B-52

[Flaggy]

Il caso del B-52 è sicuramente anomalo e sorprendente, ma nella progettazione non c’è stato nulla di miracoloso e nel gestirlo probabilmente nulla che abbia a che fare con qualche forma di accanimento terapeutico su un velivolo che altrimenti cadrebbe a pezzi...Non siamo a questo punto, perché è effettivamente vero che la cellula ne abbia ancora...e ne ha pure parecchio!

 

Diciamo che c’è stata una concomitanza di fattori che ha contribuito e contribuisce alla longevità di questo bombardiere.
Premetto che non è questa la sede e nemmeno io la persona adatta a fare un’analisi rigorosa e dettagliata, ma qualcosa si può provare comunque a dirla.

 

Un velivolo viene ritirato dal servizio per varie ragioni.
Un motivo comprensibile è che non sia più rispondente ai requisiti ma, specie oggigiorno, il motivo più diffuso è che la cellula semplicemente non ce la fa più.

La mancanza di parti di ricambio, il costo eccessivo di aggiornamento ed eliminazione delle obsolescenze e la necessità di dar lavoro e know how all'industria sono sempre presenti come corollario.

 

Certo, se un aereo ha la struttura troppo usurata e/o pezzi obsoleti a bordo, è sempre possibile fare upgrade e arrivare anche a ricostruire il mezzo, ma è da vedere se quello che otterrei valga lo sforzo, sulla base delle necessità che nel frattempo sono certamente cambiate e sulla base del costo di tale operazione (che può variare da modesto a stratosferico a seconda dei casi).

 

E qual è il caso del B-52?

 

E’ il caso di un velivolo di cui sono rimasti in linea circa il 10% dei velivoli prodotti qualche era geologica fa, ma è quindi anche è il caso di un velivolo che aveva a disposizione molti pezzi di ricambio (sia nuovi che usati).
Cominciano (e finalmente direi) a scarseggiare quelli dei motori (specie quelli del core hanno una vita relativamente ridotta), da cui la telenovela del rimpiazzo, con la recente scelta minimalista di lasciarne 8 invece dei 4 ipotizzati in passato e questo per evitare di...modificare troppo il dinosauro (che con 8 motori resta anacronistico).

 

E’ il caso di un velivolo (la versione H) che è stato progettato irrobustito per l’impiego a bassa quota (dove per un motivo o per l’altro ci è andato poco).

 

E’ il caso di un velivolo pensato per stare in aria parecchie ore, ma che poi ha visto la fine della Guerra Fredda e probabilmente un utilizzo meno impegnativo (oggi credo siamo sotto le 400 ore/anno).

 

E’ il caso di un velivolo che, volendo, ha visto un downgrade delle sue specifiche, perchè non gli è più richiesto di penetrare nell’Unione Sovietica a sganciar testate termonucleari, ma stà a distanza a lanciare cruise o fa il camion portabombe in scenari più permissivi: è stato quindi possibile cavarsela con relativamente pochi, oculati aggiornamenti all’elettronica e agli impianti perché mantenesse la sua utilità.

 

E’ il caso di un velivolo per sostituire il quale ci vuole un botto di soldi, perchè sempre di un bombardiere pesante si tratta: sappiamo che si è provato a sostituirlo varie volte e sappiamo anche che è andata sempre male.

 

Come si vede vengono meno parecchi motivi che normalmente portano a ritirare un velivolo...

 

Resta da vedere la cellula...
Un velivolo viene dimensionato preliminarmente sui carichi di contingenza (i carichi che dovrà sopportare, decollando, atterrando e manovrando nelle condizioni più gravose, come ad esempio a pieno carico) senza che si abbia alcuna deformazione o danno permanente: per i caccia sono i famigerati 9g a dimensionare gran parte delle loro cellule.

 

Successivamente i progettisti fanno una verifica del dimensionamento a robustezza, cioè prendono brutalmente quei carichì, li moltiplicano per un opportuno fattore (solitamente 1.5) e verificano se la struttura raggiungendoli andrebbe a rompersi o ad instabilizzarsi (ad esempio verificano sulla carta se il dorso dell’ala si “accartoccerebbe” durante una violenta cabrata).
Spesso e volentieri questa verifica comporta un aumento degli spessori precedentemente calcolati e quindi una nuova iterazione nel calcolo della struttura.
Se supera i carichi di contingenza, ma rimane sotto quelli di robustezza, il velivolo dev'essere in grado di riportare a casa l’equipaggio, ma è ammissibile che sia da revisionare pesantemente o anche da buttare. Se tutto va come deve, a un velivolo può anche non capitare mai di superare i carichi di contingenza.

