- 10 minutes ago
For educational purposes
Boeing continuing its legacy of manufacturing notable heavy bombers, developed the B-52 an aircraft used for over 35 years by the Strategic Command.
This film traces that development showing B-45, B-48, XB-47, B-46, YB-60 and the jet-powered flying wing.
The first flight of YB-52 through the various models to the shorter tail and turbo fan engine powered H, the last predoclos version.
From bases in Guam, B-52s were used for tactical strikes in Vietnam and later from Thai- land, cutting sortie time.
Capable of tremendous destructive power, B-52s take part in Operation Linebacker, raids into the north were not without losses as the Communists used every available SAM to prevent them.
Witness low level flight and the loss of most of the vertical fin and rudder of an H model on a research flight, the aircraft continuing and landing safely.
Front line service for over 30 years, still flying and one of the Great Planes.
Boeing continuing its legacy of manufacturing notable heavy bombers, developed the B-52 an aircraft used for over 35 years by the Strategic Command.
This film traces that development showing B-45, B-48, XB-47, B-46, YB-60 and the jet-powered flying wing.
The first flight of YB-52 through the various models to the shorter tail and turbo fan engine powered H, the last predoclos version.
From bases in Guam, B-52s were used for tactical strikes in Vietnam and later from Thai- land, cutting sortie time.
Capable of tremendous destructive power, B-52s take part in Operation Linebacker, raids into the north were not without losses as the Communists used every available SAM to prevent them.
Witness low level flight and the loss of most of the vertical fin and rudder of an H model on a research flight, the aircraft continuing and landing safely.
Front line service for over 30 years, still flying and one of the Great Planes.
Category
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LearningTranscript
00:00The
00:30An aircraft that can fly 10,000 miles without refueling, with a wingspan of 185 feet and a massive weapons payload, the Stratofortress is truly a giant of military flight. Experience the story of a living legend on Great Plains, the B-52.
00:52Aging now, these later models of the Boeing B-52 range are still in operation with the Strategic Air Command, and often fly missions carrying state-of-the-art cruise missiles. But, this superb design is now approaching the end of its more than 30 years of service in a low-level bomber role.
01:16And this is something of a paradox, as the B-52 Stratofortress, as its name implies, was originally designed and built to fly at a great height as a long-range intercontinental strategic bomber.
01:31When it went into service in 1955, the B-52 was the pinnacle of jet bomber design. And yet, it actually owes much of its origin to a decision made by the Defence Department ten years earlier, when the nation was at war.
01:52Throughout much of World War II, America was committed to the development of proven technology, because this would enable the rapid development of production lines to turn out the tools of war with the urgency needed.
02:16Piston engines were greatly improved, and it was still that type of power plant that would drive every American aircraft to see service in World War II.
02:31Even the massive Boeing B-29, with more speed, range and payload than any other bomber, and upon which so much importance was to be placed, still depended upon piston engine technology.
02:49Early in the war, it came as a major shock for the US to learn that Germany and Britain had developed gas turbine jet engines, which would soon be able to propel fighters at speeds that would far outstrip even the fabled super fortress.
03:04Super fortress.
03:23In 1944, the American Air Force issued a requirement for an all-jet bomber with such speed that
03:39it could elude jet fighters, and contracts were issued for not less than five different
03:44designs to be built.
03:50But it was to be another technology, that of nuclear fission, which was actually to bring
03:54the war to a quick and dramatic end.
03:57Although it did involve the B-29, just one aircraft dropped one bomb, and in seconds,
04:03the city of Hiroshima ceased to exist.
04:20The B-29, the B-29, the B-29.
04:29If one aircraft could carry such a devastating payload, then large fleets of bombers would
04:57no longer be needed to win another war.
05:01But the dreadful cost in lives that America had paid to obtain B-29 bases in the Pacific
05:06had now changed the parameters for the next generation of bombers.
05:16During the early post-war period, strategy concentrated on the ability to deliver the
05:20atomic bomb over very long distances, and the Air Force put its emphasis on long-range
05:26intercontinental aircraft, a role that the Convair B-36 Peacemaker adequately filled for
05:31some time.
05:35The Behemoth B-36 was really a Second World War design that arrived late, and it required
05:42no less than six massive piston engines to propel it at what were average speeds.
05:47However, jet engines were later fitted in pods under the wing to supplement its power.
06:01By 1947, the jet bomber project was starting to come to fruition, and it was in that year
06:07that each of the five submissions were tested, although by now they would be classed as medium
06:12one.
