Sixty years in the sky

Hallmark cards and B-52 pilots agree on one thing: Age is just a number.

The B-52 Stratofortress—one of the United States’ two nuclear-capable bombers—has been in service since the early 1960s. Although the B-52 “stratosaurus” (as some have jokingly referred to the aircraft) has served longer than any other bomber in American history, the B-52 isn’t ready to retire yet. In fact, the B-52 will soon receive upgrades that enable it to achieve its mission for decades to come.

“It’s a 60-year-old aircraft, but it’s definitely not going anywhere,” says Major Joshua “Reacher” Henry. Henry is a B-52 pilot who, as one of Los Alamos National Laboratory’s two Air Force fellows, is at Los Alamos this year to share his experience as a pilot and to learn about the nuclear weapons enterprise from the Laboratory’s perspective. “Modernization efforts are going to keep the bomber relevant well into the 2050s.”

The Air Force’s heavy bomber fleet consists of three kinds of aircraft: the B-1 Lancer, the B-2 Spirit, and the B-52. In the next two decades, the B-1 and B-2 will be retired and replaced by the B-21 Raider. But the B-52—which can carry the broadest range of conventional and nuclear bombs and missiles—is slated to remain in service past 2050. To keep the B-52 in the air for another 25 years or longer, the Air Force plans to overhaul the bomber with new engines, modern radar and defensive systems, and more. The first B-52 upgrades will happen in 2026.

Henry describes the B-52 as a “stick-and-rudder” aircraft that requires skill to handle but is “a blast” to fly. He notes that the B-52’s dual capability (its capacity to carry and deploy both conventional and nuclear weapons) makes it an enduring part of the nation’s nuclear deterrent. For one thing, the B-52’s closed bomb bays mean that adversaries can’t know for certain whether, and in what quantities, a bomber is carrying conventional or nuclear weapons on any given mission. “We rely on the B-52 every day to deter our adversaries,” Henry says.

The United States’ 46 nuclear-capable B-52s also play an important role in the nation’s deterrence strategy because they are recallable, Henry says. Bombers can be deployed in a crisis to signal the nation’s readiness to defend its interests, but unlike missiles launched from submarines or silos, they can be called back to base if tensions ease.

Henry has flown B-52 sorties, or missions, in Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, the Middle East, the Pacific Ocean, and elsewhere. He also flew the B-52 as a part of Operation Inherent Resolve (the United States’ campaign against the Islamic State). One notable sortie involved joining forces with allies from Japan and the Republic of Korea over the Pacific Ocean. The sortie, which was a freedom-of-navigation mission intended to safeguard the neutrality of international waters, did not escape the attention of the People’s Republic of China, which dispatched fighter jets to intercept the aircraft.

“When you’re in the Pacific or the Middle East, you’re not there just to execute your sortie and go home,” Henry says. “Instead, you’re taking the opportunity to integrate with allies and partners and to reinforce the extended deterrence umbrella for the United States. And when you’re intercepted by adversaries, it shows that you’re getting under their skin.”

At Los Alamos, Henry is learning about diverse aspects of the Laboratory’s nuclear security mission, including stockpile stewardship (which ensures—without nuclear testing—the safety, security, and reliability of the nation’s nuclear deterrent). He is also studying the weapons development process, with a view to understanding how the Air Force could more efficiently modernize and sustain the nuclear weapons in its custody.

“As a bomber pilot, you know that there is a whole enterprise behind the deployment of nuclear weapons,” Henry says. “But being here as a part of the fellowship, we’re really getting to see the enterprise at work. If we didn’t have institutions like Los Alamos, we wouldn’t have the weapons that provide deterrence.”

Henry says that although the B-52 has had a long life, the coming upgrades will ensure that the bomber remains a key part of the nation’s nuclear forces well into the future. “The B-52 is an old jet, but it’s got sharp teeth,” Henry says. “It still provides a powerful deterrent effect for our adversaries.” ★

Article by Jake Bartman, National Security Science magazine writer

Read about another Los Alamos Air Force fellow in "A bomber's point of view."