 

Alla fine della fiera apparentemente ogni velivolo è molto più robusto di quello che servirebbe per un utilizzo "normale", ma c’è un’altra cosa da considerare: la fatica...
Un pezzo sottoposto a cicli continui di carichi variabili, anche inferiori a quelli massimi, si può danneggiare progressivamente con delle micro cricche che via via si ampliano rendendo possibile una catastrofica rottura anche con carichi inferiori a quelli massimi consentiti.

A questo punto la cellula è arrivata al capolinea e i pezzi così conciati vanno cambiati tutti se si vuole mantenerla in linea.

Tanto più un velivolo viene maltrattato, tanto meno potrà durare la sua cellula.

 

Qual è la situazione del B-52?

Beh, magari lo si è maltrattato meno del previsto, magari lo si è dimensionato su carichi elevati ma molto inferiori a quelli normali, magari a quei tempi era difficile calcolare la vita a fatica e ci si è tenuti un po' di ciccia, fatto sta che la situazione è che ci sono parti come la deriva che possono reggere per 150000 ore (no, non ho aggiunto per sbaglio uno 0, sono proprio centocinquantamila).

Altre, come la fusoliera sono tra le 40 e le 50000.
Quello messo peggio (si fa per dire) è il dorso alare che a quanto pare potrebbe reggere tra le 32500 e le 37500 ore a seconda di quanto effettivamente ciascun velivolo è stato maltrattato.

32500 - 37500 ore: questo quindi è anche il limite dell'aereo, sempre che a qualcuno non passi per la testa di ricostuire le ali come si sta facendo per l'A-10 e tenere il B-52 fino a quando tutti i suoi attuali piloti saranno finiti sotto 2 metri di terra...

 

Attualmente mediamente gli aerei in servizio dovrebbero essere intorno alle 22000 ore volate: anche meno di 2/3 di quanto potrebbero durare. Vien da se che prima che il dorso alare cominci a chiedere pietà ci sono ancora qualche migliaio di ore disponibili da usarsi per arrivare agli anni 40...

 

https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/systems/b-52-life.htm

Modificato 10 Gennaio 2018 da Flaggy

[TT-1 Pinto]

Il caso del B-52 è sicuramente anomalo e sorprendente, ma nella progettazione non c’è stato nulla di miracoloso e nel gestirlo probabilmente nulla che abbia a che fare con qualche forma di accanimento terapeutico su un velivolo che altrimenti cadrebbe a pezzi ...

Non siamo a questo punto, perché è effettivamente vero che la cellula ne abbia ancora ... e ne ha pure parecchio!

 

Etc ... etc ... etc ...

 

[luciocabrio]

praticamente è stat sottosfruttato...e ci sono un botto di b52 da cannibalizzare per i ricambi.

avevo sollevato la questione perchè ofni volta che leggevo di aerei da sostituire era nella maggioranza dei casi per via della cellula

Modificato 17 Gennaio 2018 da vorthex

[TT-1 Pinto]

Rimotorizzazione ... pressioni da parte di alcuni senatori ...

Senators Call for White House to Fund B-52 Modernization, Re-Engining ...

A bipartisan group of senators this week sent a letter to the White House urging funding for B-52 modernization, including new engine development.

“During the development of the next generation of bombers, the Air Force will continue to rely on the B-52 for vital operations around the world, which reinforces the need to upgrade these engines and the technology supporting the aircraft,” Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) said in a statement.

It is “imperative” that the Air Force gets new engines for the 76 B-52s in service to keep the bombers sustainable beyond 2030, according to the Jan. 31 letter (*), which was directed to White House Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney.

In addition to Heitkamp, the letter was signed by Sens. John Hoeven (R-N.D.); Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.); James Lankford (R-Okla.); Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.); Chris Murphy (D-Conn). Heitkamp and Hoeven represent North Dakota, which hosts B-52s at Minot Air Force Base.

