Air Warriors (2014–…): Season 4, Episode 2 - B-52 - full transcript
The B-52 Stratofortress is affectionately known as the B.U.F.F., or Big, Ugly, Fat Fellow. Whatever you call it, the B-52 is one imposing beast of a bomber, stretching 159 feet, capable of ...
Narrator: IT'S BIG, FAST,
AND IT'S KNOWN TO DELIVER
THE KNOCKOUT PUNCH.
Woman: THE B-52 IS ABLE TO HOUSE
AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF WEAPONS.
Narrator:
ITS SPECIALTY: DISTANCE.
Man: NOBODY REALLY KNEW WE HAD
THAT GLOBAL REACH.
Narrator: THE B-52
STRATOFORTRESS WAS DESIGNED
TO CARRY THE AIR FORCE'S
MOST DANGEROUS PAYLOAD.
Man: IF ONE CRASHED
AND A NUCLEAR WEAPON WENT OFF,
IT COULD'VE MEANT
WORLD WAR III.
Narrator:
THIS 60-YEAR-OLD BOMBER
HAS BEEN FIGHTING LONGER
THAN ANY OTHER U.S. AIRCRAFT.
Man: ANY GIANT IS VULNERABLE.
WE'RE LIKE DUCKS
IN A SHOOTING GALLERY.
Narrator: AGAINST A CONSTANTLY
CHANGING BATTLEFIELD,
IT'S ADAPT OR DIE.
Man: WITH THE B-52
WE WERE DOING SOMETHING
WE HAD NEVER, EVER DONE BEFORE.
¶
Narrator: 2003.
A U.S.-LED COALITION
MOVES INTO IRAQ.
[GUNFIRE]
THEIR GOAL: TO REMOVE DICTATOR
SADDAM HUSSEIN FROM POWER.
George Bush: SADDAM HUSSEIN
MUST LEAVE IRAQ WITHIN 48 HOURS.
REFUSAL TO DO SO WILL RESULT
IN MILITARY CONFLICT.
[EXPLOSION]
Narrator:
SADDAM ISN'T WILLING TO GO.
HE COMMANDS HIS FORCES TO LAUNCH
MORE THAN A THOUSAND
SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILES
TOWARDS ALLIED AIRCRAFT.
THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY TO TAKE OUT
THE MISSILE SITES: BOMBING.
SO THE AIR FORCE SENDS IN
ITS MOST RELIABLE BOMBER:
THE B-52 STRATOFORTRESS.
THE B-52: IT'S A LEGEND
AMONG AIRCRAFT.
FOR MORE THAN A HALF A CENTURY
IT'S LED THE WAY IN EVERY
MAJOR U.S. BOMBING CAMPAIGN.
Seifert: SO, THIS IS
THE B-52H STRATOFORTRESS.
HERE IN THE COMMUNITY,
WE CALL IT THE BUFF,
WHICH STANDS
FOR BIG, UGLY, FAT FELLOW,
ALTHOUGH THAT ACRONYM
IS OPEN TO INTERPRETATION.
Narrator: THE B-52 IS
156 FEET LONG, 40 FEET TALL.
EACH WING MEASURES
4,000 SQUARE FEET.
IT'S ONE OF THE LARGEST BOMBERS
IN AIR FORCE HISTORY,
AND IT PACKS A DEADLY PUNCH.
Seifert:
THE B-52'S GREATEST STRENGTH
HAS ALWAYS BEEN
ITS ORDNANCE CAPABILITY.
IT'S BEEN DESIGNED TO CARRY
REALLY ANY TYPE OF WEAPON
IN THE AIR FORCE INVENTORY.
Narrator: THE B-52 CARRIES
WEAPONS ALL OVER ITS AIRFRAME.
EACH WING HOLDS
UP TO NINE WEAPONS--
MISSILES, MINES, SMART
AND LASER-GUIDED BOMBS.
INSIDE THERE'S ROOM FOR 27 MORE,
AS WELL AS 8
NUCLEAR CRUISE MISSILES.
THIS GIVES THE BUFF
A MASSIVE PAYLOAD
OF DIFFERENT
WEAPON CONFIGURATIONS.
THE B-52 CARRIES
70,000 POUNDS OF WEAPONS,
MORE THAN ANY OTHER PLANE
IN THE AIR FORCE ARSENAL.
Seifert: IT WOULD TAKE
FIGHTERS MULTIPLE TIMES
TO DO WHAT WE CAN DO
IN ONE PASS.
Narrator: IN IRAQ,
THE QUESTION ISN'T
HOW MUCH THE B-52 CAN CARRY,
IT'S "CAN IT BE PRECISE?"
APRIL 2003.
FAIRFORD AIR FORCE BASE,
ENGLAND.
TWO B-52 BOMBERS LINE UP
ON THE TARMAC.
