The Drive: B-52 showcases its revamped arsenal

The US Air Force B-52H Stratofortress bombers, despite their 70 years of age, pose a serious threat to any enemy. The Pentagon recently demonstrated at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana an updated high-precision arsenal and other "arguments" of veteran veterans, writes the American online edition The Drive.

Front center is perhaps the most sophisticated weapon in the B-52 quiver, the AGM-158 JASSM non-nuclear air-to-surface cruise missile. They are used from drum-type launchers (CRLs), which are located inside bomb bays. Previously, they were attached to pylons from the outside, and since 2016 they have been placed on CRLs from 12 to 20 units in one B-52.



The AGM-86B / D non-nuclear cruise missiles have been removed from service, but the ALCM variant, the AGM-86B with a nuclear warhead, is still in use. B-52s no longer carry nuclear bombs, and a new nuclear-powered cruise missile, the Long-Range Stand-Off (LRSO), is being developed to replace the aging AGM-86B.

In front of the B-52's nose are 8 AGM-86Bs in the CRL, and another 12 are loaded with 6 units on paired pylons that can be carried on each of the two underwing hardpoints. Thus, the B-52 can take 20 AGM-86B units, each of which has a warhead with a yield of 5 to 150 kilotons.

In the far left corner are ADM-160 or MALD air traps - small cruise missiles used to distract and deceive enemy air defense systems. This is not offensive, but very useful ammunition that should help the B-52 in its strike mission. Beside the MALD, from left to right, are: a 500 lb Paveway laser-guided bomb without front fins and a 2 lb Paveway bomb without a forward guidance section.

To the right is a trio of Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) bombs: a 2000-lb GBU-31, then a 500-lb GBU-38 laser-guided and a 500-lb GBU-38 with GPS / INS guidance.

More 500-pound JDAMs without front fins and fuses are positioned in a semicircle on either side of the B-52. You might be mistaken in thinking that these are "dumb" (unguided) free fall bombs, but they each have a proprietary gray JDAM tail kit. Regarding conventional bombs, this is a category of ammunition missing from this fairly complete inventory, still used by the B-52.

In addition, the presented inventory does not show naval mines (Quickstrike series), corrected general-purpose bombs (Mk 80 series) of various modifications with plumage to slow down the fall. There are no “psychological warfare bombs” PDU-5 and M129E1 / E2 that scattered leaflets during the Cold War (they are not being produced now, but they are in operation).


Given that the B-52s will be in service until at least 2050, their arsenal could change significantly. For example, recently the United States Air Force сообщилиthat conducted the second unsuccessful test launch of the AGM-183A hypersonic missile with the B-52. These weapons may in the future be added to gondola systems and possibly even air-to-air drones, which are being developed as part of the LongShot program, the media concluded.