Oklahoma is home to Tinker Air Force Base and the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex, which does long-term maintenance on B-52s.

Connecticut is home to Pratt & Whitney (the manufacturer of the current engines), while GE Aviation and Rolls Royce have a presence in Indiana, both of which have stated interest in competing for B-52 re-engining work.

The Air Force said in December it has “initial seed funding” in the 2018 budget to begin re-engining the B-52.

The aircraft is currently powered by eight TF33-PW-103 engines, which began service in the 1960s, according to Pratt & Whitney.

Brian Everstine

 

(*) ... https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/d7c1e6a6-cb39-4416-9208-8788f234033c/1.31.18-b-52-modernization-budget-letter.pdf...

Fonte ... il sito dell' AFA ...

[TT-1 Pinto]

Rimotorizzazione ... un ulteriore passo avanti ...

The US Air Force is likely to issue a request for proposal for its Boeing B-52H Stratofortress bomber engine replacement programme close to the first quarter of 2019, according to an Air Force document released on 13 March.

Fonte: flightglobal.com ... USAF likely to issue B-52 engine replacement request for proposals in early 2019 ...

[Mustanghino]

Una nuova motorizzazione non può che far del bene alla vita utile residua:
- sicuramente 8 nuovi "mini" motori saranno di pari peso o addirittura di peso inferiore a quello delle turboventole dell'"H"
- sicuramente avranno un consumo specifico minore: anche se solo del 10%, vuol dire (faccio i conti della serva), 10% in meno del combustibile (in realtà ancor di meno, perchè meno massa da far salire, quindi ancor meno combustibile), quindi meno peso ad ogni missione

[Flaggy]

Minor consumo vuol anche dire che decollando comunque col pieno il velivolo può aumentare il tempo in zona di operazioni, potendo magari raggiungere più target distanti fra loro e vuol dire che ha una minor necessità di ricorrere al rifornimento in volo.

Vien da se che per raggiungere un certo numero di obiettivi possono servire meno bombardieri, meno aerocisterne e comunque meno velivoli e personale di supporto, con un evidente vantaggio economico e logistico che va al di là del semplice risparmio di combustibile imbarcato dal bombardiere.

Tutto il sistema diventa quindi meno oneroso e questo è un aspetto particolarmente importante e che per i pianificatori giustifica (anche se fa accapponare la pelle un progetto che si avvia al secolo di età) la presenza dello “spartano” B-52 anche quando i più recenti B-1 e B-2 verranno ritirati.
In fondo per fare il camion portabombe i due tipi più recenti saranno sempre più onerosi e con sempre meno pezzi di ricambio, mentre come bombardieri di punta saranno comunque non più adeguati e quindi bisognosi di sostituzione col B-21.

E’ comunque innegabile che nell’inventario dei bombardieri USAF qualcosa di forzato e di poco lineare ci sia...

[TT-1 Pinto]

"Balls Eight" ...

 

 

http://www.air-and-space.com/nb52/Balls%20Eight%20History%20of%20the%20Boeing%20NB-52B%20Stratofortress%20Mothership%20eBook.html

 

[TT-1 Pinto]

In volo verso il secolo di vita ...

The U.S. Air Force has finally decided to fund a re-engining of the B-52H bomber, and has described a plan to keep the fleet of 76 jets in service until at least 2050.

The fleet will also receive new radars.

The service now plans to retire the much younger but costly-to-operate B-1 and B-2 stealth bombers as new, stealthy B-21s are delivered by Northrop Grumman starting in the late 2020s.

In mid-2016, the average flying time logged by each B-52 was 17,867 hours, but the USAF has not reported any major structural issues that could derail its latest plan.

A total of $727.5 million in development spending has been allocated for re-engining over Fiscal Years 2019-2023, plus nearly $550 million for production starting in FY2022.

The Air Force plans to select the new engine in the third quarter of FY2019 (the end of June next year).

The new radar choice will follow a year later, with a development spend of nearly $900 million envisioned.

In total, the service has allocated nearly $2.1 billion in RDT&E and over $1.3 billion in production funding for B-52 modernization and capability improvements over the next five years.

Fonte: ainonline.com ... USAF To Fly the B-52 into the 2050s with New Engines, Radars ...

