Unmodified B-52Ds could carry only 27 even 500-pound or 750-pound bombs, but the Big Belly could carry 84 500-pound or 42 750-pound bombs. Click here to return to the B-52 Stratofortress in Southeast Asia index.
What planes can drop nukes
US aircraft cleared for its use have included the B-1 Lancer, B-2 Spirit, B-52 Stratofortress, F/A-18 Hornet, A-6 Intruder, F-15E Strike Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon. As part of NATO Nuclear Weapons Sharing, German and Italian Panavia Tornado aircraft can also carry B61s.
Can fighter jets drop nukes
Virtually every military fighter, or attack airplane can deliver nuclear bombs. Such short-range air-delivered nuclear weapons, operated by the US Air Force, have not been curtailed by any treaty or unilateral initiative.
How many B-52 shot down in Vietnam
The devastating losses were not all one way. At the same time, the United States Air Force sustained losses that today would seem unfathomable. Fifteen B-52s – the pride of America’s fleet – were shot down, six in one day alone, and 33 airmen lost.
Can B-2 bombers drop nukes?
The bomber can drop conventional and thermonuclear weapons, such as up to eighty 500-pound class (230 kg) Mk 82 JDAM GPS-guided bombs, or sixteen 2,400-pound (1,100 kg) B83 nuclear bombs. The B-2 is the only acknowledged aircraft that can carry large air-to-surface standoff weapons in a stealth configuration.
Will the B-52 ever be retired
In September of 2021, the B-52 got another new lease on life in the form of a $2.6 billion Commercial Engine Replacement Program contract awarded to Rolls-Royce to replace its 1960s-era TF33 engines with new F130s that will keep it flying into the 2050s — meaning the B-52 will likely still be in service more than a
Can Nuke be stopped mid air
However, this does not mean that it is safe to detonate a nuclear missile in populated areas. If an interceptor missile actually destroys a nuclear missile in mid-air, it could cause a plutonium or uranium core to fall to the ground. This causes the radiation to fall on the surface and propagate.
Can US shoot down a nuke
A new study sponsored by the American Physical Society concludes that U.S. systems for intercepting intercontinental ballistic missiles cannot be relied on to counter even a limited nuclear strike and are unlikely to achieve reliability within the next 15 years.
Can f35 drop nukes
The F-35A is the first fifth-generation fighter to near certification as a nuclear-capable platform after completing the first full weapon system demonstration and completing the nuclear design certification process.
Is F 22 nuclear capable?
Therefore, the F-22 was never intended to be a nuclear fighter, and was instead optimized for air-to-air operations and destruction of enemy air defenses.
Could the US stop a nuke before it hits
Is the U.S. able to stop a nuclear attack? David Barash, a professor of psychology at the University of Washington who has written about preventing nuclear war, told Newsweek the chance of the U.S. intercepting a nuclear-armed Inter Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) is “extremely low.”
Could a lost nuke go off
In these weapons, the conventional explosives in a bomb might go off, but they wouldn’t detonate the radioactive material because this is squeezed out before it can be compressed.
Can a B-52 defend itself
The B-52’s electronic countermeasures suite is capable of protecting itself against a full range of air defense threat systems by using a combination of electronic detection, jamming and infrared countermeasures. The B-52 can also detect and counter missiles engaging the aircraft from the rear.
How has the B-52 lasted so long
According to Boeing employees who maintain, service and upgrade the USAF’s fleet of 76 B-52Hs there is no single factor that has allowed the BUFF to fly for so long. But two characteristics stand out – its ruggedness and its simplicity.
Can B-52 fly supersonic
The plane’s maximum speed at 55,000 feet (17,000 metres) is Mach 0.9 (595 miles per hour, or 960 km/hr). At only a few hundred feet above the ground, it can fly at Mach 0.5 (375 miles per hour, or 600 km/hr).
How many 1000 pound bombs can a B-52 carry
The standard loadout for this plane includes eight AGM-84 Harpoon missiles, four AGM-142 Raptor missiles, 51 500-pound bombs, 30 1,000-pound bombs, 20 AGM-86C conventional air-launched cruise missiles (CALCM), 12 joint stand-off weapons (JSOW), 12 joint direct-attack munitions (JDAM), and 16 wind-corrected munitions
How big is a 500kg bomb
The salient features of the 500 kg General Purpose bomb are given below: Bomb Diameter : 355.6 mm. Bomb Length : 3031 mm.