06:13The B-45 was the first of the jets from the 1944 requirement and it was the second most successful.
06:23This simple but effective four-engine design was actually adopted by the Air Force and went
06:28into service in limited numbers, although mainly in the reconnaissance role.
06:57Consolidated offered the B-46 as another four-jet engine bomber.
07:01Its clean lines made it one of the most elegant aircraft of the time, and its performance as
07:06an early jet was quite acceptable.
07:08However, Consolidated were heavily committed to B-36 production, and the medium bomber project
07:13was not given a high priority.
07:20the B- 고�unker, how, how, how, how strong Eventually known valve A-16 Bruce
07:42The B-48, which was produced by Martin, was something of a cumbersome design and employed
08:02six jet engines in mid-wing clusters.
08:05About the most impressive technology it offered was its bicycle undercarriage, placed on the
08:10centreline of the aircraft and supported by two outrigger wheels on each wing.
08:15This project did not tempt the Air Force and as with the 46, the prototype was scrapped.
08:40The B-48.
08:45The B-48.
08:53Northrop, in an attempt to compete in the jet bomber program, took its previously piston-engined flying wing
09:19and equipped it with eight turbo jets. The wing was a brilliant design, offering excellent efficiency, and was years ahead of its time,
09:27but it never seemed to attract government approval. The technological grasp that Northrop had on flying wings
09:35was to pay a dividend 40 years later in the form of the stealth bomber program. However, in 1947, it was considered to be just too revolutionary.
09:49Without doubt, the most impressive design to be offered to the Air Force came from Boeing.
10:07Their B-47 Stratajet design benefited from the manufacturer's analyses of German data on swept wing technology.
10:13To obtain the maximum efficiency these wings could provide, they were made extremely thin and very flexible.
10:21Therefore, its six engines had to be suspended on pylons and were spread across each wing.
10:26This approach made servicing the engines easier and also had aerodynamic benefits for the aircraft at speed.
10:37Because the wing was so thin, Boeing used the same fuselage-mounted bicycle undercarriage as Martin's B-48.
10:46The B-47 was accepted by the Air Force and literally hundreds were produced during the early 50s.
10:51It was, by any standard, a very successful design.
10:55A classic case of having the right design at the right time.
10:59But, just as importantly, it was an ideal test bed for Boeing
11:03to gain experience on the production of efficient swept wing jet bombers.
11:21One of the problems of early jet engines was the relatively long time they took to reach full power,
11:33especially at take-off.
11:35To offset this, Boeing adopted several versions of detachable rocket boosters
11:39for what became known as jet-assisted take-offs, or JATO.
11:43Following on from its earlier piston-engined bombers,
11:50the success of the Stratojet project was to hold Boeing in good stead with the Air Force in years to come.
11:56For whilst the medium bomber role was catered for,
11:59it was obvious that long-range heavy bombers provided by the B-36 program
12:03would not meet the demands of the late 50s.
12:06As far back as 1946,
12:18Boeing had been commissioned to develop a replacement for the Peacemaker.
12:21And the company explored hundreds of different concepts,
12:25ranging from ultra-large piston-engined aircraft
12:27to those using proposed compound-supercharged power plants,
12:31and others with jet engines driving propellers.
12:34But nothing seemed to provide the sort of increase in performance over the B-36
12:39that the Air Force was looking for.
12:53When the efficiency of the B-47's full-swept wing became apparent,
12:57Boeing proposed another all-jet concept,
13:00based loosely along a similar design to its medium bomber,
13:03but larger, much larger.
13:06This idea was refined on model 464-67,
13:10and was ultimately accepted by the Air Force as the B-52.
13:17An order for two prototypes, the X and Y models,
13:21was placed in October 1948.
13:24But due to minor problems with the X model,
13:26it was the Y B-52 that was ready first.
13:30This is the YB, undergoing tests at Edwards Air Force Base.
13:35Its overall shape and fighter-like canopy was similar to the B-47,
13:39but its size and performance was much greater.
13:42The B-52 also had many updated features,
13:49like the all-steerable undercarriage,
13:51which adjusted to face forward on landing
13:53even when the aircraft was crabbing to one side.
13:56This feature was top secret for several years.
13:59Apart from the cockpit layout,
14:14which was changed to a conventional side-by-side airliner arrangement,
14:19there was very little external difference
14:20between the prototypes and the B-52s
14:23that were to go into production in the form of the Air Force's A model,
14:26now named Stratofortress.