Una recente immagine della stiva (da altra fonte) ...

A U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress aircrew member explains features of the aircraft’s bomb bay to members of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during an aircraft introduction tour at RAAF Base Darwin, Australia, April 4, 2018.

Members of the 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron conducted the exchange as part of a week-long Enhanced Air Cooperation exercise, designed to develop operationally resilient air operations capabilities in Australia through bilateral collaboration and synergistic actions.

(U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Alexander W. Riedel)

[TT-1 Pinto]

Un cómpito insolito ... portato a termine con successo ...

Two B-52s and airmen from the 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron were flying a regular training sortie on June 25 as part of the Air Force's continuous bomber presence in the Pacific, practicing dropping bombs on a training range north of Guam when an unusual and urgent call came in. 
The US Coast Guard called the squadron's operations center with a real-world tasking - a small sailing skiff has been missing for six days south of the island, and they needed help.
The only aircraft available and ready were the two B-52s, which had taken off with training munitions and Raider call signs to train at the isolated island north of Guam. 
The B-52s headed south, about 350 nautical miles off the shore of Guam and were tasked with checking out two coordinates where the ship could be.

Fonte: airforcemag.com ... B-52s Deployed to Pacific Divert from Bombing Training, Help Rescue Wayward Boat ...

[TT-1 Pinto]

Ancora sulla rimotorizzazione ... la 'doppietta' di GE Aviation ...

GE Aviation plans to offer two engines in the Air Force’s B-52 re-engining program, which is finally gaining steam after decades of debate.
Speaking to reporters at the Farnborough International Air Show in England last week, company CEO David Joyce said GE is confident that both the CF34-M and the more advanced Passport engine are “good candidates” for the program.
Joyce said the Dash-M, which flies on the Embraer 190, is proven technology, with 7,000 departures every day. 
It’s not only “incredibly reliable,” but also the “perfect thrust size” for the B-52, he added. 
However, if the service prioritizes fuel efficiency, Joyce said GE can offer the Passport, which will allow for about 14,000 hours time on wing.

Fonte: airforcemag.com ... GE Aviation to Offer Two Engines in USAF’s B-52 Re-Engining Program ...

[TT-1 Pinto]

Esercitazione combinata USAF/JASDF ...

Quote

Two U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress bombers, assigned to the 96th Expeditionary Bomber Squadron, Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, participated in a routine bilateral training mission July 26, 2018.
The bombers took off from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, and integrated with six Koku Jieitai (Japan Air Self-Defense Force) F-15 fighters in the vicinity of Japan.

Fonte: pacaf.af.mil ... US, Japan bomber-fighter integration training showcases strength of alliance ...

[TT-1 Pinto]

Esercitazione combinata USAF-USN nel Mar Cinese Orientale (dal 'Daily Report' dell'AFA) ...

Quote

 

B-52s, Poseidons Train in East China Sea .....

Two B-52Hs flew alongside two US Navy P-8 Poseidons over the East China Sea in another show of force in the region on Wednesday, days after a similar flight alongside Japanese aircraft in the region. 
The bombers, part of the 96th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, which is deployed to Andersen AFB, Guam, as part of the Air Force’s continuous bomber presence mission, flew alongside the Poseidons in the vicinity of Japan over the East China Sea on Aug. 1, according to Pacific Air Forces. (*)
The bombers were supported by a tanker from the Hawaii Air National Guard, according to Pacific Air Forces photographs of the mission. 
The flight came five days after two B-52s flew alongside Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-15s on a bilateral training mission near Japan. 

- Brian Everstine

 

(*) ... pacaf.af.mil/ ... U.S. Air Force B-52s train with U.S. Navy P-8s in East China Sea ...

Modificato 6 Agosto 2018 da TT-1 Pinto
xxx

[TT-1 Pinto]

Rimotorizzazione ... a quanto pare, questa volta, stanno facendo sul serio ... 

U.S. Air Force Looks To Fast-Track B-52 Reengining ...