Trey Morriss: THE MAIN OBJECTIVE
FOR THE USE OF THE B-52
WAS GEARED TOWARDS
RADAR CONTROL FACILITIES
OR COMMAND AND CONTROL
FACILITIES.
Narrator: COLONEL TREY MORRISS
HAS FLOWN IN THE B-52
FOR OVER 25 YEARS.
Morriss: WHEN YOU GET INTO THESE
DENSELY POPULATED AREAS
LIKE BAGHDAD,
WE'RE REALLY WORRIED
ABOUT THE CIVILIAN POPULATION
OR ANY KIND
OF OUTLYING FACILITIES
THAT WE DON'T WANT TO DESTROY.
Narrator: BUT THE BUFF ENTERS
WITH A REPUTATION.
SINCE VIETNAM
IT'S BEEN CONSIDERED
AN IMPRECISE
AND INDISCRIMINATE BOMBER.
IN OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM,
MORRIS AND HIS SQUADRON ARE
DETERMINED TO PROVE OTHERWISE.
Morriss: WE WANT TO FLIP
THIS STIGMA AROUND
AND MAKE EVERYBODY UNDERSTAND
THAT THE B-52 CAN BE
JUST AS PRECISE AS ANY OTHER
PLATFORM OUT THERE.
Narrator: 7:00 AM.
MORRISS' B-52 TAKES OFF
TOWARDS IRAQ,
ITS TARGET STILL UNKNOWN.
Morriss: WE KNEW THAT WE WOULD
BE ASSIGNED TARGETS
ONCE WE ARRIVED IN THE REGION.
WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT TYPE
OF CIVILIAN POPULATION
MIGHT BE AROUND THAT TARGET
UNTIL WE GET THERE.
Narrator: AS THE CREW APPROACHES
THE IRAQI BORDER,
A CALL COMES IN
FROM COMMAND AND CONTROL.
AN IRAQI RADAR HAS BEEN LOCATED
ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF TIKRIT.
IT'S THE B-52'S JOB
TO DESTROY IT.
THE ONLY PROBLEM: THE RADAR IS
SURROUNDED BY OTHER BUILDINGS.
Morriss: THE PLANNERS
AND THE STRATEGISTS
NEEDED JUST THIS SPECIFIC
BUILDING TO BE DESTROYED
AND NOT THE OTHER OUTLYING
BUILDINGS AROUND IT.
Narrator: MORRISS' TEAM IS READY
FOR THE CHALLENGE.
THEIR B-52 IS ARMED
WITH A BRAND NEW UPGRADE:
THE ADVANCED TARGETING POD.
THE TARGETING POD PUTS
STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGY
ON THE AIR FORCE'S
OLDEST AIRFRAME.
IT DISPLAYS A HIGH-RES INFRARED
IMAGE OF THE TARGET AREA.
THIS ALLOWS THE NAVIGATOR
TO LOCATE TARGETS
OVER TEN MILES AWAY.
Lohman: EVEN FROM 40,000 FEET
I CAN ACTUALLY I.D. A TARGET
AND FEEL COMFORTABLE PUTTING
A WEAPON ON THAT TARGET.
Narrator: THEN, THE NAVIGATOR
USES THE POD
TO STEER A LASER-GUIDED BOMB.
Lohman: I CAN ACTUALLY CONTROL
WHERE THAT WEAPON IS GOING TO GO
USING THE INTEGRATED
TRACK HANDLE
THAT YOU CAN SEE HERE.
Narrator: IT'S A TECHNOLOGY
THAT SHOULD ALLOW THE BUFF
TO BOMB WITH PRECISION,
IF IT WORKS.
Morriss: AT THIS POINT THERE HAD
ONLY BEEN ABOUT 12 MISSIONS
EVEN FLOWN TESTING AND TRAINING,
SO WE FELT THERE WAS
A LOT TO PROVE.
Narrator: 30 MILES FROM TIKRIT,
COLONEL MORRISS' B-52
LOOKS FOR AN ENEMY RADAR.
Morriss:
YOU CAN SEE THE TARGET AREA,
YOU CAN INDIVIDUALLY SEE
BUILDINGS,
YOU CAN SEE CARS
DRIVING UP AROUND THE STREETS.
Narrator: THE BUFF'S NAVIGATOR
USES HIS LASER
TO LOCATE THE TARGET.
BUT THERE'S ANOTHER FACTOR
HE HAS TO ACCOUNT FOR: WEATHER.
Morriss: THROUGH THE TV SCREEN
HE CAN SEE WIND BLOWING DUST.
SO HE NEEDS TO ADJUST
THAT LASER DESIGNATION POINT
TO ACCOUNT FOR WIND.
Narrator: THE NAVIGATOR
LOCKS THE TARGETING LASER
ON TO THE RADAR FACILITY.
HE READIES
THE LASER-GUIDED BOMB...
AND FIRES.
Morriss: YOU CAN FEEL IT.
THERE'S A DEFINITE JOLT
IN THE AIRPLANE
WHEN A WEAPON
LEAVES AN AIRCRAFT.
