DaveRindner Posted November 18, 2015 Posted November 18, 2015 Yikes. 50 years of operating MIG-21bis. Still on active duty. Talk about sqeazing every second of service life. Here I tought that 50+ years of USAF operating B-52H, KC-135, and U-2/TR-1 was pushing flight hours. One of those 'duh' moments is when it is realized that service life has climbed with cost of procurement, and cost of development of new systems. F-16, F15, F-18,Typhoon, Mirage, Raphale, MIG-29, and SU-27 are all expected to have 40-50 year service lives.
BaconSarnie Posted November 18, 2015 Posted November 18, 2015 I read somwhere they intend on using the B52 well into 2050, some of them will be 90 years old at that point. And lo, Reverend Vegas did say "Take forth unto the infidel the mighty GAU 8 and expend its holy 30MM so that freedom will be brung upon them who knoweth not the joys of BBBBBBBRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTTT" "Amen"
Capn kamikaze Posted November 18, 2015 Posted November 18, 2015 True, you could potentially have grandparent, parent and grandchild all flying the same exact air frame.
DaveRindner Posted November 19, 2015 Author Posted November 19, 2015 Thats not a could, it has already happened in USAF , RuAF. USAF - three gens of USAF officers from same family flying B-52 and KC-135, and T-38 RuAF - Three gens flying L-39, TU-95/142
DaveRindner Posted November 21, 2015 Author Posted November 21, 2015 Yep. USAF constantly rebuilds the airframes , via Boeing. AMARC has so many retired B-52 airframes, they can keep B-52 flying for centuries. Today USAF uses B-52 as cruise missile and JDAM, JASSM truck. The aircraft is very fast and can haul vast amounts of munitions. I'd bet that B-52H will be the launch platform for Prompt Global Strike hypersonic cruise missile, the air launched version of it. Boeing and Northrop modified wing hardpoints tp carry dozens of Harpoon and SLAM missiles for naval anti-surface mission.
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