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Discover how the 70-year-old B-52 Stratofortress played a decisive role in Operation Epic Fury, the ongoing U.S. and Israel conflict against Iran. We explore how this iconic flying grandpa dominated the skies, transitioning from launching long-range JASSM cruise missiles outside contested airspace to dropping devastating JDAM precision bombs once Iranian air defenses were dismantled. Plus, learn about the upcoming B-52J upgrades that will keep this massive bomber flying for decades. Subscribe for more military updates!
⏱️ CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Debut of PrSM and LUCAS Drone in Operation Epic Fury
01:25 - U.S. Strategic Objectives & Decapitation Campaign Strategy
02:37 - Targeting Iran's Bavar-373, Arman, and S-300PMU Air Defenses
03:51 - U.S. Triad Bomber Strategy: B-1B, B-2 Spirit, and B-52
06:57 - B-52 Speed and Flight Performance vs. Modern Fighters
08:19 - Massive 70,000-Pound Ordnance Capacity and Versatile Loadouts
10:14 - Diego Garcia, RAF Fairford, and Global Sortie Range Capabilities
12:12 - Radar Cross Section (RCS) Vulnerabilities of the B-52
13:58 - Transition to Close-Range Strikes and JDAM Precision Munitions
17:26 - Loitering Capability Against Iranian Mobile Missile Launchers
19:53 - B-52J Upgrade Program Extends Service Life for 30 Years
Support us directly as we bring you independent, up-to-date reporting on military news and global conflicts by clicking here: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMilitaryShow/join
#militarystrategy #militarydevelopments #militaryanalysis
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SOURCES:
https://pastebin.com/8Ecrtge7
Discover how the 70-year-old B-52 Stratofortress played a decisive role in Operation Epic Fury, the ongoing U.S. and Israel conflict against Iran. We explore how this iconic flying grandpa dominated the skies, transitioning from launching long-range JASSM cruise missiles outside contested airspace to dropping devastating JDAM precision bombs once Iranian air defenses were dismantled. Plus, learn about the upcoming B-52J upgrades that will keep this massive bomber flying for decades. Subscribe for more military updates!
⏱️ CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Debut of PrSM and LUCAS Drone in Operation Epic Fury
01:25 - U.S. Strategic Objectives & Decapitation Campaign Strategy
02:37 - Targeting Iran's Bavar-373, Arman, and S-300PMU Air Defenses
03:51 - U.S. Triad Bomber Strategy: B-1B, B-2 Spirit, and B-52
06:57 - B-52 Speed and Flight Performance vs. Modern Fighters
08:19 - Massive 70,000-Pound Ordnance Capacity and Versatile Loadouts
10:14 - Diego Garcia, RAF Fairford, and Global Sortie Range Capabilities
12:12 - Radar Cross Section (RCS) Vulnerabilities of the B-52
13:58 - Transition to Close-Range Strikes and JDAM Precision Munitions
17:26 - Loitering Capability Against Iranian Mobile Missile Launchers
19:53 - B-52J Upgrade Program Extends Service Life for 30 Years
Support us directly as we bring you independent, up-to-date reporting on military news and global conflicts by clicking here: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMilitaryShow/join
#militarystrategy #militarydevelopments #militaryanalysis
#themilitaryshow
SOURCES:
https://pastebin.com/8Ecrtge7
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NewsTranscript
00:00During Operation Epic Fury, the US and Israel's ongoing conflict against Iran, the US has
00:06launched a diverse and extensive array of weaponry against the Iranians, ranging from
00:10the very latest missiles to stalwarts of their stockpiles.
00:14On the cutting edge, at least two brand new systems made their combat or operational debuts
00:19during the conflict.
00:21The Precision Strike Missile, or PRISM, long-range ballistic missile was used in combat for the
00:27very first time, and the Low Cost Unmanned Combat Attack System, or LUKAS, a one-way long-range
00:33attack drone, reverse-engineered by the US from the Iranian-designed Shahid-136, was deployed
00:39in its first operational engagement.
00:42Now the initial waves of airstrikes were mostly conducted from beyond the reach of Iranian
00:46air defences, using standoff munitions like the LUKAS, PRISM, Tomahawk and Joint Air-to-Surface
00:52Standoff Missile, or JASM missiles.
00:55But once those air defences had been sufficiently degraded, it was time for one of the flying
01:00grandpas of the US Air Force to really show its worth, the B-52 Stratofortress bomber.
