Jump to content

B52's get another 30 years.


Recommended Posts

  • Platinum Contributing Member
23 minutes ago, spin_dry said:

They really are impressive…when I was at NMU they would fly over campus out of KI Sawyer AFB..very cool.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Old Joe will stroke endless checks for new jets and motors .

But 1 flight from the middle east to America has more co2 output than 130 cars put out in a year . Yep best to put  mandates cars because they are the problem 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Platinum Contributing Member
2 hours ago, NaturallyAspirated said:

U2s and satellites have filled its place.

Neal

SR-71 is still a really cool piece of aviation history. Purposely designing leaking fuel tanks is pretty wild  :bc: 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Gold Member
1 hour ago, Skidooski said:

SR-71 is still a really cool piece of aviation history. Purposely designing leaking fuel tanks is pretty wild  :bc: 

How ballsy was that? Leaks at low speed but allow air friction and expansion to seal the tanks!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, NaturallyAspirated said:

U2s and satellites have filled its place.

Neal

Kinda, but not really.  The U2 is slow and a sitting duck for SAMs, and any enemy worth a damn knows exactly when the satellites pass over head.  The SR71 has the advantage of that unpredictable speed, and with an operational ceiling higher than that of the U2, can cover more territory in a side-scanning action just outside of enemy airspace than the U2 can.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, Carlos Danger said:

Kelly Johnson always thought that science would catch up to the SR71 and a high temp sealant would be created but it never came to be.

Ben Rich’s engine cone design and the CIA acquiring most of the Titanium from Russia were fantastic feats.

Ne

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Matt said:

Kinda, but not really.  The U2 is slow and a sitting duck for SAMs, and any enemy worth a damn knows exactly when the satellites pass over head.  The SR71 has the advantage of that unpredictable speed, and with an operational ceiling higher than that of the U2, can cover more territory in a side-scanning action just outside of enemy airspace than the U2 can.

Optics aren’t the main interest of the U2. It’s the listening ability. The U2 also uses newer and more sophisticated jamming devices to use against SAMs. Imagine if the SR71 were still feasible from a cost standpoint and equipped with the electronic package of today’s U2. It would be practically invincible. Apparently the U2’s are in the air almost continuously attempting to extract intel. Something that the fleet of SR71 could never accomplish due to cost and maintenance issues. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, spin_dry said:

Optics aren’t the main interest of the U2. It’s the listening ability. The U2 also uses newer and more sophisticated jamming devices to use against SAMs. Imagine if the SR71 were still feasible from a cost standpoint and equipped with the electronic package of today’s U2. It would be practically invincible. Apparently the U2’s are in the air almost continuously attempting to extract intel. Something that the fleet of SR71 could never accomplish due to cost and maintenance issues. 

Unmanned assets like the Global Hawk and others are the main surveillance platforms now. The U2 has a role but Intel is not it's main job. Rivet joint has been busy in Ukraine as well but the unmanned spy planes have done all the heavy lifting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Not greg b said:

There is really no point in making a new one. The days of carpet bombing with a dump truck are pretty much done. 

Not really. The thing is once you have air dominance the cheapest way to make large scale destruction is the BUFF. Plus new weapons like the SDB and JDAMs have made the load carrying abilities even more valuable. There is good reason to put new engines on the B52. I think they are only going to keep about 40 of them in service which is a fraction of what SAC used to have on hand.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Carlos Danger said:

Unmanned assets like the Global Hawk and others are the main surveillance platforms now. The U2 has a role but Intel is not it's main job. Rivet joint has been busy in Ukraine as well but the unmanned spy planes have done all the heavy lifting.

The U2 in its current form carries 3000 pounds of surveillance equipment. It's still the premier eyes and ears in the sky. Nothing has longer surveillance range. Not even the rivet joint. It also has a higher ceiling than the GH. There's reports where it'd been taken to 75k feet. There's still 30 in operation which makes it very flexible. 

Edited by spin_dry
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Not greg b said:

There is really no point in making a new one. The days of carpet bombing with a dump truck are pretty much done. 

It also makes an excellent platform for larger, longer range hypersonic missiles. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Carlos Danger said:

Not really. The thing is once you have air dominance the cheapest way to make large scale destruction is the BUFF. Plus new weapons like the SDB and JDAMs have made the load carrying abilities even more valuable. There is good reason to put new engines on the B52. I think they are only going to keep about 40 of them in service which is a fraction of what SAC used to have on hand.

Future is unmanned. Human is the weak link both performance and flight time. They will keep the b52 around just to have it. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Trying to pay the bills, lol



×
×
  • Create New...