"B-52" - a bomber released by the American corporation Boeing in the 50s of the last century. It was originally developed to deliver two thermonuclear bombs anywhere in the Soviet Union. To this day, it remains the main aircraft in the arsenal of long-range aviation of the Air Force of America.
History of creation
B-52 Stratofortress is the military brainchild of one of the largest aircraft manufacturing corporations in the world - the American Boeing Company. In Russian, its full name is translated as "air fortress." Its development began in the 1950s, when the company began production of the second generation of military aircraft, namely bombers. The aircraft was intended to replace two obsolete models: B-36 and B-47. The author of the first model was Convair, the second - Boeing.
The US authorities decided to replace the piston bombers and announced a competition among design bureaus for the creation of a strategic jet. The competition was announced after the end of World War II, in 1946. Three companies took part in the competition - Douglas joined the already named ones. It is worth noting that at that time none of the top military leadership believed in the possibility of the appearance of a heavy jet aircraft, and even with a flight range exceeding 13 thousand kilometers. Nevertheless, scientists, designers and businessmen enthusiastically began to refute these prejudices. Their task was to create not just a bomber, but a strategic and ultra-long missile carrier.
Getting to the task, everyone understood what the B-52 (bomber) should be. How was this aircraft, completely new for its time, created? What were the inventors guided by? Convair, based on its piston B-36, intended to achieve the goal by installing jet engines and a wing in the form of an arrow. The second participant, Douglas, designed a fundamentally new car, the feature of which should be turboprop engines. Boeing decided to work with the medium-sized B-47 bomber that he created and improve its performance to a strategic level.
Boeing Design
The group, which was engaged in the development of the project under the working title "Model 464", included six leading specialists who worked almost in the same composition on the B-47. The group began preliminary development of the B-52 aircraft. The bomber, whose characteristics significantly exceeded those that were on the aircraft created by the company earlier, required new approaches and solutions. In particular, it was clear that the required mileage, as well as the estimated weight of weapons of 4.5 tons, would entail an increase in the take-off weight of the machine to 150 tons. This is twice the rate of the previous generation aircraft. In addition, the speed, according to the technical specifications, should reach 960 km / h.
To solve the tasks, the company began to use turbojet engines J-57. Their thrust was 3.4 tons. It was decided to install eight of these engines. Combined in four complexes, they were mounted on the wings of an airplane with the help of huge pylons protruding in front of the wings. At the same time, for maximum longitudinal stability, the keel of the aircraft was designed high enough. For fuel, the volume of which was supposed to be sufficient for intercontinental flight, the space inside the wing was increased to an area of 371.6 square meters. m
US authorities satisfied the B-52 developed by Boeing Corporation. The American bomber was approved in 1947, and the company received a government order by signing a contract for two prototypes.
Test
The first prototype, which the military gave the designation "XB-52," was ready at the end of November 1951. However, while the car was being prepared for the first tests, they managed to damage it. In order not to damage the company's reputation, they decided not to state the true reasons for the return of the aircraft to the plant. The suspension of the tests was explained by the need to install additional equipment. As a result, the right of the first flight passed to the second machine, designated by the military as "YB-52". It was completed in mid-March 1952.
In mid-April, flight tests of the B-52 began. The bomber was equipped with a chassis of the so-called bicycle type, which is a rather interesting design. The chassis consisted of four two-wheel racks (separate niches for each of them were installed in the fuselage of the aircraft), were equipped with hydraulic control and automatic braking systems. In addition, the designers removed the dependence of the machine on weather conditions during takeoff and landing by the fact that the design of the landing gear wheels made it possible to install them at an angle to the center axis of the aircraft body. Thus, having received information about the speed and direction of the wind, the pilots, using the calculation table, could arrange the wheels so that the plane moved sideways when running along a strip. It was this technical feature that caught the attention of the public during an official performance two years later.