01:07There aren't too many 70-year-old aircraft out there that can still make a decisive difference
01:12in an ultra-modern battle, but that's exactly what the B-52 has done.
01:16So here's how the US employed the B-52 against Iran to such deadly effect, and while it will
01:22likely remain a key component of US air power for years to come.
01:25It's unclear though whether the US had seriously intended to launch a major ground operation
01:31against Iran.
01:32So far, the campaign ultimately centred on air and missile strikes.
01:36Detailed plans for ground operations seem to have been planned, and some authorities have
01:41claimed that certain low-key ground operations have in fact been conducted.
01:45But President Donald Trump seems to have ultimately pulled the plug on those.
01:48Instead, the initial plan seemed to be for revolutionary elements inside Iran, possibly backed by an
01:55insurgency from neighboring Iraqi Kurdistan, to seize power, rather than a major ground
02:00invasion by US and or Israeli forces.
02:03Iran had just been rocked by widespread anti-government protests that turned violent.
02:08Anywhere from 3,000 to 50,000 Iranians died during the protests, depending on whose propaganda
02:14you read.
02:14But whatever the real number, the idea was that if the US could destroy the Iranian regime's
02:20military and leadership with a devastating air campaign, protesters would be able to seize
02:24power in the resulting power vacuum.
02:27That didn't happen, despite one of the most intense and relentless bombardments of a nation
02:32seen in decades that indeed decapitated most of Iran's leadership.
02:36The first part of the campaign was conducted primarily from standoff ranges and for good reason.
02:41Before the war, Iran had assembled a relatively advanced multi-layered defense network, spread
02:47across its vast territory.
02:49To achieve complete air superiority over the whole country, so that the US could get deep
02:54inside and do the serious damage, that network obviously had to be taken out up front.
02:59Most crucially, the strategic long-range layer had to be disabled, so that US fighters and
03:05bombers could safely enter to within standing range.
03:08And its long-range missiles could have uncontested airspace to travel through at extended ranges.
03:14The air defense systems comprising that long-range layer, primarily the domestically produced Bavar
03:19373 and Armand systems and the Russian S-300 PMU, were thus among the highest priority targets.
03:26Associated systems like fixed radar installations, command and control nodes and associated logistics
03:32sites joined them at the top of the target bank.
03:34Then, the bombing started.
03:36In the first weeks of the war, wave after wave of US and Israeli long-range missiles and
03:42drones bombarded targets across Iran relentlessly.
03:45The majority of these were carried out from standoff range, beyond the reach of Iran's defenses.
03:50To conduct this long-range opening phase of the operation, the US military deployed a tiered
03:55fleet of manned bombers, tactical fighters and unmanned systems.
03:59The aforementioned Lucas and the ever-reliable MQ-9 Reaper comprised the unmanned component of
04:05the force.
04:06F-16 Fighting Falcons, F-15E Strike Eagles, F-A-18EF Super Hornets and F-35 Lightning II fired
04:15their AGM-158 JASM long-range missiles and AGM-154 JASO standoff guided glide bombs.
04:22But the backbone of the long-range strike campaign was the US bomber force, due to its ability
04:27to carry the largest payload of standoff munitions.
04:30The B-1B Lancer was used for ultra-long-range sorties, striking air defenses and deep inland
04:36targets like missile production facilities and maritime infrastructure.
04:40It operated primarily with JASM ERs, the extended-range variant of the missile, leveraging its
04:47high speed and large payload to penetrate contested airspace effectively from standoff distances.
04:52The B-2 Spirit also played a role in standoff air defense suppression.
04:57But in the early stages of the war, the US also leveraged its stealth profile to sneak
05:02behind the long-range defenses and carry out a special mission, delivering extremely heavy-duty
05:07massive ordnance penetrators, or MOPS, and £2,000 precision bombs against Iran's many
05:13hardened underground facilities.
05:16Rounding off the triads, the B-52 also played a decisive role in those early standoff missions.
05:21Deployed early in the conflict primarily for night strikes, the B-52 served as a massive
05:27missile truck, primarily launching JASM and JASM ER cruise missiles against ballistic missile
05:33sites and command nodes.
05:35The AGM-158 JASM is 14 feet long and weighs in at around £2,250.
05:41It can be released at a range of 200 nautical miles, using its GPS-aided internal navigation
05:48for mid-course flight, and an imaging infrared seeker with automatic target recognition for
05:53terminal homing.
05:54The B-52 is ideal for deploying JASMs because it can carry so many of them at once.
