U.S. B-52 Bomber Crashes, Radar Upgrade Project Faces Setback

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, June 16 - A B-52 strategic bomber of the U.S. Air Force, which was conducting tests related to a radar upgrade project, crashed on the 15th shortly after taking off from Edwards Air Force Base in California. The U.S. Air Force stated in a release that initial indications suggest all eight crew members were killed. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

According to a message posted on social media by Edwards Air Force Base that day, the bomber was performing a routine test mission and took off from the base at around 11:20 local time on the 15th, shortly before crashing.

Media reports indicate that the bomber belonged to the 412th Test Wing, headquartered at Edwards Air Force Base, and the crash site is located about 160 kilometers north of Los Angeles. Aerial footage shows black smoke rising from the crash site, with a large area of desert ground scorched, and emergency vehicles have arrived.

U.S. Air Force Colonel James Hayes, deputy commander of the 412th Test Wing, stated at a press conference on the 15th that the test flight was intended to support a "radar modernization project," with crew members including military personnel, government contractors, and civilians. The crash caused damage to the runway, and Edwards Air Force Base has suspended all operations, which will last at least until the 16th.

According to Hayes, the investigation has begun and may take up to six months to complete.

The B-52 strategic bomber, nicknamed "Stratofortress," is typically operated by a crew of five and has been in service since the 1950s. This Boeing-manufactured strategic bomber has been a mainstay of the U.S. Air Force since the Cold War, capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear weapons, and has been a significant strike force in U.S. military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as recent actions against Iran. According to The Wall Street Journal, of the 76 B-52 bombers in the U.S. Air Force, four are used for testing. The U.S. Air Force plans to replace the aging engines of the B-52 with more fuel-efficient new engines, and the B-52 may remain in service until the middle of this century after completing upgrades such as new engines and new radar.

Edwards Air Force Base is located in the Mojave Desert region of Southern California, where the U.S. Air Force conducts some of its most classified research. The Air Force Test Center, Test Pilot School, and NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center are all located there. The Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. pilot Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in 1947 at Edwards, and the U.S. Space Shuttle also made its first landing at Edwards in 1981.

According to Reuters, the crash on the 15th is the first B-52 crash since May 2016. At that time, a B-52 bomber crashed shortly after taking off from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, with all seven crew members surviving the incident. (Chen Lixi)