Narrator: THE FIVE-MAN CREW
WAITS ANXIOUSLY.
IT TAKES THE BOMB ALMOST
A MINUTE TO REACH THE GROUND.
Morriss: MY MAIN CONCERN WAS,
IS THIS WEAPON, AS IT'S FALLING,
GOING TO PERFORM
LIKE WE WANT IT TO?
Narrator:
THE NAVIGATOR CONCENTRATES
ON KEEPING
THE TARGETING POD STEADY.
THE LIVES OF INNOCENT CIVILIANS
ARE IN HIS HANDS.
Morriss: HE'S GIVING US UPDATES
THROUGH THAT TIMING.
YOU KNOW, HE'S SAYING
25 SECONDS, 20, 10, 5,
AND WHEN HE WENT DOWN TO ZERO,
THE WEAPON DIDN'T DETONATE.
THERE WAS ABOUT
3 SECONDS OF TERROR
OF WHAT HAPPENED TO THE WEAPON?
AND FINALLY YOU SEE IT
COME INTO THE TV SCREEN.
WHEN THE WEAPON HIT THAT TARGET
EXACTLY IN THE MIDDLE
OF THE BUILDING,
IT WAS A GREAT FEELING,
NO COLLATERAL DAMAGE,
AND IT STRUCK WITH PRECISION.
Narrator:
OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM
GIVES B-52 PILOTS SOMETHING NEW
TO BOAST ABOUT:
THEY'RE AS ACCURATE
AS ANY OTHER PRECISION BOMBER.
Morriss: THE CRITICS OF THE B-52
OFTEN FELT THAT THE POD
WAS NOT THE PROPER CAPABILITY
TO PUT ON THIS PLATFORM
BECAUSE IT WAS THE MINDSET WAS
THAT IS A FIGHTER CAPABILITY.
BUT IT'S OBVIOUS THE RESULTS
SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES.
THE B-52 IS JUST NOT
A MASS BOMBER ANYMORE.
IT IS A PRECISE WEAPON.
Narrator: PRECISION BOMBING:
IT'S THE LATEST TACTIC
OF A PLANE BUILT TO FIGHT
A VERY DIFFERENT KIND OF WAR.
AUGUST 1945.
WORLD WAR II.
A U.S. B-29 BOMBER DROPS
THE FIRST-EVER NUCLEAR BOMB
OVER HIROSHIMA, JAPAN.
THREE DAYS LATER, IT DROPS
ANOTHER ON NAGASAKI.
THE RESULTS CHANGE THE NATURE
OF MODERN WARFARE.
CONFLICTS CAN NOW BE WON OR LOST
BY A SINGLE BOMB.
ENGINEERS WORK AGGRESSIVELY
TO DEVELOP HEAVIER,
MORE POWERFUL WARHEADS.
BUT THE AIR FORCE'S GO-TO BOMBER
STRUGGLES TO KEEP UP.
Layne Karafantis:
THE B-29 WAS RELIANT
UPON HAVING
OFFSHORE MILITARY BASES,
AND OFTENTIMES COULDN'T EVEN
RETURN TO THOSE BASES
ONCE THEY HAD DROPPED
THEIR PAYLOADS.
Narrator: LAYNE KARAFANTIS
IS THE CURATOR
OF MODERN MILITARY AIRCRAFT
AT THE SMITHSONIAN
NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM.
Karafantis: THE AIR FORCE NEEDED
TO BUILD AN AIRCRAFT
THAT WAS GOING TO BE ABLE
TO LEAVE THE UNITED STATES,
GO TO ENEMY TERRITORY,
DROP NUCLEAR WARHEADS
AND RETURN HOME
ALL IN ONE FLIGHT.
Narrator: FEBRUARY 1946.
THE PENTAGON.
THE AIR FORCE MAKES A REQUEST
FOR A NEW LONG-RANGE BOMBER.
MARTIN, CONVAIR, AND BOEING
MAKE A BID FOR THE JOB.
THE REQUEST CALLS
FOR AN AIRCRAFT
WITH A SPEED
OF 300 MILES PER HOUR,
A 5,000-MILE COMBAT RADIUS,
AND A 10,000-POUND
NUCLEAR BOMB PAYLOAD.
Bill Yenne:
IT WAS WIDELY ASSUMED
THAT IF THERE WAS
ANOTHER WORLD WAR,
IT WOULD BE A NUCLEAR WAR.
Narrator: BILL YENNE
IS AN AIR FORCE HISTORIAN
AND AUTHOR ON THE B-52.
Yenne: IF WE'RE GOING TO BE
SENDING BOMBERS
INTO THE ENEMY HEARTLAND,
IT WAS GOING TO BE SENDING THEM
IN WITH NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
Narrator: ENGINEERS STRUGGLE
TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS.