05:59It can carry 20 in a single sortie, 8 mounted internally on a rotary launcher in the bomb
06:05bay, and 12 carried externally on underwing pylons.
06:09Among US aircraft, only the B-1B Lancer can carry more, 24 to be precise.
06:15The B-2 Spirit can carry 16, while the significantly smaller and lighter F-16 Fighting Falcon and
06:21F-A-18 Super Hornet can carry only two at a time.
06:25The F-15E Strike Eagle can comfortably carry 2 to 3 missiles, with a 5-missile payload also
06:31successfully demonstrated.
06:33So the ability to deploy so many standoff missiles at once made the B-52 an ideal choice
06:39for the sustained salvo focus of the initial long-distance bombardment.
06:44But of all the many airborne systems at play, the B-52 was probably the aircraft the US was
06:49least keen to deploy at closer ranges above Iranian airspace, at least until Iran's long
06:54and medium-range air defense layers had been defeated.
06:58That's because despite its many endearing and enduring qualities, which we'll discuss
07:02in more detail shortly, it's one of the easiest aircraft in the US fleet for long-range air
07:07defenses to spot, track and target.
07:10When the B-52 first entered service in 1955, its top speed of around Mach 0.84, or 650 miles
07:18per hour, made it the fastest in the world at the time.
07:21Its swept wings and eight jet engines represented a major technological leap, allowing it to
07:26achieve speed that the previous generation of propeller-driven heavy bombers could only
07:30fantasize about.
07:32It was around 50% faster than the B-36 Peacemaker it replaced, seen as a critical factor in successfully
07:39penetrating Soviet airspace in the emerging Cold War dynamic.
07:43But by today's standards, it's not very fast at all.
07:46In fact, it was the slowest-moving manned aircraft used by the US during the war.
07:51Not that much slower than the B-2 Spirit, to be fair.
07:54The B-2 maxes out at around Mach 0.95, or a little below 729 miles per hour.
08:01Now that's in the same ballpark as his big brother in the sky.
08:04But compared to the US tactical fighter's top speeds of Mach 0.16 to 2.5, or even the B
08:10-1B
08:11Lancer's Mach 1.25, or around 900 miles per hour, the B-52 is competing in the Seniors
08:18race.
08:18And that makes it the easiest of the US manned aircraft for Iran's radar and other sensors
08:23to detect and track, and vulnerable to a wider range of slower-moving anti-aircraft projectiles.
08:29The B-52 is also enormous.
08:32It stands 159 feet 4 inches long, 40 feet 8 inches tall, has a wingspan of 185 feet, long
08:40enough to carry those eight powerful Pratt & Whitney TF33 P3103 turbofan engines and weighs
08:47in at roughly 185,000 pounds.
08:50That massive size is what enables the B-52 to be such an absolute beast in terms of payload
08:56capacity.
08:57It can carry 70,000 pounds of ordnance.
09:00For comparison, a single F-35 can carry 18,000 pounds of ordnance, which is considered formidable.
09:06Even better, because the B-52 has both internal and external carrying capacity, it can carry
09:12a mix of munition types tailored to the mission.
09:15The internal bomb bay is equipped with a conventional rotary launcher and can hold a mix of up to eight
09:20different smart weapons.
09:21For example, a combination of JDAMs, JASM missiles, and Mold decoys.
09:27At the same time, the underwing hardpoints can carry up to 12 large munitions, typically
09:32six per wing, or dozens of smaller unguided bombs.
09:35So without even taking into account the internal bay capacity, a B-52 can simultaneously carry
09:41JASM or Harpoon missiles, JDAM or MK-82 guided bombs, and naval mines like the Quickstrike series.
09:47This flexibility allows combatant commanders to tailor a single aircraft's payload to
09:53engage multiple target types, say a fixed air defense installation, a command and control
09:58bunker, and a radar site, without needing to call in different specialized aircraft.
10:03And do it at scale.
10:05A single B-52 can carry large numbers of JDAMs or JASMs with the exact loadout depending on
10:11the weapon configuration and mission.
10:13Combine that fearsome, configurable firepower with the B-52's ability to stay in the air
10:18for extended periods, and you have an ideal system for the kind of extended, multi-faceted
10:23air campaign the operation required.
10:26The B-52 has an unrefueled combat range of approximately 8,800 miles, allowing for roughly
10:3212 to 14 hours of continuous flight with its fuel capacity of just over 312,000 pounds.
10:39But when supported by tankers like the KC-135 or KC-46, the aircraft's range becomes virtually
10:46unlimited.