14:56Of the first A models, only three were actually produced.
15:02But the B, which was identical except for minor improvements,
15:05went into full production.
15:18Increased range was always a consideration,
15:21and in-flight refuelling,
15:22which had been perfected in the late 40s
15:24by Boeing's flying boom method had solved many problems.
15:28However, all of the tankers in the early B-52 project
15:31were powered by piston engines,
15:33with a maximum speed little more
15:35than the stalling speed of the jet bombers.
15:38Here, the Y model negotiates the delicate task.
15:41Jet tanker refuelling at higher speeds
15:57was obviously preferable and safer.
16:00It was only with the arrival of the KC-135 spatter tanker
16:10that aerial refuelling for jets became really viable.
16:19One other means of increasing the range
16:22was the adoption of extra-large outboard wing tanks,
16:25like this example, which can hold no less than 3,000 gallons,
16:28but which can be jettisoned in the combat situation
16:31when the fuel was consumed.
16:41By March 1954,
16:44B-52s were rolling off Boeing's production line in Seattle.
16:48They would then go into an induction program
16:50where crew and aircraft would be blended
16:52into one fighting machine.
16:56Inside this sleek shape,
16:58crews of six men would learn the ways of the 52.
17:01After the B-36,
17:03they would certainly find Boeing's bomber much more compact,
17:06with every inch available dedicated to fuel,
17:08payload or electronics.
17:10Whilst the Peacemaker had no less than six gun positions,
17:13the 52 only had one,
17:16relying more on its performance
17:17and the new science of jamming the enemy's radar.
17:21The Strategic Air Command had to have the world's best bomber.
17:24SAC was to make the same heavy demands of its crew
17:48that it did of its new aircraft.
17:50These men would be trained to an elite corps of professionals,
17:53making a team equal to the sophistication
17:56of the new bomber they flew.
17:58Because for over ten years,
17:59the Stratofortress was to have one primary responsibility,
18:03that of delivering the thermonuclear hydrogen bomb.
18:11But if the bomb was to be carried as a deterrent,
18:14then it had to be tested to prove its potential.
18:17And throughout the 50s,
18:18hydrogen bombs were detonated in remote Pacific regions.
18:21The last tests, Operation Dominic,
18:25like many before,
18:26would use a B-52 to make the all-important drop.
18:29Do not feel good.
18:29Do not feel comfortable,
18:31but it was a little bit different.
18:32Because it was nice to know that they have the first
18:34and that they will correct nothing.
18:34To be careful,
18:35it may be the first dump,
18:36but after the last test,
18:37if the bomb was nostro Leben was dead,
18:38and it was a test,
18:38if the bomb wasn't too effective,
18:39if the bomb was drip.
18:40They have the same conditions as you would like this.
18:41They have really good news,
18:41but in the back-told,
18:42if the bomb was leaked,
18:43they will not fully rebuilt it.
18:44Then they will take the same conditions,
18:45but they will take the same conditions as you will be looking at.
18:46Now,
18:48that's the same conditions,
18:48how many things can be done.
18:50For a long-talking theory,
18:51una memorable fried system which can be done,
19:29To these men, loading the most destructive device ever conceived by the human mind, it's a matter of precision and routine, a specialist hauling job for the Stratofortress, although this cargo has a 100 megaton yield, 100 times greater than the bombs dropped on Japan.
19:59Unlike the weapons of the Second World War, the device carried in this bomb bay will be slowed in its drop from the B-52 by a parachute, allowing the bomber more time to vacate the area, and with very good reason.
21:03With the threat of a Russian atomic attack against the United States,
21:32America had produced an elaborate array of early detection facilities,
21:36based mainly in the frozen north,
21:38from where it was perceived the most logical attack would come.
22:02Radar watchers would constantly view through scanners,
22:10looking for a feared blip that might signal the beginning of the end.
22:14SAC's control rooms would have at their disposal fleets of B-52s on operational standby,
22:40in a constant state of alert, ready to act as the ultimate deterrent if needed.
22:46When the red phone rang, the procedure was automatic.
22:49Up to 100 strata fortresses could be dispatched in a few short minutes.
22:54The routine was finely tuned by regular exercise.
22:57The concept of an instant retaliatory strike by SAC was seen as the nation's best defence during the Cold War years.
23:18The business of nuclear deterrents was too awesome to be taken lightly,
23:22and all nuclear-armed B-52 pilots would be at least the rank of major,
23:27as the responsibility for what was held in the bomb bays in these aircraft
23:31could affect the ultimate fate of mankind.