How big is a 4000 pound bomb
The 4000 lb High Capacity Mark I bomb – actual weight around 3,930 lb (1,780 kg) – was a welded, cylindrical shell of 0.31 in (7.9 mm) thick steel. The body of the bomb was 30 in (76 cm) in diameter and 88 in (2.24 m) long.
How big is a 50kg bomb?
Physical description. bomb This is a German Second World War 50kg HE bomb, designed for general demolition. It is 110cm long, 20.3cm diameter (body), and had an explosive charge of approximately 23kg.
Has a B2 ever been shot down
The aircraft was destroyed, but both crew members successfully ejected. The accident marked the first operational loss of a B‑2 bomber, and as of 2023 it remains the only one. With an estimated loss of US$1.4 billion, considering only the cost of the aircraft, it was also the most expensive aircraft crash in history.
Can the b1 carry nukes
The plane can carry eight air-launched cruise missiles or 24 SRAMs. It can also carry up to 24 nuclear bombs or 84 500-pound (227-kg) conventional bombs. With a weapon load of 37,000 pounds (16,800 kg), the B-1B can fly 4,600 miles (7,400 km) without refueling.
Why are B-52 so smokey
Most airliners today have more efficient engine that do not smoke. The B-52 still uses older generation engines. All these older generation engines were designed when fuel was cheap. They were far less fuel efficient and the black smoke you see is mostly un-burned fuel.
Can the B-52 be shot down?
Only one other B-52 tail gunner had scored a successful kill against a Vietnamese fighter, though more than 30 B-52s had been shot down throughout the conflict. In fact, the first time a B-52 had ever shot down a MiG had only happened a few days prior.
How old is the oldest flying B-52
The B-52A first flew in 1954, and the B model entered service in 1955. A total of 744 B-52s were built, with the last, a B-52H, delivered in October 1962. The first of 102 B-52H’s was delivered to Strategic Air Command in May 1961.
Can you survive a nuke with a gas mask
No. A mask would only protect you if you were wearing it when a chemical (or biological) attack occurs.
How hot is it when a nuke goes off
Initially, most of this energy goes into heating the bomb materials and the air in the vicinity of the blast. Temperatures of a nuclear explosion reach those in the interior of the sun, about 100,000,000° Celsius, and produce a brilliant fireball. The fireball shortly after detonation.
Can Russian nukes reach US
Can Russian missiles reach the US? According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, Russian land-based missiles could reach the U.S. in as little as 30 minutes, with submarine-based missiles striking 10 or 15 minutes after they are launched.
How many nukes does NATO have
As of 2022, there were estimated to be approximately 4,178 nuclear warheads belonging to three NATO allies, the United States, France, and the United Kingdom.
How likely is it for a nuclear war
Right now the chance of a nuclear war is very low, but even a very low chance of such destruction is much, much too high. Even when we’re faced with a tiny risk of a colossal tragedy, there are still things we can do, says Sandberg. “Many people are feeling super depressed right now.
Does America have nuke defense
Three shorter range tactical anti-ballistic missile systems are currently operational: the U.S. Army Patriot, U.S. Navy Aegis combat system/SM-2 missile, and the Israeli Arrow missile. In general short-range tactical ABMs cannot intercept ICBMs, even if within range (Arrow-3 can intercept ICBMs).
Does Germany have nukes
Although Germany has the technical capability to produce weapons of mass destruction (WMD), since World War II it has generally refrained from producing those weapons. However, Germany participates in the NATO nuclear weapons sharing arrangements and trains for delivering United States nuclear weapons.
Can F-35 fight dogs
The F-35A is also the only one of the three Joint Strike Fighter iterations to carry an onboard 25mm GAU-22/A four-barrel Gatling gun, making it best suited for the close-quarters dogfights these exercises were meant to replicate.
Can China shoot down F-22?
According to South China Morning Post, a Chinese military expert had earlier said that “a ground-to-air hypersonic missile could catch up and destroy an F-22 (Raptor) in seconds if it fired a missile or dropped a bomb from short range”.