10:47It can remain airborne for extremely long periods, with the only constraints being the physical
10:52and mental limits of its five-person crew, engine oil consumption and system wear over
10:57extreme durations, and the logistics of keeping fuel flowing to the bomber via tankers.
11:02The official endurance record for the B-52 is 47.2 hours, set in August 1994 during exercise
11:10global power.
11:11Two B-52s circumnavigated the globe, covering over 20,000 miles with the help of five mid-air
11:17refuelings.
11:19That phenomenal endurance and range were crucial to Operation Epic Fury, given how far away from
11:24Iran the participating B-52s were based.
11:27Many of the B-52 flights during that early phase of the war took off from the massive
11:31Diego Garcia, making it a secure launch point for the opening salvo of cruise missile attacks.
11:37Some bombers also flew directly from their permanent home bases back in the US, conducting marathon
11:43sorties of 30-plus hours with multiple mid-air refuelings.
11:47B-52s were tracked, leaving Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana and Minot Air Force Base
11:53in North Dakota, heading either directly for the conflict zone or to the main base used
11:57for the B-52 sorties during the war.
12:00RAF Fairford in the UK
12:02The UK initially restricted the use of its bases, but on March 1, the government authorized
12:07US use of RAF Fairford for specific defensive operations against Iranian missile facilities.
12:13But after a policy reversal by the UK government in early March, the US concentrated a significant
12:19bomber force there. The base's proximity to a large store of pre-positioned munitions
12:23at the nearby RAF Welford facility made it the ideal choice.
12:28Now, as we've seen, the B-52's enormous size and capacity meant it could carry more of those
12:33munitions than any other aircraft at the US's disposal. But that size also contributes to making
12:38the B-52 the easiest of the US's manned aircraft to shoot down, because it's a major factor in the
12:44B-52's rather large radar cross-section, or RCS. In part due to its age, the B-52 is one
12:52of the
12:52least stealthy planes in the US arsenal. Its estimated RCS is around 100 square meters,
12:58just over 1,076 square feet. That makes it a massive non-stealthy target comparable to a large
13:04commercial airliner or cargo ship. By comparison, the B-1B Lancer has an RCS of just 10 square meters,
13:12an order of magnitude smaller. The F-35 Lightning II and F-22 Raptor both have an estimated RCS the
13:19size of a golf ball. But even those tiny RCS profiles are roughly 50 times larger than the B-2
13:25Spirit, whose estimated RCS of around 0.0001 square meters is comparable to a bumblebee or large insect.
13:33Put that massive RCS together with its relatively slow speed, and you can understand why the US
13:39tended to keep its B-52s well beyond the reach of Iran's air defense, until they'd been sufficiently
13:45worn down for the massive bombers to safely zoom in. How did that initial standoff campaign against
13:50Iranian air defenses turn out? Well, according to CENTCOM, more than 1,500 strikes against air
13:57defense targets were carried out, and they appear to have been highly successful. Chairman of the Joint
14:01Chiefs of Staff General Dan Kane claimed that US and coalition forces had destroyed approximately
14:0780 percent of Iran's air defense systems. With air superiority directly over Iranian territory now
14:13more or less secured, it was time for the B-52s to really show its worth, striking a much broader
14:19range of targets from closer range. The exact spread of targets has not been disclosed, but based on what
14:24we do know, the B-52 crews likely targeted and saturated missile production sites, underground
14:30bunkers, what was left of Iran's airfields, command and control sites, and logistical hubs. The effect
14:36of these attacks would be to deepen the severity of the damage already inflicted, as well as to greatly
14:41reduce the operating capacity and effectiveness of Iranian ground and air units and their command
14:46elements. Given its vast payload capacity, the B-52 was the perfect choice for this stage of the
14:52operation. And now, operating at closer ranges, the B-52 could unleash a new type of munition,
14:59the Joint Direct Attack Munition, or JDAM. The JDAM is known as the US's smart dumb bomb,
15:05and it's an ingenious piece of military repurposing. Initiated in the early 1990s,
15:10the JDAM program was specifically created to leverage the US's massive existing stockpiles of
15:16MK-80 series general-purpose unguided dumb bombs, including the MK-82, MK-83, MK-84, and the Blue 109
15:26penetrator. The goal was to provide an all-weather, low-cost precision capability without designing
15:32entirely new weapons. The mechanism was to attach a bolt-on guidance kit to convert that mountain of
15:38dumb unguided bombs into smart precision guided munitions. When a JDAM is deployed, it consists of an
15:44unguided iron bomb body fitted with a tail kit containing GPS INS guidance electronics and control
15:50fins. Once combined, the composite unit is designated as a specific GBU, short for Guided Bomb Unit,
15:58for example, the £2000 GBU-31 or £500 GBU-38. When it's released from an aircraft, the JDAM doesn't
16:06glide towards its targets in a hit-or-miss manner like an unguided glide bomb. The guidance kit allows
16:12it to navigate to pre-arranged coordinates in all weather. Its much-talked-about accuracy is achieved
16:17when GPS is available, while its inertial navigation system allows it to continue operating when GPS
16:23signals are unavailable with reduced accuracy. According to the manufacturer Boeing,
16:29target coordinates can be loaded into the aircraft before take-off, manually altered by the aircrew
16:34before weapon release, or automatically entered through target designation with onboard aircraft
16:38sensors. In its most accurate mode, the JDAM system will provide a weapon's circular error
16:44probable of 5 meters around 16.4 feet or less during free flight when JPS data is available.