23:34By the early 60s, even the high-flying B-52 and its Russian counterparts
23:54had fallen prey to other technology.
23:56Ground-to-air missiles had been perfected by both sides,
23:59to the stage where nuclear bombardment in the traditional sense would never be achieved.
24:04Both sides had the bomb, yet neither could deliver it by aircraft.
24:08The emphasis had shifted to another form of delivery,
24:13that of the intercontinental ballistic missile.
24:16Experiments had produced the Polaris and Minuteman, among other forms of rocketry,
24:21which meant that manned flights over enemy airspace were no longer necessary.
24:35SAC's strata fortresses were still to play a major role in the dangerous game of nuclear brinkmanship.
24:41The trouble with ICBMs was that after launch they could not be recalled,
24:45and the time-honoured tactic of sabre-rattling was denied the military's political masters.
24:52The B-52, used in conjunction with the Hound Dog standoff bombs, provided a flexible alternative.
24:59B-52s could proceed towards the very edge of enemy airspace,
25:03signalling the nation's intention to attack, but still providing time for last-minute negotiations.
25:09Another innovation was the Quail decoy,
25:15which mimicked the radio signal of the B-52 to confuse enemy radar.
25:30Further development after the Hound Dog produced the SRAM missile.
25:34Small and able to be carried in greater numbers,
25:37the SRAM could be guided from within the B-52
25:40to targets up to a hundred miles away with devastating accuracy.
25:44Hasta a thousand miles away with the B-52s for the U.S.
25:46to losing nemat
26:02the B-52s for the U.S.
26:04and to losing the B-52s for the U.S.
26:08U.S.
26:10The B-52 was also involved with another type of missile drop, the manned missiles.
26:34The most famous of these were the X-15 rocket planes.
26:40Perhaps less known, but equally as successful, were the lifting-body experiments, when strange-looking
26:46aircraft were dropped from great heights by a converted B-52.
26:51The program was designed to find the most suitable shape for a vehicle to make a controlled re-entry
26:56from space.
27:17A less sophisticated but still more dramatic payload was born by SACS B-52s when they were
27:22employed for the first time in 1965 over Vietnam.
27:28The wing mounts would now carry 24 500-pound iron bombs, and the internal capacity brought
27:34the total payload of each plane up to 108.
27:40It is thought that during the course of the Stratofortress' involvement in Southeast Asia,
27:57they dropped in excess of three million tonnes of bombs.
28:01Although the program was the source of controversy at the time, there was absolutely no doubt
28:06about the effectiveness of the B-52s when used as a conventional bomber.
28:13It is only because SACS had the Stratofortress that it was able to complete its operation
28:18linebacker 2, which ultimately forced the North Vietnamese back to the negotiating table.
28:27But during other operations, more sophisticated bombs were sometimes dropped, and some could
28:35be detonated later by personnel in other aircraft using infrared viewing equipment to coincide
28:40an explosion with enemy activity.
28:50The standard 500 or 750-pound iron bomb, like these, was the staple diet for most B-52 raids.
29:06To facilitate quick loading and turnaround, the internal bomb load was contained in pre-arranged
29:12racks so that they could be installed in the shortest possible time.
29:24The standard 500-pound iron bomb, like this, was the first part, was the first part, would
29:27be the first part of the
30:47The crew in the front office and the lonely rear gunner would assume their positions as each aircraft prepared.
30:53Ahead would fly the KC-135 tankers, which would refuel the bomb laden B-52s in flight, thus enabling the bombers to take off with a reduced fuel load, which would save wear on the engines.
31:15Target bound and in thin air over the Pacific, the tankers would top up the B-52s.
31:25They would also be available for the bombers' return flight.
31:27During the course of Vietnam, nose art on individual aircraft was sometimes seen.
31:47But although the art was sometimes tamer than its Second World War counterpart, the mission was no less hazardous.
31:53Not only did the 52 crews have fast and agile enemy MiGs to contend with, but also deadly surface-to-air missiles.
32:00That's right.
32:01That's right.
32:01That's right.
32:02That's right.
32:32After a raid, ground crew would hurriedly repair the bullet pocked airframes of returned
32:4552s, making them ready for the next mission.
32:48The thoughts of aircrew examining the nearness of these hits can only be imagined.
32:56Despite the low fuel takeoff policy, the heavy weight of the bomb load put tremendous stress
33:16on the engines, which regularly needed maintenance and often replacement.
