The Future of the B-52 – TIME UP?

What is the future of the B-52 in an age where future aggressors and potential enemies of the United States (and / or NATO as a whole) are equipping themselves with immensely powerful SAM’s such as S-300 and S-400 TMD’s, and the new medium range SA-17’s and upgraded SA-11’s that are finding their way on to the second and thrid world arms-markets.
And then there are the future warplanes, interceptors which in the future may include the entire range of Flankers (Su-27/30/33/35/37) in particular the Super Flanker, and then the Su-40 Bourkut, the newer Mig’s and Fulcrum upgrades. Then there are the Rafale, Gripen and J-10 to think about.

Dare I even go into the issue of future ground and airborne radar technology, which will be able to track and identify an aircraft the size of a B-52 long before it EVER reaches the danger zone?

The world of future air war is going to be a very very dangerous place for an aircraft as big and as slow as the B-52, which will force the USAF to increase the amount of constant SEAD, CAP, ELINT, Tanker and jamming support aircraft required to protect and guide the B-52’s into action. The B-1B’s are also something that must be considered.

Stealth is really a major issue that the US had already planned to take up by increasing their fleet of B-2’s and F-117’s. But there are less than 100 of these aircraft in total – barely a pinprick against a potential enemy the size of China or Iran, each nation having well over 100000 associated prmary and secondary military targets.

I might also add, that both these aircraft have absolutely no known air-defence capability, which I feel, is equally stupid. It is only a matter of time before the enemy will learn to defeat you. The Sebs proved it by bringing down an F-117A with an ageing SA-3 Goa and a modified radar of some sort.

So if these aircraft can be considered vulnerable, then the B-52 certainly must sit in the “very very vulnerable” list of US tactical and strategic aircraft, along with aircraft. They should be really looking towards retirement over the next 10 years…