When the tests were over, the car officially received the name "B-52 Stratofortress", which meant "air fortress." However, the impressions of the test pilots were not particularly enthusiastic. A lot of trouble during the flight was delivered by the fuel tanks in the wing cavities - they constantly leaked. Had to contrive to eliminate leakage during flights.
The crew bailout system caused a lot of questions: it was safe to leave the plane by catapult only from a height of three hundred meters. The shooter was located in the rear part, a toilet and an electric stove were installed in his cabin. During the flight, the shooter was actually isolated from the crew and kept only radio communication with him. Accordingly, if she refused, the specialist had no idea what was happening with the plane. Once this was the reason for the incident with the "B-52". The bomber during a thunderstorm flight was in a stream of descending air. The shooter, deciding that the plane is falling, ejected, while he was forced to throw off a machine gun. Pilots found his absence already on the ground.
Series Modifications
The B-52, a Stratofortress bomber, hit the assembly line in 1955. The first modification released by the series - "B-52A" - entered the strategic aviation in June. Aircraft were used for retraining crews, as well as for testing the process of refueling aircraft in the air. After a short time, the B-52V came out. In total, fifty aircraft of this modification were released. Machines of this series were completely ready for combat sorties with conventional and nuclear weapons on board. To do this, they were equipped with more advanced engines with a thrust of 4.62 thousand tons and an aiming and navigation system. To demonstrate the power of the B-52 (bomber) went on a non-stop round-the-world flight, simulating a targeted nuclear strike along the route.
Six aircraft participated in the demonstration raid, which took off from the airport of Castle military base, California, at 1 p.m. on January 16, 1957. During the flight with a total length of 39.2 thousand kilometers “B-52” strategic bomber had to go through the refueling procedure (in August), and four times. However, not all aircraft managed to make their way. Within a few hours, one missile carrier made an emergency landing in England. An unexpected engine failure caused another aircraft to crash, which crashed accidentally in Labrador. The remaining three cars, after less than two days, landed at an air base near Los Angeles. Due to bad weather at their destination, they arrived half an hour later.
The route, which included a flight over Newfoundland, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Ceylon, Malaysia (a conditional combat target was located here), the Philippines, the island of Guam and Castle base, took 45 hours 19 minutes. The flight took place at a variable altitude of 10.7-15.2 thousand meters at a speed of 865 km / h. When approaching a conditional combat target, the speed was increased to 965 km / h. Airplanes carried out refueling during flights over the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, Saudi Arabia and the Philippines. To enhance the effect, refueling took place both day and night, and in any weather. Before the start of the process, the missile carriers reduced altitude, while the speed was 400-480 km / h.
It is worth noting that the first round-the-world flight was completed by a B-50 aircraft in 1949 and took 94 hours.
On the aircraft of the third series - "B-52S" - they delivered engines of even greater thrust - 5.4 tons. In total, 35 cars were produced in 1956. Thanks to the replacement of pneumatic starters with powder starters, it was possible to reduce the plant period of all engines by five times - from half an hour to six minutes. In addition, the use of weapons has been expanded. On the B-52 (bomber, missile carrier) installed new strategic cruise missiles, code-named "hound dog" (hound dog). When flying out on a combat alert, pilots could use turbojet rocket engines as an accelerator to reduce the take-off run. Then, in flight, the missiles were refueled from tanks.
Losses
In the early 1960s, the use of aircraft for their intended purpose was started. The B-52, a bomber, a super-high missile carrier, was intended to deliver nuclear weapons to anywhere in the Soviet Union. The first test reconnaissance flights began along the state borders of the USSR. It should be understood that the accident of such an aircraft stuffed with nuclear warheads could easily arrange another Hiroshima. Meanwhile, emergency situations with the B-52 happened with enviable regularity. Accidents involving nuclear weapons are code-named "broken arrow". Most of the incidents with these aircraft occurred over the United States, as well as in the sky of friendly countries.
