The Scary Processes of Repairing US Air Force Gigantic Bomber

[Music] hello everyone and welcome back to the fluctus channel [Music] the B-52 is not only one of the most iconic bombers in the world it may soon become the first military vehicle to serve for a whole century as a long-range heavy bomber aircraft designed and built by the Boeing Company it entered service in 1955 but has proven so effective that the U.S military plans to keep it in service until the 2050s this would be an amazing accomplishment for any aircraft however the B-52 has a reputation for being particularly temperamental in fact keeping these 92-ton behemoths flying can be extremely challenging the B-52 is powered by eight Pratt and Whitney tf-33 turbo fence each of these engines puts out around 17 000 pounds of thrust propelling The strato Fortress up to speeds of 650 miles per hour though these engines have been upgraded over the years they are still based on the original design [Music] given the age of these components it's understandable that the B-52 requires near constant maintenance each engine is inspected almost daily depending on the aircraft's flight schedule since it still operates as a long-range strategic bomber the high altitudes and long running times can put additional strain on the engine parts this is often coupled with frequent structural repairs which feature members of the air base's maintenance Squadron maintaining an even fabricating parts to keep the B-52 operational even the most minor crack in the fuselage or lost part can drastically impact fuel consumption and performance all aircrafts serving in the United States military has a recommended maintenance schedule typically this is based on the number of flight hours however when planes operate in particularly harsh conditions such as in the cold winters of North Dakota's Minot Air Force Base special conditions must be made to ensure the planes stay in proper working order maintenance starts on the runway where parts of the aircraft can be inspected and evaluated however in the event more detailed work must be performed the crews will generally bring the plane into the hangar the B-52 is 160 feet long and has a wingspan of 185 feet so it takes up a fair amount of room indoors however the team will have access to everything they need to perform repairs evaluate components and prepare the plane for its next mission [Music] in addition to regular maintenance military aircraft like the B-52 also undergo periodic overhauls and upgrades to ensure they remain Mission ready and technologically current [Applause] [Music] though most people wouldn't consider the appearance of combat aircraft necessary keeping these massive planes clean is a very high priority for the United States military [Music] regular washing helps to maintain the exterior of the aircraft preventing the buildup of dirt dust and grime thank you these elements can cause corrosion and other damage to the aircraft surface weakening the fuselage this buildup can sometimes even impede performance by affecting the speed and fuel efficiency corrosion is even more of a problem for high altitude planes like the B-52 which has a service ceiling of more than 50 000 feet [Music] thank you while various B-52 models have been converted for new and diverse Mission types the plane remains primarily a heavy bomber since its Inception the B-52 has been capable of carrying around 70 000 pounds of munitions in fact the B-52 bomber has two bomb base both located in the fuselage beneath the wings [Applause] as they are an essential component of the aircraft's mission capabilities they must be maintained regularly to ensure safe and reliable operation [Applause] the maintenance of the B-52 bomb base includes inspecting and repairing any damage to the doors hinges latches and hydraulic systems maintenance technicians must inspect these systems for leaks corrosion and other defects that could compromise performance in addition to routine maintenance the bombays must be thoroughly cleaned and inspected after each mission [Music] this includes removing any debris or residue that may have accumulated during flight and checking for signs of wear and tear back when the B-52 was first introduced the Cold War was reaching New Heights the United States needed a long-range bomber capable of delivering massive payloads over distances of more than 8 000 miles B-52 was therefore designed to carry everything from conventional and nuclear bombs to cruise missiles and precision guided munitions the plane served heavily in Vietnam and also conducted bombing missions in Afghanistan Iraq and Syria with its large size and extensive capacity the aircraft is capable of doing extensive damage to ground targets of all sizes and types foreign [Applause] of course the B-52 is hardly the only aircraft the United States has employed for this job in the early 1990s engineers at Northrop Grumman introduced the B-2 Spirit also known as the stealth bomber this strategic flying wing aircraft can evade radar detection and enter enemy airspace without being detected this is achieved through a combination of Advanced Materials and a unique shape that reduces the aircraft's radar signature the official bomb capacity of the B2 is listed as 40 000 pounds however it can carry a much wider range of weapon types than the B-52 among these are penetrator bombs which are capable of destroying heavily fortified targets or enemy locations dug deep into the Earth one of the ways the B-52 has been made more competitive with newer bombers like the B2 is by adding upgrades like the common strategic rotary launcher [Music] csrl this rotating weapon system allows the aircraft to carry and deploy a wide range of air-launched cruise missiles including the agm-86b an agm-158 as well as standard bombs [Music] foreign the csrl can hold up to eight missiles with each missile mounted on a separate pylon the launcher can be turned to select the desired missile for deployment and the pylon can be quickly removed and replaced to facilitate reloading and maintenance [Music] this gives the crew a much more diverse range of attack and defense options allowing them to switch Mission capabilities at a moment's notice rather than attempt to keep the B-52 running on its aging engines the United States military has instead decided to replace the existing engines altogether [Music] in the early 2000s the U.S awarded a contract to Rolls-Royce whose f-130 dual pod engines would drastically upgrade the plane's overall performance [Music] engines can produce between fifteen thousand and twenty one thousand pounds of thrust and are projected to reduce fuel consumption and further boost the aircraft's range these new power plants have been undergoing testing since early 2023 which is expected to continue throughout the year given the size of the current B-52 Fleet Rolls-Royce would deliver a total of 600 in the coming years despite many upgrades the B-52 is still woefully behind the competition in terms of avionics and communication [Music] for this reason the U.S military plans to have each model equipped with the combat network communications technology or connect upgrade connect is intended to enhance the aircraft's situational awareness and ability to engage Targets in a network-centric Warfare environment it includes the installation of new radios commissions and data links it also provides for the integration of new sensors and display systems that crew members can use for attack defense and reconnaissance [Music] another feature of the connect upgrade is that it will allow the B-52 to receive and transmit data in real time foreign this enables the B-52 to participate in network-centric operations where multiple platforms share information to achieve a common objective ultimately the United States is committed to ensuring this legendary bomber can continue to serve for decades to come though the aircraft may appear outdated on the outside it will soon pack all the equipment it needs to compete against the newest most advanced aircraft worldwide thank you [Music] that's the end of this video I hope you enjoyed it make sure to subscribe to this channel so you don't miss any of our new content see you next time

Channel: Fluctus

Views: 67,123

Keywords: crazy process of maintaining B-52, deep maintenance and future upgrades, B-52 history, B-52 design, B-52 engines, B-52 engine maintenance, B-52 structural maintenance, B-52 corrosion wash, B-52 wash down, B-52upgrades, B-52 CSRL, B-52 bombing mission, B-2 bomber, B-2 bombing missions, B-52 engine upgrades, Rolls Royce B-52 engine testing, B-52 CONECT upgrade

Id: e9SiFWPwy20

Length: 15min 3sec (903 seconds)

Published: Tue Jun 13 2023