Guy Norris (AW&ST - August 28, 2018)

The enduring effort to reengine the venerable B-52, a saga extending back to the 1970s, is poised to enter its final chapter in September when the U.S. Air Force is expected to approve a program to replace the engines on the long-serving bomber.
The move, if sanctioned, is likely to be executed under a recently adopted Pentagon “rapid-prototyping” acquisition policy and follows Air Force warnings in 2017 that the bomber’s obsolescent Pratt & Whitney TF33 engines will not be sustainable beyond 2030. 
Reengining also would come as the aircraft’s role as a future launch platform for long-range standoff and hypersonic weapons becomes increasingly key to U.S. long-range strike capability.
Combined with the growing urgency over supportability of the TF33, a military variant of Pratt’s late-1950s JT3D turbofan, and recognition that the life of the B-52 would be extended to 2050 and beyond to help counter emerging long-range strike threats, the program has been gathering momentum since 2016. 
In its fiscal 2019 budget request, the Air Force called for $280 million to update the B-52H fleet, of which $64.5 million is earmarked for the start of the reengining program.
Having rejected the results of earlier studies on replacing the B-52H’s eight 17,000-lb.-thrust TF33s with four 35,000-lb.-thrust high-bypass-ratio turbofans, the Air Force has briefed industry on its requirement for modern, fuel-efficient commercial engines that can replace the old units on a one-for-one basis. 
Under the B-52 Commercial Engine Replacement Program (CERP), the service needs 650 engines, including 42 spares, to upgrade its operational fleet of 76 B-52s. 
Twenty additional powerplants will be needed initially for the retrofit of two bombers for flight testing.
Although the Air Force initially presented a notional schedule in late 2017 that indicated reengining of the first batch of 10 bombers would begin in fiscal 2026, the service now believes the B-52 program is a good candidate for acceleration under the streamlined Section 804 acquisition process introduced in the fiscal 2016 National Defense Authorization Act. 
Under this act, rapid prototyping of “middle-tier” programs (intended to be completed in 2-5 years) can be accelerated to enable residual operational capability within five years of the finalized requirement.
Will Roper, the assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics, says the service is “considering whether it is appropriate to apply that process to the B-52 CERP.” 
The Air Force confirms that Roper also is scheduled to announce a decision on CERP at the end of September. 
This is separate from deciding if the reegining should be considered a Section 804 program.
Boeing, which was selected earlier this year as the integrator for the reengining program, acknowledges many details of the acquisition strategy remain to be worked out. 
Boeing B-52 program manager James Kroening says, “The questions being asked over the application of Section 804 to the reengining program are where does the prototyping concept make sense in - firstly - reducing the technical risk of the integration and, secondly, accelerating delivery of the capability to the government and warfighter. Those are the things we are working through now with the government.”
Overall it appears that regardless of the Section 804 acquisition process, elements of the CERP likely will remain baselined around the original plan of modifying a pair of test aircraft. 
The final shape of the test and development effort will reflect the outcome of ongoing discussions over how the streamlined prototyping process might be applied. 
Kroening says these discussions are focused on, among other areas, “the extent to which one applies a more rapid prototyping approach and doesn’t fully produce a system that’s exactly representative of the production kit, and how much one might use that for early testing for instance, and then evolve it into a production representative test.”
According to the Mitre Corp., a federally funded research and development center, the rapid-prototyping approach for the B-52 may take the form of a cyberspace fly-off between the contenders, which will compete with “digital-twin” versions of their engines. 
Using this approach, it estimates, the Air Force could cut up to five years out of the usual time taken to make a fielding decision.  
The baseline fuel-improvement requirement is 20% - with a stretch goal of 40% - compared to current performance.
As currently envisioned, assuming the program gets the go-ahead, requests for proposals (RFP) will be issued to interested engine-makers between October and the end of the year. 
As program integrator, Boeing will work with each of the engine-maker candidates over a six-month period, evaluating a matrix of propulsion and system designs. 
This first phase will culminate with Boeing submitting reports to the Air Force.
“The second step would be the issuing of the actual RFP and [beginning of] the source-selection process with the knowledge of not only what engine suppliers might offer, but also a concept of the complexity of the integration involved with the various engines,” explains Kroening. 
The contract then would likely be awarded in the second half of 2019.
General Electric is proposing variants of its CF34-10 regional airliner engine and Passport business jet powerplant. 
Pratt, which also has studied a TF33 upgrade package and previously proposed a PW2000 (F117) variant during the four-engine B-52 powerplant replacement study, is offering a version of its PW800 business jet engine, which incorporates the core of the PW1200G geared turbofan. 
Rolls-Royce, which in the mid-1990s teamed with Boeing to offer leased RB211-535E4s as an option for the bomber, is proposing the BR725 - a variant of the BR700 already in service with the Air Force as the F130. 
Rolls also may offer a variant of its recently revealed BR700-derived Pearl engine family.
It remains unknown whether other engine-makers such as Safran, which attended industry day events for the B-52 program, or Honeywell, are also in the hunt. 
Boeing says no “official narrowing of the field has yet occurred.”
Despite overall plans to minimize the impact of the engine change on aircraft and airframe systems, Boeing says the program presents a major integration challenge. 
In addition to the new engines, which will be rigged for quick-start capability, the modifications will involve new cowlings, integrated nacelles and redesigned struts. 
The struts will incorporate an added precooler as well as new electrical, hydraulic, fuel and pneumatic lines. 
Additional generators will be added, doubling the current tally of four, necessitating an all-new power systems architecture. 
Wiring for the full authority digital engine control units in the new powerplants also will be added. 
Flight deck changes will include replacement of the many current “steam gauge” engine displays with a flat-panel multifunction display.
“As this aircraft will be in service well beyond the middle of the century, we want to be smart about how that cockpit display is designed and integrated so it can look forward to future opportunities to have an even more integrated cockpit,” says Kroening. 
The overall integration task “is a significant endeavor, so we anticipate engaging a large element of the Boeing enterprise to accomplish the program,” he points out. 
The group, which includes Boeing Commercial Airplanes, will be headquartered at the company’s Oklahoma facility, but will require “significant” engineering and other program support from other Boeing sites.
Boeing’s analysis of the engine options also will consider the interactive compatibility effects on the bomber’s weapons and its new, yet-to-selected, radar systems. 
“It’s not completely obvious, but we will have to consider the power-generation system and what impact a different ‘quality’ of power being generated might have on one radar versus another,” adds Kroening.

