Prediction

The B-52 will outlive the B-21

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  1. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I doubt it, but only because so much effort and money was put into modernizing them and there's not a whole lot of reason to get rid of something that can lob cruise missiles from a thousand miles away in total safety

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      >I doubt it
      >but here’s why they might
      So you don’t doubt it?

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        the B-21 could last even longer in service, is what I'm saying, because a low-observable bomber built today has a lot fewer hours on the airframe and is a lot stealthier and therefore usable *near* a fight
        unlike the B-52 which has been relegated to very long range ASM/ALCM duties

  2. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    The B-52 will be there when we extend our glorious empire out to the stars.
    It is eternal.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      They should mount it with 0.5 cal machine guns front nose to tail to make it even more eternal and 40K

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        .50s are WW2, the BUFF carried 20mm. And if you're going to re-arm them, give it a 250 KW laser CIWS.

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          B-52's until H model had 4 M3 .50cal machine guns in tail, H replaced that with single 20mm M61 cannon.

          • 1 year ago
            Anonymous

            >Can only pivot vertically

            I've always wondered how this even works, or am I just looking at it wrong?

            • 1 year ago
              Anonymous

              they're decoration

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      The B-52s successor will be stationed on Mars

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        The B-52 will fly to Mars under its own power.

  3. 1 year ago
    BigC

    b52 will be in service for 100 years

  4. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    The B-21 is planned to be procured in pretty significant numbers, so I don't think so. It'll be like the F-15, with upgraded variants in service for 50+ years. The B-52 has legs yet but it's not going to last until the 2070s

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Its projected life span B-52 is until 2070

  5. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Isn't airframe fatigue going to be the limiting factor? Unless someone restarts B-52 production they've got a maximum shelf life. I could see the B-52 being replaced by some civil jet derived future bomber, with proper stealth bombers being "high" and future cheap bombers being "low" in a high-low mix

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      With the palletized munitions systems that are starting to be fielded, carpet bombing could and probably will be done by C-130/C-5/C-17. Strategic (nuclear/aerial cruise missile/hypersonics) will be more than fulfilled by the B21. This covers most of the use cases for the B-52, but they'll probably stick around for a long time because they're cheap, then leave when they're not.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        Using your transports for bombing is silly and inefficient but the US has such a ridiculously vast transport fleet that doesn't actually matter.

  6. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Waiting for the first third generation and fourth generation B52 crewman..

  7. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I do wonder if B-52s will be replaced with hyper-efficient ground-effect vehicles given the US' increased focus on the Pacific, where almost all combat will be near a coastline - a retooled Liberty Lifter could be an extremely cheap option that provides 2 times the payload and a similar combat range as long as most of the trip is over water

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Only if they name it Spruce Goose II, keeping the F-35 and B-21 theme of WW2 era names

  8. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    No, b52 is like a your grandfather power tool which you use to block a barn door because it's heavy. It's the cheapest solution but only because you didn't pay for it but it's close to the point where the maintaining becomes a huge problem

  9. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Big cruise missile bus these days. Will be around a long fricking time.

  10. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    -efficient ground-effect vehicles

    Good for a contained sea but remains at port when the sea state amps up. Else you have a tragedy a la bull halsey.

    I do love those craft for defeating Duluth though.

  11. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    b-52 should have had turrets like b-29

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Didn't they lose their turrets because a HARM rear-ended a B-52 that had its fire control radar on?

  12. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    On a related note, my grandfather, who was a b-52 pilot in WW2 died last week.
    R.I.P. Corporal ET Flood

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      >b-52 pilot in WW2
      Citation required.

  13. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Doubt, unless they build new airframes.

  14. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    The B-52 will outlive all of us

    >I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought except for the B-52 bomber, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones and the same B-52 bombers
    >t. Albert Einstein

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