Contrast modern Boeing Designs with their older designs like the B-52. With some B-52 Airframes going on 50-60 years of active service albeit with repeated upgrades and refurbishment. But at their core they’re still the same Aircraft that started rolling off Assembly lines in the 1950s.
And they’re predicted to remain into service well into the 2050s. It’s actually disheartening the drop in quality.
It is at this point the 1911 of Military Aircraft. Stubbornly hanging on as literally everything changes around it.
Hell. We’ll probably be fighting a war with Martians and the B-52 will still be doing Shock&Awe bombing
They plan on keeping the B-52 around into the 2050s and They’ll be retiring the B1 and B2 in the early 2030s. Meanwhile the BUFF will still be chugging along. Having outlived its replacement. And its replacements replacement.
Though I really wouldn’t put it past them to retrofit them again in like 2040 to extend the service life till 2100.
Much like how one of the first guns that’ll probably get strapped to the first Space Marine dropships will be the Browning 50.
Contrast modern Boeing Designs with their older designs like the B-52. With some B-52 Airframes going on 50-60 years of active service albeit with repeated upgrades and refurbishment. But at their core they’re still the same Aircraft that started rolling off Assembly lines in the 1950s.
And they’re predicted to remain into service well into the 2050s. It’s actually disheartening the drop in quality.
It is at this point the 1911 of Military Aircraft. Stubbornly hanging on as literally everything changes around it.
Hell. We’ll probably be fighting a war with Martians and the B-52 will still be doing Shock&Awe bombing
Try 70 years. Exactly. In 1954 the first 3 were delivered.
When I went into the USAF I actually wanted to be a B-52 tail gunner. I got a computer job instead. Would've been fun though...
They plan on keeping the B-52 around into the 2050s and They’ll be retiring the B1 and B2 in the early 2030s. Meanwhile the BUFF will still be chugging along. Having outlived its replacement. And its replacements replacement.
Though I really wouldn’t put it past them to retrofit them again in like 2040 to extend the service life till 2100.
Much like how one of the first guns that’ll probably get strapped to the first Space Marine dropships will be the Browning 50.