So, in 1958, the first accident in North Carolina happened when a pilot mistakenly dropped a bomb on the roof of a residential building. As a result, six people were injured by fragments. In 1961, the plane itself fell in the same state, the bomb collapsed from the impact. A year later, in the same state in the city of Goldsboro, a bomber with two hound dog missiles fell.
The first tragedy outside the United States occurred in 1966, when a patrol missile carrier collided with the KS-135 in the sky over Spain. One rocket crashed into the Mediterranean Sea, another three fell into the village of Palomares. Because of the detonator that worked, the entire village was infected with plutonium. The last officially announced accident occurred off the coast of Greenland in 1968, when a burning plane did not reach the airfield and crashed to the bottom of the bay. As a result, an area of six square kilometers turned out to be infected.
Recent Modifications
From 1956 to 1983, five more modifications were created. A series of "B-52D" was released in the amount of 101 aircraft. In this series, the keel was shortened, as well as improved the aiming system. In the next modification - E - released only a hundred aircraft. The wing has been strengthened. In addition, designers have installed equipment that allows you to fly at low altitudes. More economical engines were installed on the F series, which included 89 aircraft. One of them had a tragic fate. In 1961, during the exercises, a conditional attack of a fighter of the B-52F series aircraft was worked out. The fighter pilot mistakenly launched a rocket and shot down a bomber. All three crew members died. After this episode, the aircraft were removed from such exercises.
The largest number of missile carriers came out in the next B-52 series. Modification G bombers fired in the amount of 193 pieces over four years since 1958. The engine thrust was increased to 6.34 tons, more spacious aircraft fuel tanks were added. The last series - N - was produced until 1962, a total of 102 aircraft were released. The engine thrust was already 7.71 tons. The fuel economy made it possible to increase the flight distance by 2.7 thousand kilometers - up to 16.7 thousand kilometers. This plane set a world record for the number of flight hours without refueling: 20.17 thousand kilometers were covered in 22 hours and 9 minutes. And in 2006, the missile carrier of this modification flew seven hours on synthetic fuel.
From 1965 to 1984, aircraft of the B / 52 / B / 52 series were withdrawn from service with the American Army. With the end of the Cold War, which was the result of the collapse of the Soviet Union, they were removed from combat duty. Thus, by 1992, 159 missile carriers of modifications G and N remained in the army. Arrangements in the field of armaments with Russia entailed a total reduction of these bombers. In 2008, the remaining H-series cars also began to be reduced. At the moment, 68 missile carriers remained in the army, which will be in service until 2040. It may turn out that these aircraft will become champions in the duration of use. Bombers participated in almost all US military clashes.
Specifications
The B-52 is a strategic missile carrier equipped with eight engines. He is piloted by six crew members. Among the main technical characteristics, one can name the wingspan, which is 56.39 meters, body length - 49.05 meters, height - 12.4 meters. With the latest modification, a take-off weight of up to 221.5 tons was achieved. The thrust of each engine is 7.71 tons. The acceleration distance of the aircraft is 2.9 thousand meters. The maximum speed that the bomber develops is 1013 km / h. It has a combat radius of 7730 kilometers.
A six-barrel 20-mm gun is installed on board the missile carrier, which is located at the tail of the aircraft. "Air Fortress" is designed for combat load in the form of bombs up to 31.5 tons. In addition, the missile carrier is equipped with the most advanced equipment for the successful conduct of electronic warfare. In particular, it is equipped with noise and misinforming interference equipment, dipole reflectors and infrared trap equipment.
At the beginning of this year, US representatives circulated information on new modifications of the B-52. The bomber, the reset system of which was characterized by point throwing only on the external shells, was now equipped with a more “smart” system. As follows from the official message, high-precision ammunition will now be located in the bomb bay. Installing a new system will increase aircraft capacity by at least 50%. In addition, this will allow you to remove “smart” bombs from external suspensions, which will reduce fuel consumption by 15%, and will also help to keep secret from the enemy information about what kind of weapon the bomber carries.