16:51Other sources state that the JDAM has a proven 95% system reliability during testing and has likewise
16:58achieved less than 1.7 meters, or just over 5.5 feet, of circular error probability against a 3.3
17:05meter,
17:05or 10.8 feet requirement. Those excellent performance stats seem to be consistent across the full range
17:12of JDAMs, which include 500lb, 1000lb and 2000lb variants. In other words, it gives the B-52 the
17:20ability to deliver large numbers of precision-guided weapons against multiple targets in a single sortie.
17:25And the B-52 is the ideal carrier for them. While capable of being carried on fighter aircraft,
17:32as we've seen, these weapons can be used in much greater numbers from a B-52. But that's only part
17:37of the reason why B-52s were used so prodigiously once air superiority over Iran had been achieved.
17:44Perhaps Mark Gunzinger, a former B-52 pilot and director of future concepts and capability assessment
17:50at AFA's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, sums it up best. What the bombers bring to the equation is
17:57that they have larger payloads of weapons and longer duration missions, which gives them the ability
18:02to maintain a presence in the weapons engagement zone for longer periods of time to respond to
18:06dynamic targets that have just been located, such as mobile missile launchers breaking concealment.
18:12Now, the situation on the ground was changing dynamically. For example, Iran was extracting
18:18mobile missile launchers from underground bases in different locations, firing, and then tempting to
18:23shoot and scoot back underground. With much more limited payloads and ability to stay aloft, the US's
18:29far nimble fighters might already be out of weapons after previous strikes, already returning to base
18:34before those types of targets emerge. Not so with the B-52. Now, with the end result of the conflict
18:40still up in the air, no pun intended, it's unclear how the US will make use of its B-52s
18:46going forward.
18:47Estimates vary greatly depending on whose propaganda you read. But it's clear that during the current
18:52extended lull in massive strikes, Iran has patched up its smashed air defenses to some extent or another.
18:58Likewise, it appears to have rehabilitated many of the sites and entrances to its underground missile
19:03and drone facilities, severely damaged by JDAM and other strikes. On the one hand, the war has greatly
19:09depleted the US's stockpiles of standoff missiles, and it's likely to take years to replenish them.
19:14With the US mindful of drawing down too many missiles from other theaters like the Indo-Pacific
19:19and Europe to fill the gap, its massive stockpiles of JDAMs will become all the more important if a
19:25serious kinetic conflict re-erupts. On the other hand, with the Iranian air defenses being gradually
19:30restored, the risks of using the relatively easy-to-target bomber from stand-in ranges are
19:35increasing, and it's from those ranges that JDAMs need to be deployed. However, as the conflict evolves
19:41next, it's almost certain that the B-52 is likely to play a significant role in it, and continue being
19:47at
19:47the core of US airpower for years to come. Not least because Grandpa is getting a new lease on life.
19:54In fact, the US Air Force is in the process of upgrading its entire remaining fleet of 76 aircraft
19:59to a new configuration, the B-52J. The core upgrade is the commercial engine replacement program,
20:06which will swap the eight old Pratt & Whitney TF-33 engines for the same number of modern,
20:11efficient Rolls-Royce F-130 engines. This alone is expected to extend the aircraft's life by more
20:17than 30 years. The B-5J will also include new ISA radars, digital flight controls, modernized
20:24cockpits, and structural improvements. We'll of course be following developments closely and keeping
20:29you updated as and when they occur. So, if you haven't already, subscribe to the channel to hear about
20:35it first.
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