Bye Bye B-52G — last of big bombers scrapped

[unhappycamper]

http://blogs.gazette.com/highground/2013/12/23/bye-bye-b-52g-last-of-big-bombers-scrapped/



Bye Bye B-52G — last of big bombers scrapped
Published: December 23, 2013, 12:11 pm,
by Tom Roeder

"The final elimination of a B-52G"The Air Force sawed the tail off its last B-52G bomber at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., on Friday.

The eight-engined behemoth was sacrificed as part of a U.S. effort to get in compliance with a treaty that limits American and Soviet bomber strength. The plane was in a boneyard awaiting its fate. it was the last of more than 150 B-52Gs delivered before the Air Force upgrade to the H-model, which is still flying.

The B-52Gs were the backbone of the American nuclear bomber fleet well into the 1990s.

The last of the G-model planes had some history in Vietnam, too.



unhappycamper comment: Having witnessed a number of Arc Light carpet bombing strikes in Vietnam, this is my impression of the B-52:

[malthaussen]

1. It's always seemed weird to me...

... that the "backbone" of the strategic bombing fleet is an airframe that is what, 60 years old? Somehow, I've always seen that as a bit of a commentary on how exactly important the bomber fleet is. Under present conditions, just how much deterrent credibility would we lose if we scrapped the whole bunch?

-- Mal