Current US strategic bomber inventory: B-1: 66 B-2: 20 B-52: 58
End of list -----Original Message----- From: Mercedes [mailto:mercedes-boun...@okiebenz.com] On Behalf Of Peter Frederick Sent: Saturday, July 27, 2013 2:44 PM To: Mercedes Discussion List Subject: Re: [MBZ] B-52. was: Asiana The B-52 serves the role of big and slow strategic bomber. This is an obsolete role, since strategic bombing became a moot point when the ICBM became operational in the late 50's. The need for a high bomb load aircraft didn't go away, so we are stuck with truly ancient equipment because all the "replacements" were supposed to be supersonic, super performance, nuclear bombers. We don't need a nuclear bomber, and have not since 1958 or so. There is a role for a heavy support bomber, but a newer aircraft would be a good idea. The B-70 was a dud -- supposedly the prototype couldn't make the trip to the USSR with a bomb aboard unless it would be re-fueled a couple times on the trip, effectively mooting any strategic use -- it's arrival would be telegraphed half a day before arrival by the squadrons of KC135's waiting for it to arrive. It also never met operational criteria (notably fuel use) and after McNamara ran the numbers, Kennedy cancelled the program -- it was never going to be able to perform as required, and delivering a nuclear weapon six or eight hours after then end of the world was stupid. Naturally, the MIP still lusted after all that government cash, and the concept was revived later during the Nixon Administration in the B1, also cancelled by Carter because it wasn't gonna happen and there was no reason to have a nuclear bomber. Raised from the dead by the Reagan Administration, the B1 and derivatives morphed into low level subsonic strategic bombers (an oxymoron if there ever was one) and became the champion "hanger queens" until the B2 came along -- that one was the revival of another dead project from the 50's to make a "flying wing". By using an incredible amount of computing power, the B2 can fly almost as straight and level as a Cesna on autopilot and takes a couple months to change engines because the "stealth" coating has to be chipped off, cleaned up, and re-applied by hand. A failed temperature sensor crashed one the other year, confused the computer into a low speed stall on takeoff. Way too much technology and way too little actual thought, eh? Shades of the Asiana crash -- who, or what, was flying the plane? Peter _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