PROTOTYPES ARE EITHER TOO FAST
TO HAVE RELIABLE RANGE
OR TOO HEAVY
TO OUTRUN THE ENEMY.
Yenne: THE DEVELOPMENT
OF BOMBERS HAS ALWAYS BEEN
ABOUT THE THREE CHALLENGES
OF SPEED, PAYLOAD AND RANGE.
AS YOU ADD TO ONE, YOU HAVE TO
SUBTRACT FROM ANOTHER.
Narrator: SOMETHING ELSE ADDS
TO THE PRESSURE...
THE COLD WAR.
THE U.S. MUST ACT FAST
TO MAINTAIN THE UPPER HAND.
Yenne: THE IDEA
FOR AN INTERCONTINENTAL BOMBER
DID NOT OCCUR IN A VACUUM.
THE SOVIET UNION WAS DOING
EXACTLY THE SAME THING
AT EXACTLY THE SAME TIME.
Narrator: GLOBAL DOMINANCE
RELIES ON ONE THING...
Man: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...
Narrator: WHO CAN GET
THEIR BOMBS IN THE AIR FIRST?
Narrator: 1948.
BOEING WINS A CONTRACT
FOR THE NEW AIR FORCE BOMBER.
FOUR YEARS LATER,
IN SEATTLE, WASHINGTON,
THEY REVEAL THE NEW PLANE
TO THE PUBLIC.
Yenne: THE B-52 DESIGN AS IT WAS
PRESENTED, APPROVED, AND ORDERED
WAS THE LARGEST JET AIRPLANE
THAT HAD EVER BEEN,
EVER BEEN PRESENTED SERIOUSLY.
Narrator: THE B-52 ISN'T
JUST BIG, IT'S FAST.
THANKS TO EIGHT
TURBOFAN ENGINES,
THE 185,000-POUND BEAST FLIES
OVER 600 MILES PER HOUR.
Seifert: THE B-52 HAS 8
PRATT AND WHITNEY TF-33 ENGINES
FOR A TOTAL OF 136,000 POUNDS
OF THRUST.
Narrator: ENGINES GIVE THE BUFF
POWER, WINGS GIVE IT RANGE.
AT 185 FEET LONG, THE BUFF'S
WINGS ALLOW FOR INCREASED LIFT,
SUPPORTING OVER TEN HOURS
OF NONSTOP FLIGHT.
IT IS ALSO ONE
OF THE FIRST AIRCRAFT EVER
TO BE DESIGNED WITH SWEPT WINGS.
AT AN ANGLE OF 35 DEGREES BACK,
THE UNIQUE WING SHAPE
STREAMLINES THE B-52 IN FLIGHT.
BUT THE BOMBER ISN'T JUST BIG
ON THE OUTSIDE.
INSIDE IT HOSTS
A DOUBLE-DECKER COCKPIT.
Seifert: SOMETHING UNIQUE
TO THE B-52 IS OUR CREW SIZE.
WE HAVE TWO PILOTS UP FRONT,
TWO NAVIGATORS DOWNSTAIRS,
AND AN ELECTRONIC WARFARE
OFFICER IN THE BACK.
WITH OUR VARIETY
OF MISSION SETS,
THAT REALLY ALLOWS US
TO COVER ALL OUR BASES.
Narrator: THE FIVE-PERSON
COCKPIT MAXIMIZES EFFICIENCY,
GIVING THE B-52 NOT ONLY BRAWN,
BUT BRAINS.
Seifert: WITH FIVE PEOPLE ON
THE BOMBER ALL DOING THEIR JOBS,
IT MAKES FOR A REALLY EFFICIENT
AND EFFECTIVE BOMBER.
Narrator: AT BOEING FIELD,
THE YB-52 TAXIS ONTO THE RUNWAY.
[CHEERING]
THE CROWDS ROAR
AS IT STARTS TO ASCEND.
[CHEERING]
Yenne: THERE WAS SMOKE,
THERE WAS FIRE,
THERE WAS THUNDERING, RUMBLING,
AND TO SEE THIS THING
COMING DOWN THE RUNWAY
WAS AN INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE.
Narrator: IN JUST MOMENTS
THE MASSIVE BOMBER IS AIRBORNE.
THE YB-52'S TEST FLIGHT LASTS
THREE HOURS AND EIGHT MINUTES.
IT'S THE LONGEST
MAIDEN FLIGHT EVER.
Karafantis: THE ROLLOUT
WAS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT.
THIS WAS GOING TO SHOWCASE
AMERICA'S ABILITY
TO DELIVER A RETALIATORY STRIKE
AGAINST THE SOVIET UNION.
Narrator: THE SOVIETS TAKE NOTE
OF THE AIR FORCE'S NEW WEAPON,
AND QUICKLY COUNTER
WITH A BOMBER OF THEIR OWN.
Yenne: IT WAS NO COINCIDENCE
THAT WITHIN A FEW MONTHS
OF THE B-52 MAKING
ITS DEBUT FLIGHT
THAT IN THE SOVIET UNION
THE TUPOLEV BEAR MADE ITS DEBUT.
