As the war in the Middle East rages on, six U.S. Air Force (USAF) Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers recently arrived in the Middle East to deter Iran and its proxies.
It is the first time B-52s have been deployed to a regional base since 2019. The deployments will occur throughout the coming months. An additional squadron of F-15E Strike Eagles and more Flight Refuelling Aircraft (FRA) have also moved in.
U.S. officials said the fresh airpower was meant to compensate for the forthcoming departure of the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group and before the USS Harry S. Truman arrived.
When the Lincoln departs, there will be no U.S. aircraft carrier in the Middle East for some time. Military commanders have long argued that the presence of an aircraft carrier strike group, with its array of fighter jets, surveillance aircraft, and heavily armed warships, is a significant deterrent, including against Iran.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, condemned the “destabilizing presence” of B-52 bombers in the region. “We have always believed that the presence of America in the region is a destabilizing presence,” said Baghaei in response to a question about the deployment, adding that it “will not deter (Iran’s) resolve to defend itself.”
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The U.S. moved some Navy destroyers to the region to compensate for that gap. The official said that these destroyers, capable of shooting down ballistic missiles, would come either from the Indo-Pacific region or Europe.
U.S. cruisers and destroyers helped defend Israel from Iranian ballistic missiles in April and October. Last month, the U.S. deployed a Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) ballistic missile defense system to Israel along with nearly 100 U.S. troops to operate it.
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In late October, an additional squadron of USAF F-16s from Germany was deployed to the Middle East. In early October, KC-46 Pegasus tankers were also deployed to CENTCOM. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) covers the Middle East, Central Asian Republics, Egypt, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
Additionally, more missile defense-capable Destroyers are being moved into the region. Already, 2,000-plus Marines are in the eastern Mediterranean as part of an Amphibious Ready Group Marine Expeditionary Unit (ARG/MEU) led by the USS Wasp amphibious assault ship.
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Should Iran, its partners, or its proxies use this moment to target American personnel or interests in the region, the United States will take every measure necessary to defend itself and Israel.
Additional air power assets are also required as senior Iranian officials have threatened to attack Israel in response to Tel Aviv’s October 26 retaliatory airstrikes on Iranian air defenses and ballistic missile production sites.
It clearly demonstrates air power’s flexible nature and the American capability to deploy worldwide on short notice. There are currently as many as 43,000 U.S. forces in the region. Air power is meant to de-escalate through deterrence and diplomacy and defend U.S. interests and personnel.
Iranian Threat
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has vowed a “crushing response” to the U.S. and Israel for their hostile actions against Iran and the Resistance Front. Earlier, Israel’s October airstrikes, codenamed “Operation Days of Repentance,” had reportedly broken the “Backbone of Iran’s missile industry.”
The moves come at a critical time as Israel’s wars with Iran supported Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon rage with no ceasefire in sight. Yemen-based Iranian-backed Houthi attacks against ships in the Red Sea continue. Earlier this month, B-2 stealth bombers were used to strike underground Houthi targets in Yemen.
B-52 Airbase In Qatar
The U.S. has nearly half a dozen air bases in the region around Iran, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
The B-52s will likely be stationed at the Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, where cargo aircraft have already positioned personnel and materials. Al Udeid is the largest U.S. base in the Middle East and has previously hosted B-52s.
The B-52 Aircraft
First flown in 1952, the aircraft began entering USAF service in 1955. A total of 744 aircraft of different variants were produced. More than 5,000 companies were involved in the huge production effort, and 41 percent of the airframe was built by subcontractors.
The prototypes and all B-52A, B, and C models (90 aircraft) were built in Seattle. Aircraft were ferried 240 km east on their maiden flights to Larson Air Force Base near Moses Lake, where they were fully tested. Production ended in 1962 with the B-52H, with 742 aircraft built, plus the original two prototypes.
The last airframe was rolled out in 1962. At present, about 76 such aircraft are still in service. 58 are operated by active forces (2nd Bomb Wing and 5th Bomb Wing), 18 by the reserve forces (307th Bomb Wing), and about 12 are in long-term storage at the Davis-Monthan AFB Boneyard.
Informally, the aircraft is called the BUFF (Big Ugly Fat Fella).
The B-52H is massive, with a 185-foot wingspan. Its five-person crew includes a pilot, co-pilot, weapon systems officer, navigator, and electronic warfare officer. The aircraft’s empty weight is 83,250 kg, its max take-off weight is 221,323 kg, and its fuel capacity is 181,610 liters.
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The 8 × Pratt & Whitney TF33-P-3/103 turbofans each produce 76 kN thrust. At a subsonic maximum speed of Mach 0.86, the aircraft can operate at 50,000 feet altitude and have a combat range of 14,200 km without aerial refueling.
B-52s can carry 32,000 kg of ordnance, including bombs, rockets, missiles, precision-guided weapons, air-launched cruise missiles, and miniature air-launched decoys. Over the years, the aircraft has received many upgrades in both avionics and weapons.
The eight-jet-engine 1950s vintage B-52 can still pack a heavy punch. Superior performance at high subsonic speeds and relatively low operating costs have kept them in service despite the development of more advanced strategic bombers, such as the variable-geometry Rockwell B-1 Lancer and the stealth Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit.
The aircraft can fly long distances and launch a wide array of munitions while operating cost-effectively. According to the USAF, the B-52s can be equipped with electro-optical viewing sensors to improve targeting and combat ability.
Pilots operating the bombers wear night vision goggles during night operations. The B-52 can be highly effective for ocean surveillance and can assist the Navy in anti-ship and mine-laying operations. For example, in two hours, a pair of B-52s can monitor 360,000 square kilometers of the ocean surface.
In 2010, all B-52 Stratofortresses were transferred from the Air Combat Command (ACC) to the new Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). In 2015, the B-52 completed 60 years of continuous service with its original operator.
