10 Incredible Oldest Aircraft Still in Use – #5 Is Unbelievable!

for a country with an 886 billion defense budget the United States still uses a sizable amount of old gear some of the Antiquated equipment is around because it works really really well and there hasn't come along anything better to replace it with in other cases attempts to replace the equipment have floundered usually due to reasons related to complexity or cost we dug up 10 examples that rank among the oldest still in action from venerable aircraft like the B52 bomber to the stalwart C5 Galaxy transport despite their age continuous upgrades keep them relevant for defense strategies 10 locked C5 Galaxy the C5 Galaxy is known worldwide for its carrying capacity and Remains the largest military transport aircraft in the US Air Force Fleet first entering service in the early 1970s the US Air Force currently owns and operates 52 of these aircraft with a cargo load of 281 ,1 lb it can fly 2,150 nautical miles offload and fly to a second base 500 nautical miles away from the original destination all without aerial refueling with aerial refueling the aircraft's range is limited only by crew endurance the plane has been flying for over 50 years and continues to play an essential role in strategic airlift operations c5m Super Galaxy is an upgraded version with with new engines and modernized avionics specifically designed to extend the aircraft service life to 2040 and Beyond nine Grumman C2 Greyhound the northr Grumman built C2 Greyhound took its maen flight on November 18th 1964 and entered service with the US Navy in 1966 with a primary mission of transporting high priority cargo critical aircraft parts and passengers to deploy carrier strike groups the C2 Greyhound provides critical logistic support currently there are a total of 15 C2 Greyhounds still in service to support Logistics and Personnel transfers on the east and west coasts as well as deployed aircraft carriers in US Fifth and 7eventh fleets said Commander Beth te a spokeswoman for the commander of Naval Air Forces however their lifespan is limited as the Navy plans to retire all Greyhounds by 2026 and replace them with CMV 22b ospr 8 Hughes o6 caou first flown in February 1963 the o6a cause entered service in September 1966 establishing 23 world records for Speed distance and altitude the caus was Hughes longest running helicopter program and during the Vietnam War as many as a hundred of these helicopters were built in a month initially called Loach in adaptation of its acronym it was officially named Caillou it was also known as the flying egg and when equipped for combat the helicopters were referred to as killer eggs the modern-day o6 variants flown by the US Army Special Operations forces are known as the mh6 little bird which is still in service today seven Northrup gumman E2 Hawkeye built by North rup Grumman the E2 Hawkeye is the Navy's all weather carrier based tactical battle management Airborne early warning command and control aircraft the E2 is a twin engine 5 crew member high-wing turbo prop aircraft with a 24t diameter radar Roto doome attached to the upper fuselage the E2 Hawkeye has many nicknames it's often called the super fud because it replaced the wiie fud and has also commonly been referred to as the Hummer because of the Unique Sounds of its Turbo off engines designed in the 1950s the E2 took its Maiden flight in 1960 and entered service in 1964 over 400 aircraft across all variants have been built and today remarkably the E2 remains in production with the latest e2d variant the US Navy currently has no plans to replace the current e2d Advanced Hawkeye any potential future replacement for the Hawkeye is not expected until after 2014 40 six Boeing c47 shinook for more than 60 years since entering service in 1962 Chinooks have served as the Army's heavy lift helicopter whether flown in harsh combat conditions transporting loads of cargo and troops or conducting humanitarian missions the shinook has made a career of doing the unthinkable it's huge quick and reasonably durable capable of reaching a maximum speed of 196 mph making it one of the fastest helicopters in the US inventory made by the Boeing Company the c47s have been upgraded over the years and are expected to remain in service with the Army for decades to come there's no doubt in my mind that the shinook will be at least 100-year-old aircraft said Patrick surfus Boeing senior manager of h47 shinook Business Development it will continue operating and Performing for the United States and its allies well beyond 2060 Five Bell uh1 iqua the Bell uh1 iqua affectionately known as the QI is one of the world's most iconic helicopters famous for its extensive role in the Vietnam War and distinctive sound Bell developed the powerful helicopter in the mid 1950s produced more than 16,000 units between 1955 and 1976 over 7,000 of which served in Vietnam it entered service with the US Army in 1959 the aircraft were used primarily for troop and cargo transport medical evacuations and aerial attacks the final uh1 was officially retired from US military service in 2016 however there are reports of the US military still using newer