U.S. Media: B-52 Crash Highlights Aging Issues in U.S. Bomber Fleet

Reference News Network reported on June 20 According to the Associated Press on June 16, Jerome Smith had served as a flight test engineer at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California for about a decade. His wife said he loved the job but was also acutely aware of the risks that come with frequently participating in military aircraft test flights.

On the 15th, his worst fears became a reality. A B-52 bomber crashed shortly after taking off from the base. The aircraft caught fire, and all eight crew members, including Smith, perished in the flames.

The crash occurred at 11:20 AM that day, and the cause of the accident is under investigation. At the time, the bomber was conducting a routine test mission shortly after takeoff. Air Force officials stated that there was "no chance of survival" for those on board and indicated that the investigation could take up to six months to determine the cause of the accident.

The B-52 bomber has been in service with the U.S. military since the 1950s, known for its large airframe, high reliability, and good safety performance, but also infamous for its aging fleet. The test flight on the 15th was part of the U.S. Air Force's plan to upgrade the aircraft's outdated radar and other avionics systems, which have long been vulnerable to air defense systems.

The B-52 is manufactured by Boeing and serves as the backbone of the modern U.S. Air Force bomber fleet, as well as a relic of a bygone era. This jet was designed in the 1940s and entered service in 1955. The Air Force currently only operates its latest model, the B-52H.

During the Cold War, the B-52 played a crucial role in the Pentagon's so-called "nuclear triad," a strategy consisting of bombers, intercontinental ballistic missiles, and submarine-launched ballistic missiles armed with nuclear warheads.

The B-52 made significant contributions to the U.S. military during the Vietnam War, with each capable of carrying up to 60,000 pounds (about 27 tons) of munitions. The B-52 was again deployed in combat during the Gulf War in 1991 and the Afghanistan War following the "9/11" terrorist attacks in 2001.

However, the military has struggled to keep them airworthy.

In April of this year, General Stephen L. Davis, commander of the Air Force Global Strike Command, told the Senate that the Air Force has difficulty procuring parts for the aircraft, and mechanics can only salvage parts from other planes.

As of 2025, the Air Force has a total of 76 B-52s, of which 58 are actually usable.

These "flying relics" are filled with outdated avionics from the analog era, featuring rows of dials with moving needles and aluminum control sticks. Control commands need to be transmitted through several meters of steel cables and pulley systems to reach the flaps. There is a port at the top of the cockpit where crew members can use a sextant for star navigation.

Despite this, the B-52 remains very safe and reliable compared to other new jet aircraft. Its simple design and configuration of eight engines allow it to continue flying even in the event of a failure.

The Air Force began discussing the replacement of the B-52 as early as the 1960s. However, retirement plans for this long-range bomber have been repeatedly delayed because alternatives have been too disappointing.

The latest proposed replacement is the B-21 "Raider" bomber. This bomber is scheduled to enter service next year, but due to cost overruns, the Pentagon's initial order of 132 aircraft has been reduced to just 21. So far, only two of the new bombers have been delivered for flight testing.

With a unit cost of about $700 million, the "Raider" bomber is expected to perform only a limited number of specific missions, while the B-52 can handle a variety of tasks under U.S. air superiority: it can carpet bomb entire areas as it did in Vietnam; it can carry a large number of precision-guided bombs and loiter for hours, dropping munitions with laser-like precision one by one as it did in Iraq and Afghanistan; it can drop tons of leaflets as it did in the Gulf War.

However, the massive B-52 is highly vulnerable to surface-to-air missile attacks. In the final months of the Vietnam War, many B-52s were shot down over North Vietnam.

In March of this year, following Trump's declaration of war against Tehran, Air Force pilots began flying B-52s over Iran, confident in their air superiority.

The Air Force has stated that after undergoing "multiple upgrades" (including new engines and radar systems), its B-52 fleet is expected to remain in service until the 2050s. (Translated by Zhu Li)