Narrator:
THE TUPOLEV TU-95 BEAR.
IT HAS THE CAPABILITY
TO REACH THE UNITED STATES,
AND IT'S NUCLEAR CAPABLE, TOO.
Yenne: WITH THE ADVENT
OF THE BEAR,
THE PLAYING FIELD
HAD BEEN LEVELED.
Narrator: BUT A LEVEL
PLAYING FIELD ISN'T ENOUGH.
THE U.S. WANTS THE UPPER HAND.
ENTER AIR FORCE GENERAL
CURTIS LEMAY.
HE COMES UP WITH A PLAN
TO SHOW OFF AMERICA'S
NEWEST NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
AND HIS PLAN RELIES ON THE B-52.
MAY 21, 1956.
BIKINI ATOLL.
IN A TEST CODE-NAMED CHEROKEE,
THE B-52 DROPS
A 7,600-POUND HYDROGEN BOMB
CALLED THE MARK 15.
THE EXPLOSION IS 3.8 MEGATONS.
THE NUCLEAR CLOUD
REACHES 94,000 FEET.
IT IS ALMOST
200 TIMES MORE POWERFUL
THAN THE BOMB DROPPED
ON NAGASAKI IN WORLD WAR II.
THE TEST ALLOWS GENERAL LEMAY
TO SHOW OFF HIS FIREPOWER.
HIS NEXT STEP:
TO LET THE SOVIETS KNOW
THAT HE CAN ALSO DELIVER IT.
IN 1960, LEMAY SETS INTO MOTION
A BRAND-NEW
NUCLEAR DETERRENCE PROGRAM.
HE USES HIS B-52s
TO BRING NUCLEAR WARHEADS
TO THE SOVIETS' DOORSTEP
EVERY SINGLE DAY.
Yenne: OPERATION CHROME DOME
WAS A 24-HOUR-ALERT MISSION
IN WHICH B-52s WERE TASKED
WITH A SPECIFIC STRATEGIC TARGET
WITHIN THE SOVIET UNION.
AND IF THE COLD WAR TURNED HOT,
THEY WOULD BE PREPARED
TO IMMEDIATELY FLY
INTO THE SOVIET UNION
AND STRIKE
STRATEGIC TARGETS THERE.
Narrator: AERIAL REFUELING
ALLOWS THE B-52s
TO CIRCLE SOVIET BORDERS
AROUND THE CLOCK.
CHROME DOME THRUSTS THE BUFF
ONTO THE FRONT LINE OF
THE NEW NUCLEAR BATTLEGROUND.
AT LEAST 12 NUCLEAR-ARMED B-52s
ARE AIRBORNE AT A TIME.
LEMAY BELIEVES HIS NUCLEAR B-52s
ARE A DETERRENCE.
BUT WITH EVERY FLIGHT,
THE ODDS OF AN ACCIDENT GROW.
Karafantis:
THE FEAR IS THAT SOMETHING
IS GOING TO MALFUNCTION;
MAYBE WITHIN
THE PLANE'S HARDWARE,
AND THEN THE PLANE WILL CRASH,
AND YOU WORRY ABOUT WHAT'S GOING
TO HAPPEN TO THOSE BOMBS.
Yenne: IF ONE CRASHED
AND A NUCLEAR WEAPON WENT OFF,
IT WOULD HAVE BEEN DISASTROUS.
IF IT WAS MISINTERPRETED,
IT COULD HAVE MEANT
WORLD WAR III.
Narrator: SOON ENOUGH, THE B-52s
ARE PUSHED TO THEIR LIMIT.
IN 1966, DISASTER STRIKES.
A FULLY ARMED B-52 COLLIDES WITH
A REFUELING TANKER OVER SPAIN.
THE PLANE AND
ITS FOUR NUCLEAR BOMBS
CRASH INTO
THE UNSUSPECTING ALLY.
IT'S A DISASTER THAT JUST MIGHT
PUT THOUSANDS OF LIVES AT STAKE.
Narrator: A NUCLEAR-ARMED B-52
COLLIDES WITH A REFUELING TANKER
OVER PALOMARES, SPAIN.
THE PLANE, ALONG WITH FOUR
THERMONUCLEAR BOMBS,
HITS THE QUIET FISHING TOWN.
Yenne: WHEN SOME OF THE BOMBS
CAME LOOSE,
THERE WAS A NATURAL FEAR
THAT THERE COULD BE A NUCLEAR
EXPLOSION OR A RADIATION LEAK.
Narrator:
THREE BOMBS STRIKE LAND.
ONE FALLS INTO THE NEARBY
MEDITERRANEAN.
Karafantis: THIS OPENED THE
DOORS FOR INTERNATIONAL CONCERN
OVER WHAT THESE HOVERING
AIRCRAFT WITH NUCLEAR BOMBS
MIGHT MEAN FOR COUNTRIES ABROAD.
