Posted on 11/23/2015 9:28:29 PM PST by sukhoi-30mki
The Boeing B-52H is the vintage bomber that just won’t quit, and now the Cold War-era “Stratofortress†is being outfitted with one of America’s newest and longest-range conventional cruise missiles.
Lockheed Martin has been put on contract to arm the 54-year-old aircraft – which has outlived many of those who predicted its retirement – with the extended-range Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Weapon (JASSM) under a $9.1 million contract announced earlier this month.
In a statement to Flightglobal, LM director of long-range strike systems Jason Denney confirms that the B-52 will be updated to carry the turbofan engine-powered cruise missile internally on a new digitised rotary launcher and externally on its pylons.
The bomber has long carried conventional cruise missiles, namely the non-nuclear derivative of the AGM-86 “ALCM†that has an unclassified range of 600nm and is being retired as supplies run low.
Boeing B-52s can carry up to 20 nuclear-armed Air-Launched Cruise Missiles (ALCMs) and by 2018 will probably be carrying a similar number of smarter, non-nuclear Lockheed Martin JASSM-ERs.
US Air Force
Already equipped to carry the shorter-range baseline JASSM missile on its pylons, adding the extended range variant more than doubles the bomber’s JASSM strike distance to 500nm (926km). That allows lumbering, non-stealthy B-52H to punch out targets while keeping clear of hazardous air defence systems well into the future.
According to Lockheed, the B-52 has only fired the JASSM-ER during operational testing off its external pylons, and the bomber now joins the Lockheed F-16 and soon the Boeing F-15E on the integration to-do list. B-52 integration will wrap up in 2018, as will the project to arm the F-16.
“F-15E integration will be next in line,†says Denney. “The expansion of the JASSM-ER employment aircraft set will significantly enhance the US warfighter’s first-day, first-strike capabilities.â€
The baseline JASSM missile has been in serial production for over a decade but production recently switched to the new double-range JASSM-ER (500nm unclassified).
Lockheed Martin
The beefing up of Stratofortress weaponry for conventional warfighting comes as the air force removes nuclear weapons from dozens of B-52s previously assigned to the strategic deterrence mission to achieve compliance with new strategic arms limitations agreed with Russia.
The air force currently plans to retire the supersonic Boeing/Rockwell B-1B and the B-52H in the 1940s as their Long-Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) replacement steps in.
JASSM-ER takes advantage of several concurrent digital upgrades that will allow every B-52 to carry smart weapons internally for the first time and on its pylons. The Boeing-led Combat Network Communications Technology improvement will further allow B-52s to update their missions plans via satellite and retarget weapons in flight – as most other combat aircraft have been doing for decades.
The B-52's rotary launcher, seen here carrying up to eight ALCM cruise missiles, is being upgraded to carry fully digital smart weapons and decoys.
US Air Force
Go BUFF!
Nice to see engineering coming back into vogue.
I grew up near the AFB in Amarillo and loved
driving by the base and seeing the Buffs with
their high tails. My ex-BIL went to the AF
academy and ended up being a B-52 pilot.
1940's you say?
“The air force currently plans to retire the supersonic Boeing/Rockwell B-1B and the B-52H in the 1940s as their Long-Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) replacement steps in.”
I hear that B-29 is really gonna be something!
Heh, Good catch. Guess we’re back to B-17’s
Hey, we still fly a b17 and I have been involved with the same bird for almost 25 years.She still looks great and me,well not so much.
A $9 million contract? That won’t even pay for the feasibility studies. $900 million I would believe.
Putin would be retiring these right into ISIS positions. And running the supplies low in the process.
Of course, the difference between accomodating conventional and and nuke warheads is likely not much more that electronic wiring arrangements for PAL links. I doubt the warhead hardware hardpoints are drastically different. We have had dual warhead cruise missiles for decades.
The B-52 is an engineering masterpiece.
Yes it is. And it’s still a big ugly beautiful old bird.
Hey, we still fly a b17 and I have been involved with the same bird for almost 25 years
That’s awesome! You’re to be commended.
LOL...I like your comparison. Maybe the $9 M would initially buy him, but wouldn’t keep him bought.
Or a couple young boys...
It helps that we are all just a little crazy.
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