The contract worth $ 24.6 million, Boeing received at the beginning of last year. It is planned that the new system will be adopted by 2016. The military also plans to adapt the B-52 to drones.
Aviation Grandfathers
The American "B-52" is a bomber, which from the first day of its existence has been constantly compared with the Soviet strategic aircraft of the similar class Tu-95. Experts of the military aviation industry dubbed both aircraft "grandfathers of long-range aviation." Both machines have been in the air forces of both countries for more than 60 years, undergoing only regular modernization. American rivals call the US military, no matter how trite, a bear. Disputes about whose car is better and for what indicators continue to this day. Military experts note that both planes have passed the evolutionary path from a simple bomber to a strategic missile carrier. The cars are similar in a number of other characteristics, for example, both have a flight range of more than ten thousand kilometers. Moreover, the territory of the enemy is achieved by both vehicles in any form, not even in a straight line of movement. At the same time, the American B-52 is developing a great speed. In comparison with the Tu-95, the bomber accelerates to 1 thousand km / h, the maximum speed of the “carcass” reaches 850 km / h.
However, there are a number of characteristics by which the domestic machine significantly exceeds its overseas rival. These indicators, in particular, include increased engine efficiency - at least twice. According to experts, with a flight range of 10-12 thousand km, the B-52 American bomber spends 160-170 tons of aviation fuel, while a Russian plane will take only 80 tons to the same distance.
Domestic military experts are unflattering about engines. According to them, the advantage of the Tu-95 is that all four engines are equipped with screws of the opposite rotation. Thus, with their reliability, they provide the Russian missile carrier superiority over the B-52. The US bomber is equipped with eight engines, but they cause a lot of problems and have rather weak characteristics. According to experts, this is evidenced by the loss of overseas air forces. So, it is known that out of 740 vehicles produced and delivered to the army, they managed to lose 120 aircraft. Moreover, it was the American B-52 bomber that caused the loss of several thermonuclear bombs, which to this day have not been found. Some claim that the bombs were lost on Greenland and the coast of Portugal.
The subtleties of rocket equipment
The armed forces of all countries, and even more so of the leading powers, such as Russia and the USA, which are the largest manufacturers of weapons, participate in unofficial, and sometimes open competitions. Aviation is one of the areas of constant rivalry. To be the king of heaven - what could be more prestigious for the military field? Russian and American bombers are constantly comparing. For example, the Americans repeatedly cited data confirming the superiority of their car over the domestic one in missile and bomb load almost several times.
Russian experts tend to treat such statements with a fair amount of skepticism. Military experts see no reason to unconditionally trust the opposing side, since it is precisely these data that are used as a tool of manipulation. In fairness, only the crew commander has a complete picture of the number of guns on board. It is worth noting that the world's largest thermonuclear ammunition was thrown precisely by Russian aircraft. The power of the dropped bomb was 50 million tons of TNT, the blast wave during the experiment three times circled the Earth. Charges were thrown off on the territory of Novaya Zemlya.
Risen from the ashes
"B-52" - a bomber (see photo in the article) will return to the ranks of the US Air Force. News of this was circulated in early March 2015. Returned to the battle ranks, the B-52N, bore the name of the Ghost Rider, which was decommissioned seven years ago. He was released in 1962 and ended his flying career in 2008. Since then, he was in Tucson (Arizona) in the so-called airplane cemetery. It is intended to replace a damaged similar machine. Repair of the aircraft took several months. He successfully passed the flight test, during which he overcame more than 1.6 thousand kilometers. After that, he was stationed at the air base in Louisiana. Here, repairs and final tests will be completed.
It is worth noting that in US military history this is the first time that a decommissioned B-52 is returned to an active combat system. As explained by the representatives of the Air Force, it will replace a similar aircraft that burned down at the base, its repair would cost much more.