33:24Migs were kept at bay and sometimes actually shot down by the rear gunner, who in his lonely
33:30outpost employed a radar aimed remotely controlled array of four cannons with devastating hitting
33:36power.
33:50The tail gunner's position and the distinctive long rudder employed on models A through
33:54to F were deleted with the arrival of the later G and H models.
34:05Here the shorter tail of a late model 52 is seen being jacked up from its horizontal storage
34:10position.
34:21The H model also employed turbofan engines which gave greater economy and range.
34:27The H was to be the last and most advanced V-52 subtype to go into production.
34:34Here the first of the H models takes its maiden flight.
34:57Its rear armament has been modified with a six-barrel Gatling gun, but the gunner is now in the front
35:02area with the rest of the crew.
35:08The H was the ultimate 52 and examples of it will doubtless still be flying in various
35:13roles well into the 90s, demonstrating the phenomenal durability of the original design first flown
35:19in 1952.
35:28The Stratofortress's durability was also displayed on another B-52H used for research work, experimenting
35:35with the effect of gust turbulence on the large frame.
35:55Flying very low, deliberately looking for turbulence, the plane was suddenly picked up by a tremendous
36:00gust, and the huge aircraft was thrown up and sideways at the same time.
36:05A dreadful shudder went through the entire airframe, culminating in a loud crack, and the entire
36:11crew knew that something had gone dreadfully wrong.
36:30What had happened was that virtually all of the fin and rudder had been snapped off, in conditions
36:45that would have brought almost any other plane out of the sky.
36:54Astonishingly, the pilot regained control, and the crew elected to stay with the aircraft,
36:59which landed without one of its most fundamental flight control elements.
37:20All service G and H models now have EVS, electronic visual system.
37:26This enables the pilot and other crew members to see what is ahead of the aircraft, even
37:30in darkness and fog, via infrared television cameras and a monitor.
37:36This improvement was most timely, as the role of the B-52 had changed to that of a low-level
37:42tactical bomber, and it may now be required to fly through atomic cloud with the plane's interior
37:48shielded by radiation proof curtains, and the EVS would provide the only visual input to the
37:53aircraft crew.
37:55THURSDAY
37:58EM lot PLAY With the
37:59HAV.
38:01First,
38:02ping
38:03aten
38:04bananas
38:04speakers
38:05backgrounds
38:06keiner
38:06Blind
38:08ela
38:08et
38:18Brave
38:19buy
38:20arias
38:20res
38:21and
38:25Phones and flashing lights are still the currency of SAC, and when the bell goes in exercise
38:30or in war, SAC's awesome deterrent force must swing into action.
38:37Now the first thing a general in charge of operations will do is vacate his ground base
38:41for the safer mobility of an aerial command post.
38:55At the same time, the alert is given, and crews rush to their aircraft, which are always
39:01on standby for instant action.
39:25The general is airborne, and the 52s are close behind, because it is only in the safety
39:50of the air that SAC's deterrent force can survive an attack, and at the same time be on their
39:55way to deliver its response.
40:00The high speed takeoff is a prerequisite to survival.
40:27The high speed takeoff is a prerequisite, and when it to the left, there's a clear speed
40:34on the air magic.
40:35The 15th century is used to be a circular electricianес, which is not only in charge or a
40:52Flying low to the ground, each pilot waits his instructions.
41:10This time the 52s are called back, but all concerned know that they have the capacity
41:15to go on if required.
41:40The exercise is over and the general is content.
41:44Jack's 30-year-old bomber still performs well, but clearly time is running out.
42:14Almost as soon as the very first B-52s were rolling off the assembly line, SAC was looking
42:24to other designs for a replacement.
42:26Firstly, there was the ill-fated XB-70, whose design was overtaken by ground-to-air missiles
42:31technology.
42:33More recently, there was the B-1 project with swing wing technology developed by Rockwell
42:40Aviation, providing a combination of high speed and altitude with the wings swept and more
42:45economical low-level flying with the wings forward.
42:48However, the cost of deploying large numbers of B-1s was not acceptable to the Carter administration,
42:55and this project was shelved throughout the 70s, only to be revived again in the early 80s.
43:01Not in the high speed role, but dedicated to low-level bombing.
43:08the
43:19the
43:21the
43:22the
43:26the
45:00After three decades of service, through a period of unprecedented technological advances,
45:06the B-52 is still a weapon of awesome power and effectiveness.
45:11It will be a very hard act to follow.
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