Their home bases are at Minot, North Dakota, and Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. They are part of the USAF Global Strike Command.
B-52 Operational History & Missions
The B-52 gives the U.S. conventional and nuclear global strike capability through stand-off weapons. In a conventional conflict, it can perform strategic attack, close-air support, air interdiction, offensive counter-air, and maritime operations.
It has a high mission-capability rate and carries a large payload over a long range. The B-52s played a great nuclear deterrent role during the Cold War and flew many air patrol missions near Warsaw Pact borders and seas near the Soviet Union.
During the Vietnam War, B-52s flew from bases at Guam, Okinawa, and some in Thailand. A few were shot down, and some others suffered damage. During the Vietnam War, on two occasions, the tail armament of a B-52D scored an aerial victory, shooting down two MiG-21 “Fishbeds.”
In 1991, in Operation Desert Storm against Iraq, B-52s operated from Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. They delivered 40 percent of all the weapons dropped by coalition forces
They also saw action in the Bosnia conflict and Kosovo, and in Afghanistan. They carried out air strikes against the Islamic State in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. The B-52s have also supported Freedom of Navigation operations in the South China Sea.
Upgrades
Over the years, the aircraft saw upgrades. The B-52H has additional electronic jamming capabilities. In July 2013, the USAF began a fleet-wide technological upgrade of its B-52 bombers called Combat Network Communications Technology (CONECT) to modernize the flight deck’s electronics, communications technology, computing, and avionics.
CONNECT upgrades include software and hardware such as new computer servers, modems, radios, data links, receivers, and digital workstations for the crew.
They got the AN/ARC-210 Warrior beyond-line-of-sight software programmable radio, which can transmit voice, data, and information in flight between B-52s and ground command and control centers.
This allows the transmission and reception of data with updated intelligence, mapping, and targeting information. The ARC-210 allows machine-to-machine data transfer. The aircraft will also be able to receive information through Link-16.
The new APG-79B4 Active electronically scanned array radar replaced older mechanically scanned arrays. The nose was streamlined, and blisters housing the forward-looking infrared/electro-optical viewing system were deleted.
On 15 December 2006, a B-52 took off from Edwards, with synthetic fuel powering all eight engines. This was the first time a USAF aircraft was entirely powered by the blend.
In 2007, the LITENING targeting pod was fitted. It increased the aircraft’s effectiveness in attacking ground targets with various standoff weapons, using laser guidance, a high-resolution forward-looking infrared sensor (FLIR), and a CCD camera used to obtain target imagery.
It has a Motorola multiple false target generator and a Northrop Grumman tail missile approach warning system. The AN/ALQ-172(V) electronic countermeasures system. AN/ALR-46 – Northrop Grumman digital radar warning receiver (RWR) and a noise jammer.
On 24 September 2021, the USAF selected the Rolls-Royce F130 as the winner to replace the aircraft engines, ordering 650 engines (608 direct replacements and 42 spares) for US$2.6 billion.
B-52 Weapons
B-52Gs and Hs were modified to carry 12 AGM-86 cruise missiles on underwing pylons, with some modified to carry another eight missiles on a rotary launcher fitted in the bomb bay.
Thirty B-52Gs were further modified to carry up to 12 AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles each, while 12 B-52Gs were fitted to carry the AGM-142 Have Nap stand-off air-to-ground missile.
Weapons upgrades include the 1760 Internal Weapons Bay Upgrade (IWBU), which increases weapons payload by 66 percent using a digital interface (MIL-STD-1760) and rotary launcher.
The 1760 IWBU will allow the B-52 to carry eight JDAM 910 kg bombs, an AGM-158B JASSM-ER cruise missile, and an ADM-160C MALD-J decoy missile internally, achieving a 15 percent reduction in fuel consumption.
By 2010, the U.S. Strategic Command stopped assigning B61 and B83 nuclear gravity bombs to B-52 because of limits to penetrability, a task handed over to the stealth B-2. The AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response (ARRW) hypersonic missile and the future Long Range Stand-Off (LRSO) nuclear-armed air-launched cruise missile will join the B-52 inventory in the future.
The B-52 has anti-maritime weapons. In 2022, the USAF tested a Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept missile using the B-52 as the test platform.
Significant Capabilities – Way Ahead
Seventy-two years after its first flight, the B-52 remains an important part of the U.S. Strategic Triad. It has a significant conventional role. The USA, China, and Russia continue to operate bombers and develop large stealth bombers.
The Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider made its maiden flight on 10 November 2023. By September 2024, three airworthy B-21s were involved in program testing. In December 2022, the cost of the B-21 was estimated at $700 million per aircraft.
At the time, Air Force officials estimated that they would spend at least $203 billion over 30 years to develop, purchase, and operate a fleet of at least 100 B-21s.
The B-52H’s flyaway cost, converted to current value, is $105.7 Million. The B-52’s $72,000 cost per hour of flight is more than the B-1B’s $63,000 cost per hour but less than the B-2’s $135,000 per hour.
The B-52s in storage are periodically refurbished at USAF maintenance depots. The USAF continues to rely on the B-52 because it remains an effective and economical heavy bomber in an uncontested environment without sophisticated air defenses.
The B-52 has the capacity to “loiter” for extended periods and can deliver precision standoff and direct-fire munitions from a distance, in addition to direct bombing. This aircraft will continue to see service to complete a century in the 2050s.
- Air Marshal Anil Chopra (Retired) is an Indian Air Force veteran fighter test pilot and former Director-General of the Center for Air Power Studies in New Delhi. He has been decorated with gallantry and distinguished service medals while serving in the IAF for 40 years.
- He tweets @Chopsyturvey
- Follow EurAsian Times on Google News