[TT-1 Pinto]

Le nuove armi ipersoniche e il ruolo che il B-52 ricoprirà nel loro sviluppo ...

B-52 Readied For Intense Hypersonic Weapons Test And Deployment Role ...

Guy Norris (AW&ST - August 29, 2018)

The B-52H’s ample wing and external load-carrying capability have contributed to the aircraft’s prominent role in hypersonic testing and, as a result, the bomber’s future is closely tied to the upcoming demonstration and deployment of the U.S. Air Force’s first-generation hypervelocity strike weapons.
With major upgrades underway and reengining planned to sustain the B-52H to 2050, the Air Force intends to retain the long-serving bomber as the mainstay of its long-range strike fleet alongside the new Northrop Grumman B-21s as they are delivered beginning in the late 2020s. 
In particular, the B-52 is set to play a major role in enhancing standoff capability because rocket-boosted and air-breathing hypersonic weapons will be large, making them a challenging store for internal carriage.
“On hypersonics, there are several activities going on, mostly in terms of different types of weapons demonstrations,” says Boeing Bombers Program Manager Scot Oathout. 
“The B-52 is in the middle of those as the technology and the two approaches to hypersonics mature.” 
The program is involved in much of that flight test and evaluation. 
It is a very fluid and dynamic world we are in now, he notes.
The Air Force says the B-52 “is scheduled to be the launch platform for several hypersonics weapons demos in the 2019-20 time frame,” and adds that in view of the urgency placed on these efforts, two of them are being accelerated for rapid prototyping under the Pentagon’s new Section 804 approach to acquisition policy. 
These are the Lockheed Martin AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) and Hypersonic Conventional Strike Weapon (HCSW). 
“The expected success of one or more of these hypersonic programs would not change the mission of the B-52, but only enhance its long-range strike capability,” the service explains.
Nearer-term testing already is planned for DARPA’s Tactical Boost Glide (TBG) demonstrator, a rocket-powered Lockheed Martin hypervelocity glider that provides the basis for the AGM-183A. 
The TBG is scheduled for flight tests in 2019 while the follow-on rapid-response weapon is targeted at early operational capability in 2021. 
The solid rocket-powered HCSW meanwhile is slated to enter initial service in 2022.
The Air Force’s air-breathing hypersonic weapons are powered by scramjet engines, prototypes of which were launched by a B-52 during NASA’s X-43 tests in the 2000s and by the follow-on Air Force/Boeing X-51A in 2010-13. 
Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works and Raytheon are working under contract with DARPA to develop the conceptually similar Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC). 
Flight tests of the winning HAWC design on a B-52 are expected to begin before fiscal 2020.
Regardless of the mix of final configurations, “the B-52’s future is enhanced by that potential capability,” Oathout says. 
“It is a big truck and easy to modify to carry extremely large things long distances, so it fits well with that profile well into the 2040s and 2050s and whatever technology that brings us.”
To prepare for the larger weapons, Boeing and the Air Force are studying “enhanced carriage options and exploring different pylons,” Oathout says. 
With the B-52 having carried such external loads as the 10,150-lb. AGM-28 Hound Dog supersonic missile and special-mission heavyweights such as the D-21 stealth drone and X-15 hypersonic test aircraft, the design team now is studying configurations to increase capacity for multiple high-speed weapons. 
“We are looking at more than a single carriage type of pylon,” Oathout explains.
Moves in this direction were signaled in June when Air Force Materiel Command issued a request for information on a new external weapons pylon that will take the B-52’s current 10,000-lb. maximum external load (across two underwing pylons) to 40,000 lb. 
The new pylon is planned to succeed the current Improved Common Pylon, which has been in service since the 1960s. 
“When it was introduced, there wasn’t a requirement nor did anyone foresee a need to carry weapons heavier than 5,000 lb.,” adds the Air Force, which is targeting a development to fielding time of 36-72 months.