Narrator: IN 1968,
ANOTHER B-52 CRASHES.
THIS TIME, IN GREENLAND.
NUCLEAR DEBRIS COVERS
THREE SQUARE MILES.
Karafantis: SOME HYDROGEN BOMBS
WERE RELEASED DURING THE CRASH,
AND STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND SAID,
"OKAY, ENOUGH WITH
THE CONSTANT CIRCLING B-52s."
Narrator: THE CHROME DOME
PROGRAM IS CANCELLED.
BUT NO SOONER DOES
THE NUCLEAR MISSION VANISH
THAN THE B-52 TAKES UP
A NEW ROLE,
HALFWAY AROUND THE WORLD.
1968.
THE U.S. IS DEEP INTO AN AIR
CAMPAIGN THROUGHOUT VIETNAM.
[RADIO CHATTER]
Narrator: IT'S CALLED
"ARC LIGHT,"
AND THE AIR FORCE MAKES THE B-52
ITS PRINCIPAL BOMBER.
Yenne: DURING THE VIETNAM WAR,
THE B-52,
BECAUSE OF ITS HUGE SIZE,
TOOK ON A CONVENTIONAL MISSION
DROPPING NON-NUCLEAR IRON BOMBS.
THIS WAS THE FIRST USE
OF THE B-52 ACTUALLY IN COMBAT.
Narrator: IT ISN'T LONG
BEFORE THE BUFFS SHOW
JUST HOW MUCH DAMAGE
THEY CAN DO.
A YEAR INTO THE WAR
THE B-52s DROP AN AVERAGE
OF 8,000 TONS OF BOMBS A MONTH.
THEY QUICKLY GAIN A REPUTATION
AS INDISCRIMINATE
"CARPET BOMBERS,"
DESTROYING MILES
OF NORTH VIETNAMESE COUNTRYSIDE
WITH EVERY BOMBING RUN.
THE NORTH VIETNAMESE STRIKE BACK
WITH EVERYTHING THEY HAVE,
INCLUDING THEIR BRAND-NEW
SOVIET-MADE MISSILES.
Karafantis:
SOVIET SURFACE-TO-AIR
MISSILE TECHNOLOGY
WAS RAPIDLY INCREASING,
AND THIS WAS PUTTING
EVEN HIGH-FLYING BOMBERS,
SUCH AS THE B-52, AT RISK.
Narrator: THE MISSILE'S RADAR
HAS A RANGE OF UP TO 18 MILES.
THE B-52'S MAXIMUM ALTITUDE
IS ONLY NINE.
Karafantis: EFFECTIVELY, THIS
MADE THE B-52 A SITTING DUCK.
Yenne: THE AIR FORCE WAS FACED
WITH A DILEMMA;
EITHER FIND A WAY TO DEFEND
THE B-52 AGAINST THIS THREAT
OR GET RID OF IT ALTOGETHER.
Narrator:
TO COMBAT THE ENEMY RADAR,
THE AIR FORCE BEGINS A PROGRAM
KNOWN AS RIVET RAMBLER,
INSTALLING AN ALL-NEW ELECTRONIC
COUNTERMEASURE SYSTEM
INTO THE B-52s.
THE NEW HARDWARE IS DESIGNED
TO JAM THE SIGNALS
OF ENEMY MISSILE RADAR
AND MAKE THE B-52s UNDETECTABLE.
THE MODIFICATIONS COME
JUST IN TIME.
IN DECEMBER OF 1972
PEACE TALKS BETWEEN
NORTH VIETNAM AND THE U.S.
COME TO A STALEMATE.
PRESIDENT NIXON ORDERS
A MAJOR AIR OFFENSIVE
TO PUSH TALKS BACK ON THE TABLE,
CODENAMED
OPERATION LINEBACKER II.
THE B-52s PLAY A KEY ROLE.
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, GUAM.
B-52 CREWMEMBERS SCRAMBLE
FOR THE UPCOMING MISSION.
Man: ROLL CALL,
CAPTAIN DILWORTH.
Toby Pugh: ON THE WAY
TO THE BRIEFING ROOM
IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT SOMETHING
BIG WAS ABOUT TO HAPPEN
BECAUSE THE AIR BASE
WAS EERILY SILENT.
Narrator: CAPTAIN TOBY PUGH WAS
WITH THE 72nd STRATEGIC WING
DURING THE VIETNAM WAR.
Pugh: THE BRIEFING OFFICER
STOOD UP AND SAID,
"GOOD EVENING, GENTLEMEN.
YOUR TARGET FOR TONIGHT IS..."
AND HE ROLLED UP THE MAP,
AND THERE WAS A RED STAR
IN THE MIDDLE OF DOWNTOWN HANOI.
Narrator: HANOI IS
NORTH VIETNAM'S CAPITAL CITY,
IT'S PROTECTED BY HUNDREDS
OF SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILES.
