52s, or Stratofortresses, in the Air Force’s fleet, with 58 of them in Active duty while 18 are in reserve.

When an aircraft is retired to the Boneyard for storage, it can be either scrapped and then scavenged for parts – or make its way back into service once proper upgrades and repairs are made. The dry desert heat is ideal in helping to preserve the stored aircraft, but it also hard on soft components such as tires and fuel lines, causing dry rot.

Earlier in February, one Ghost Rider made its first flight in nearly seven years after its initial retirement. The three hour flight took the plane and its 3 man crew from Davis-Monthan to its new home, Barksdale Air Force Base in Shreveport, Louisiana.

For safety reasons, the plane also flew with its landing gear down the entire flight, and at an airspeed of 288 mph and height of 23,000 feet, far below its top air speed of 650 mph and 50,000 foot ceiling.

For the time being, Ghost Rider will reside next to the damaged bomber it is replacing, so the usable, updated equipment (such as proper inertial and navigational equipment) can be transferred into it.

The reanimated B-52 bomber is slated to resume active service next year. The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. It was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) since the 1950s. The bomber is capable of carrying up to 70,000 pounds (32,000 kg) of weapons.

Israeli experts told i-HLS that the vintage bomber can be very efficient in the framework of the coalition operations against ISIS. “It carries a huge load of weapons and can attack multiple targets in one mission.”