Yessir - here's my best guess. Drop tanks wouldn't help a B-52 if the airplane were to be attacked. Fighters carried them for longer range, use that fuel first then drop them when they needed maneuverability & speed. The B-52 is sitting duck, an extra single digit speed increase and a turn rate that a sloth would laugh at wouldn't help a bit. So no need to add the complexity of drop tanks.
And I just discovered the wing tanks are good for a lousy 750 US gallons = ~5000 lbs each in a ~300,000 lb fuel system. So my best guess is, those tanks help ease wing bending so they would keep fuel in the wing tanks as long as possible. - Maneuverability: Imagine swinging a bat with 2 lbs next to your hands, then at the tip of the bat. If I recall my basic physics, the acceleration is proportional to the square of the distance. I'm pretty sure that's why MLB bats have that scoop on the fat end, helps just a wee bit. That weight out there will for sure help the wings in turbulence. Sorta the same baseball bat dynamics - try to shake it to simulate turbulence, 2 lbs at the tip vs at the hands. - Wing bending: The bending force from *either* lift or weight is linear; force X distance, all that fuel adds up by the time you get to the wing root. Back to the bat; just hold it still & away from the body, weight next to the hands & at the end. Big difference. Those wings have a "wee bit" of bend in them, but that bending is lift X distance. So the wing tank weight relieves bending by 750 LB X distance. - Brings to mind flutter as well, which gets WAY more complex because it's dynamic and school is 45 years behind me. The wings are also big springs, and flutter loves springs. So it's possible wing tanks mitigate flutter. Hey thanks for asking, cleared out a few cobwebs. On Tue, Jun 10, 2025 at 7:18โฏPM Jack Keady via Mifnet < [email protected]> wrote: > Keady - Mike B - can you explain the need not to have drop tanks? > > [image: Profile photo for Tom Stagliano] > <https://www.quora.com/profile/Tom-Stagliano> > Tom Stagliano > <https://www.quora.com/profile/Tom-Stagliano> > ยท > Follow > Senior Aerospace Engineer (studied at MIT)Updated 8y > <https://www.quora.com/Why-are-the-B-52s-engines-mounted-in-pairs/answer/Tom-Stagliano> > Why are the B-52's engines mounted in pairs? > <https://www.quora.com/Why-are-the-B-52s-engines-mounted-in-pairs> > > The fully fueled and maximum payload B-52H has a weight over 500,000 > pounds (more than its maximum take-off weight). Back in 1961โ63 when the > B-52H were made, the 20,000 lb thrust class engines were well developed and > nearly the largest. > > Indeed the Boeing 707 had a maximum weight of 310,000 pounds in that era. > Using a rough rule of thumb that maximum engine thrust is 25% of the max > weight of the aircraft, four engines at that time could power a Boeing 707 > or KC-135, but a 500,000 lb plus B-52H would need at least 125,000 lb in > thrust. Eight engines gave them 140,000 lbs of maximum thrust and therefore > tremendous capability. > > By having the engines together, you only need four fuel line penetrations > from the wing and you keep the engines clustered allowing room for > under-wing weapons and external fuel tanks: > > You notice the missiles mounted under the wing of the B-52H and the > external fuel tanks mounted out towards the wing tips. The external fuel > tanks were originally to be drop tanks, but due to some aero-elastic > response of the B-52H wing, it was decided to make them permanent. > > Therefore, you minimize attachments, minimize fuel penetrations, and > maximize room to carry weapons and external pods under the wings. > > I hope that helps. > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Revised: 20250507 > > You are receiving The Mifnet because you requested to join this list. > > The Mifnet is largely a labor of love, however the infrastructure isn't > exactly cost-free. 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