Pugh: WE KNEW WE WERE GOING
TO BE THREATENED BY EVERYTHING
THAT WAS AVAILABLE
TO THE NORTH VIETNAMESE.
IT WAS PROBABLY
THE MOST HEAVILY DEFENDED TARGET
THAT HAD EVER BEEN ATTACKED.
Narrator:
IT'S THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY
TO TEST THE B-52'S
NEW ELECTRONIC UPGRADES,
WHICH ALL HINGE
ON A SINGLE CREW POSITION:
THE ELECTRONIC WARFARE OFFICER.
Man: ROGER, CO-PILOT,
JUST THE NORMAL ACQUISITION
SIGNALS ON,
NO THREATS AT THIS TIME.
Narrator:
BY SENDING COUNTER SIGNALS,
THE B-52'S ELECTRONIC WARFARE
OFFICER
CAN BLOCK, OR JAM, ENEMY RADAR.
Loucks: SO HERE YOU'LL ACTUALLY
SEE SOME OF THE ANTENNAS
THAT THE ELECTRONIC WARFARE
OFFICER USES
TO IDENTIFY A THREAT AND THEN
PUT JAMMING BACK ON THAT THREAT.
Narrator: A SUCCESSFUL JAM
MAKES THE B-52 UNTRACEABLE.
BUT THE TECHNOLOGY
IS NO GUARANTEE OF SUCCESS.
Loucks: IF THE ELECTRONIC
WARFARE OFFICER
IS UNABLE TO COUNTER
OR IDENTIFY A CERTAIN THREAT,
IT LEAVES THE B-52 OPEN
TO ENEMY RADAR,
AND ULTIMATELY THE RESULTS
COULD BE DEADLY.
Narrator: IN GUAM,
OVER 100 FULLY LOADED B-52s
TAXI TO THE RUNWAY.
Pugh: EVERY PARKING STUB
THAT THEY COULD FIND
HAD A B-52 ON IT.
WE HAD NEVER SEEN SO MANY B-52s
ALL IN ONE PLACE AT ONE TIME.
Narrator: THE MISSION CALLS
FOR THREE WAVES OF ATTACK.
PUGH'S B-52 IS
IN THE SECOND WAVE.
WHEN IT ARRIVES OVER HANOI
THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE
WILL BE LONG GONE.
Pugh: WE WERE ALL FLYING
ON THE SAME HEADING AND ALTITUDE
AND AT THE SAME AIR SPEED.
THE LOGIC WAS, IF WE ALL FLEW
ON THE SAME ROUTE
THAT WE WOULDN'T RUN
INTO EACH OTHER.
BUT THAT ALSO MADE IT POSSIBLE
FOR THE GROUND FORCES
TO DETERMINE WHERE WE
WERE GOINGO BE.
WE WERE SORT OF LIKE DUCKS
IN A ROW IN A SHOOTING GALLERY.
Narrator: PUGH IS THE ELECTRONIC
WARFARE OFFICER ON THE MISSION.
IT IS HIS FIRST TIME
JAMMING IN COMBAT.
THE CREW MUST PUT ALL
OF THEIR FAITH
INTO HIS ABILITY
TO BLOCK OUT THREATS.
Pugh: AS SOON AS WE CROSSED
THE BORDER INTO NORTH VIETNAM,
THE RADAR ENVIRONMENT
GOT VERY BUSY.
[RADIO CHATTER]
AND IT WAS FILLED WITH A NUMBER
OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF SIGNALS,
ALL OF WHICH WERE TRYING
TO HONE IN ON US.
ELECTRONIC COUNTERMEASURES IS
SORT OF A CHESS GAME IN THE SKY.
YOU'RE TRYING TO ANTICIPATE
THE MOVES
THAT THE OTHER PEOPLE WILL MAKE,
YOU'RE TRYING TO MAKE MOVES THAT
WILL CONFUSE THE OPPONENT.
Narrator: PUGH'S JAMMING WORKS.
NO MISSILES ARE ABLE TO LOCK ON
TO HIS AIRCRAFT.
BUT AS THE FIRST WAVE OF B-52s
REACHES HANOI,
ITS PREDICTABLE FLIGHT PATH
BLOWS ITS COVER.
Pugh: VERY SHORTLY AFTER THAT
THE SAM SIGNALS CAME UP,
AND THAT'S WHEN THEY
STARTED FIRING AT US.
[ALARM SOUNDING]
Narrator: THE BOMBERS
MUST STAY ON TRACK
OR RISK MISSING THEIR TARGET.
BUT THEY ARE HEADED STRAIGHT
INTO THE LINE OF FIRE.
[ALARM SOUNDING]
Pugh: THAT'S WHEN THE THREAT
WAS THE HIGHEST FOR US.
THE CONCENTRATION LEVEL
OF EVERYBODY IN THE CREW
IS SO COMPLETELY FOCUSED.