[TT-1 Pinto]

La veglia delle aquile ... tanto per citare il titolo di un ben noto film dei primi anni Sessanta ...

Quote

US Air Force bombers have kept constant watch and alert over the Pacific since 2004 as part of the continuous bomber presence mission. 
In recent years, this deployment has taken on increased importance in regions such as the contested South China Sea and near-regular flights to the Korean Peninsula as tensions flared. 
Air Force Magazine recently visited B-52s and airmen from the 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron who conducted this mission over the summer.

... Bombers Watching Over the Pacific ...

[TT-1 Pinto]

Quanto chiasso !!!
In fin dei conti si tratta pur sempre di 'volatili' ... 

Quote

A commander of a B-52 Stratofortress squadron at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, was recently relieved from duty after sexually explicit and phallic drawings were discovered inside the bomber's cockpit screens during a recent deployment, Military.com has learned.
A command-directed investigation anticipated to be released by Air Force Global Strike Command in coming weeks will show that Lt. Col. Paul Goossen was removed from command of the 69th Bomb Squadron Nov. 27 because penis drawings were discovered on a moving map software displayed on the nuclear-capable B-52's Combat Network Communication Technology (CONECT), according to a source familiar with the incident.

Fonte: military.com ... B-52 Squadron Commander Fired over Penis Drawings in Bomber Cockpits ...

[vorthex]

invece di promuoverlo...

[TT-1 Pinto]

27 minuti fa, vorthex ha scritto:

invece di promuoverlo ...

E' il 'politicamente corretto' ... ossia ... la principale forma di ipocrisia della nostra era ... 

[nik978]

B52 a pelo d'acqua a fianco alle super Carrier,  roba probabilmente da provvedimenti (seppur belllissimi)  e tutto questo macello per una goliardata

[engine]

Intendevi questa ?

https://theaviationist.com/2013/05/28/b-52-aircraft-carrier/

 

[nik978]

Attorno agli anni 90 è successo sicuramente in questo caso se non un altro.

Saranno stati autorizzati ovviamente,  ma non credo Che avessero comunicato l'entità del "low" pass.   mi immagino le facce di chi diede l'autorizzazione. 

[TT-1 Pinto]

Un articolo ...

... historynet.com ... Boeing B-52: Stratosaurus ...

[TT-1 Pinto]

L' ormai 'eterno' dilemma della rimotorizzazione ...

http://www.airforcemag.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2019/January 2019/Re-Engining-the-B-52.aspx

[Flaggy]

Preparativi per il lifting avionico e propulsivo.