versions of the chopper to this day technically there are three versions of the Huey still flying the uh1 and Hui which is in service with the US Air Force the uh1 Y Venom and the ah1 Z Viper both of which serve with the Marine Corps these aircraft have undergone significant updates from their initial production models but are expected to remain in service with the Marines for years to [Music] come four four Boeing KC 135 the Boeing KC 135 stratotanker is a military asset that served as the backbone of the US Air Force's aerial refueling Fleet for over 6 decades it's versatile aircraft that plays a crucial role in extending the operational range of military jets enabling them to conduct long range missions without the need for frequent refueling stops the KC 135 Strat tanker was equipped with aerial refueling booms and enough internal fuel storage to transfer up to 200,000 lb of fuel enough to fully refuel more than 15 F-16 Fighting Falcons equipped with two external fuel tanks according to the KC 135 fact sheet the Air Force still maintains nearly 400 Strat tankers as part of the US Air Force inventory the KC 135 entered service in June 1957 now it's hard to believe that this aircraft has been flying for almost 70 years and is projected to fly until it reaches close to 100 years old three locked C130 Hercules as the C130 prepares to embark on its eighth decade of service retirement seems nowhere in sight so expect the cargo aircraft to fly for decades still quietly but surely the C130 has become worthy of its namesake it's a legend in military Aviation circles the C130 entered service with the US in 1956 followed by Australia and many other nations throughout its years of service the Hercules has participated in numerous military civilian and humanitarian Aid operations the C130 is the longest continuously produced military aircraft with a production span of more than 60 years according to lockie Martin to date more than 2500 c130s have been ordered and or delivered to 63 Nations around the world 70 countries operate c130s which have been produced in more than 70 different variants two Lockheed U2 the U2 is a high altitude reconnaissance aircraft capable of flying at 70,000 ft over a target with roughly a 1700 mile operational radius the aircraft first entered service in 1956 and later performed flyovers of the Soviet Union generating a trove of valuable intelligence for the Department of Defense however the Soviets eventually shot one down with surfac to air missiles in 1960 effectively ending the flyovers despite this incident the platform continued to serve the Central Intelligence Agency over the years various upgrades have been incorporated into the U2 to maintain its Competitive Edge in 2020 the entire U2 Fleet of the Air Force was outfitted with Electro Optical reconnaissance system sensors the Air Force currently houses its 27 uus at be Air Force Base in California which rotate through military installations worldwide one Boeing B52 Strat Fortress designed and built by Boeing in the early stages of the Cold War the v52 was developed to be a long-range bomber capable of carrying out the Strategic Mission without dependence on Advanced and intermediate bases controlled by other countries with its impressive of capacity the bomber can carry up to 70,000 lb of weapons payload and is equipped with versatile capabilities to deliver Munitions across diverse Target ranges the Strat Fortress took its Maiden flight in April 1952 and entered service Less Than 3 years later in February 1955 due to its massive size its length is 159 ft 4 in and it has a wingspan of 185 ft and the fact that it can't be described as a handsome aircraft it quickly earned the nickname buff big ugly fat fella a total of 744 b52s were produced in Seattle Washington and Witchita Kansas culminating in the b-52h model last delivered in 1962 currently there are 76 in the US Air Force inventory the B-52 a long serving aircraft in the US Air Force has maintained its importance through continuous upgrades recently a significant modern ization effort has been initiated focusing on replacing the original 60s era Pratt and Whitney tf33 engines with new Rolls-Royce made f-130 engines this $2.6 billion initiative known as the commercial engine replacement program aims to convert the b-52h into the B52 J the Air Force expects flight tests for the first B-52 J to begin in late 2028 this modernization effort is not limited to engine upgrades the v52 will also receive new radar systems Communications and navigation equipment and weapons ensuring its credibility and capability well into the 2050s [Music]

Channel: US Military News

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Keywords: 10 old planes, 10 oldest aircraft, Aging Aircraft, Old Aircraft, Oldest American Weapons, Oldest Planes, Oldest military aircraft, aircraft, old air planes, old planes and names, old planes flying, old planes never die, oldest active aircraft, oldest aircraft, oldest aircraft in service, oldest aircraft still flying, planes, shuttleworth collection, us military news

Id: mt2SiIQWEp4

Length: 12min 43sec (763 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 03 2024