hello everyone and welcome back to the fluctus channel in the 1950s Boeing developed a long range strategic bomber with a large payload capacity and used it to obliterate enemy bases during the Cold War Vietnam War and War zones like Iraq and Afghanistan [Music] the B-52 has been used for the past 6 decades making it the oldest bomber of the United States Air [Music] Force with a 159 ft long fuselage and a 185 ft wingspan washing a B-52 is not easy if the aircraft is out on the flight line it is cleaned every 120 days however
the in-depth cleaning is conducted during phase [Music] maintenance during the phase wash all the panels and compartments are removed to ensure each part of the aircraft is Thoroughly clean the soap used in this process is potent hence the cleaners must wear special suits and protective [Music] gear the main purpose of phase wash is to prevent corrosion which can drastically impact the structural Integrity of the metal sometimes the B-52 structure gets damaged during a flight or on the runway in such scenarios the aircraft structural maintenance Squadron is responsible for maintaining the B-52 these Airmen take care
of the aerodynamics and other substructures of the aircraft we do the structures of the aircraft the best way to explain it is auto body for airplanes skin of the aircraft substructure like ribs and stuff when they crack we also deal with corrosion on the Jet and we deal with spray painting the [Music] jet in 2023 the United States military announced that it was working on upgrades which would eventually allow the B-52 to serve for more than 100 [Music] years one of the most impressive upgrades is replacing its tf33 engines with new Rolls-Royce f-130 [Music] engines
these new engines are capable of producing the same amount of thrust however they offer better fuel efficiency and require lower maintenance than the current engines of the B-52 bomber this upgrade would save the United States billions of dollars in the decades to come over the years Rolls-Royce has supplied thousands of engines to the United States Air Force for military aircraft like the P-51 Mustang the P38 Lightning and the P40 Warhawk the engines used in these aircraft were some of the most Advanced engines of their time decades later Rolls-Royce developed the allnew f-130 engine for the
B-52 one of the most successful bombers in the United States Air Force Fleet the United States military has invested significant funds time and energy in improving and upgrading the B-52 bombers one such upgrade was the connect which stands for combat network communications technology connect andove the B-52's ability to operate in a modern combat environment by providing enhanced communication better situational awareness and improved combat integration for instance the connect system allows the B-52 to securely exchange data with friendly aircraft ground stations and command centers [Music] the connect supports both classified and unclassified networks providing a unique
platform for coordination and information [Music] exchange the system also features Advanced sensors displays and data Fusion capabilities which help the Airmen prepare for what they might encounter on the Mission [Music] ahead moreover the connect system replaces analog interference systems with digital ones to enhance the crews reaction times the B-52 can carry both conventional and nuclear weapons which are loaded by specialized teams of Munitions Airmen [Music] the bombs are transported using bomb lifts and Jammers the B-52's weapon Bay is opened manually and the Airmen align and mount Munitions onto the designated loading points once loaded with
Weaponry the B-52 is ready to take [Music] off it takes less than 10 minutes to kickart the engines with explosive charges and get the B-52 in the [Music] air the B-52 was designed to carry multiple bombs at a time while it was an effective strategy it did not allow the air crew to alter the weapon type midair which is why a new technology named common strategic rotary launcher or csrl was [Music] introduced which could not only carry a range of missiles bombs and smart Munitions but also allowed the air crew to quickly change the weapon
type at the flick of a switch got the csrl can be fully loaded with Weaponry before installation however it requires 11 hours to load the csrl [Music] fully once fully loaded the crew puts it on a trailer attached to a [Music] vehicle for installation the rotary launcher is placed exactly below the Bombay of the B-52 [Music] aircraft the csrl is then raised and mounted inside the Bombay in addition to B-52 the US Air Force has several other bombers in its longrange bomber Force such as the B1 Lancer also known as the bone the B1 features
a 75,000 lb payload capacity which is the heaviest of any us bomber the B1 answer requires regular maintenance to ensure operational Readiness before takeoff the air meno the aircraft to the flight line where they perform routine inspections lubrication and servicing of various aircraft [Music] systems as visibility is reduced during nighttime operations an aircraft marshaler guides the aircraft using illuminated marshalling wands before signaling the marshaler make sure that the aircraft's path is clear of obstructions and ensur safe operations when the B1 is fully loaded with Weaponry it has to move much faster on the runway to
take off successfully this may be achieved with a full After Burner it's an additional combustion component used on jet engines to increase the thrust usually for supersonic flight takeoff and [Music] combat the after burning process injects additional fuel into a combuster in the jet pipe behind the turbine ultimately reheating the exhausting gas apart from the B1 Lancer only a few other aircraft that can travel at supersonic speeds are capable of performing a full after burer the B1 features a variable sweep Wing which can move from 15 to 67.5 [Music] de the variable sweep Wing can
be modified swept forward or swept backward then returned to its previous straight position during [Music] flight the B1 uses forward swep wi settings for takeoff Landings and high altitude cruising whereas reverse s swep Wing settings are used in high subsonic and supersonic flights like B1 the F14 Tomcat also features variable sweep Wings allowing it to operate at both high and low speeds this unique Wing design allowed the F-14 to adjust its speed range and move even during turns automatically [Applause] [Music] Additionally the wings could be swept forward for tight turns in close aerial combat as
well as rear words for dash [Music] speeds F-14 Tomcat was procured by the US military to replace the canceled F-111 [Music] Fleet developed in the the 1960s the F-111 was a supersonic fighter bomber that also featured variable sweep Wings to optimize performance at different speeds it was a superior air to ground attack aircraft but was retired in the 1990s the last surviving f111 is still displayed at the Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina while advancements in aircraft technology and design continue to evolve like in the b1s case the versatility and importance of the B-52
strata Fortress remain [Music] undeniable the ongoing upgrades of the B-52 especially the engine Replacements will make it a force to be re with besides the B-52's longrange capabilities and payload capacity make it a Cornerstone of strategic bombing and deterrence missions as the Air Force progresses with Next Generation platforms The B-52s proven reliability and capability ensure that it will remain a vital asset for years to come come 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
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