IT IS PROBABLY THE MOST
CONCENTRATED I'VE BEEN
ON ANYTHING IN MY LIFE
AT THAT MOMENT.
Narrator: FINALLY, PUGH AND
HIS CREW ARE OVER THE TARGET.
THE NAVIGATOR PULLS THE LEVER,
AND THE BOMB DOORS OPEN.
THE B-52'S 108 BOMBS DROP.
BUT THERE IS NO TIME
TO SEE IF THEY HIT.
Pugh: WE HAD JUST ENOUGH TIME
TO COMPLETE THE WEAPONS RELEASE,
CLOSE THE BOMB BAY DOORS,
MAKE THE HARD LEFT TURN.
WE'RE TALKING
60 DEGREES OF BANK,
WHICH IS HUGE FOR A B-52.
Narrator:
OUT OF THE LINE OF FIRE,
THE CREW HEADS
TOWARDS THE PACIFIC.
Pugh: EXITING THE TARGET AREA
HAD A SENSE OF RELIEF
THAT WE HAD COMPLETED
THE MISSION WE'D SET OUT TO DO.
AND THAT'S--THAT'S WHAT FLYING
IS ALL ABOUT.
Narrator: THAT NIGHT,
B-52s STRIKE
MORE THAN 90%
OF ASSIGNED TARGETS.
THROUGHOUT THE NEXT TEN DAYS,
15 B-52s ARE SHOT DOWN,
BUT THE MISSIONS HAVE
A STAGGERING SUCCESS RATE.
THE BUFFS DROP OVER 15,000 TONS
OF MUNITIONS OVER NORTH VIETNAM,
DODGING MORE THAN 1,200 SAMS.
IT'S A MAJOR TRIUMPH
FOR THE AGING BOMBER.
Yenne: THE VIETNAM WAR
REALLY DEMONSTRATED
THE CAPABILITY OF THE B-52
AS A SYSTEM
TO KEEP PACE WITH THE CHANGES
IN THE MISSION
AND THE CHANGES IN WARFARE.
Narrator: BUT NO SOONER
IS THE B-52 BACK IN THE U.S.
THAN IT HAS TO FACE DOWN
ANOTHER THREAT,
THIS TIME FROM WITHIN
ITS OWN RANKS.
1974.
THE AIR FORCE DEBUTS
ITS BRAND-NEW BOMBER:
THE ROCKWELL B-1A.
Yenne: IT HAD THE CAPABILITY
TO DELIVER NUCLEAR WEAPONS
DEEP INTO THE SOVIET UNION
WITH MUCH GREATER SPEED
THAN THE B-52.
Narrator:
THREE SEPARATE BOMB BAYS
GIVE IT A LARGER NUCLEAR PAYLOAD
THAN THE BIGGER B-52.
ITS ONLY DRAWBACK: COST.
ITS $102 MILLION PRICE TAG TAKES
CENTER STAGE IN AN ELECTION.
Karafantis: DURING HIS
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN,
JIMMY CARTER SAID THAT HE WANTED
TO CUT THE B-1 PROGRAM
DUE TO ITS HIGH COST.
Narrator:
IF THE B-1 PROGRAM GOES THROUGH,
THE BUFF WILL END UP
IN THE BONEYARD.
IT LOOKS AS IF THE B-52'S FUTURE
WILL COME DOWN TO A VOTE.
Narrator: 1976.
AFTER OVER 20 YEARS IN SERVICE,
THE B-52'S FATE
COMES DOWN TO AN ELECTION.
Gerald Ford: IN MY OPINION...
Narrator: PRESIDENT GERALD FORD
WANTS TO BUILD THE B-1 BOMBER,
A MOVE THAT WILL SEND
THE BUFF PACKING.
BUT RIVAL JIMMY CARTER WANTS
TO KEEP THE B-52 GOING.
Karafantis: AFTER JIMMY CARTER
WON THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION,
THE B-1 BOMBER PROGRAM
WAS CANCELLED,
AND THIS, IN TURN, GAVE THE B-52
A NEW LEASE ON LIFE.
Narrator:
THE AIR FORCE GETS TO WORK
IN KEEPING THE B-52
WITH THE TIMES.
IN 1982 THEY LOAD
ITS INTERNAL ROTARY LAUNCHER
WITH THEIR NEWEST WEAPON:
THE AGM-86 CRUISE MISSILE.
WITH A RANGE OF 1,500 MILES,
THE MISSILE ALLOWS THE B-52
TO STRIKE FROM NEARLY ANYWHERE
IN THE WORLD.
B-52 PILOTS ARE DETERMINED
TO PROVE THE WEAPON'S WORTH,
AND EIGHT YEARS LATER THEY'RE
ABLE TO PUT THEM TO THE TEST.
1990.
IRAQI DICTATOR SADDAM HUSSEIN
ORDERS HIS ARMY
INTO NEIGHBORING KUWAIT.
THE U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL
ISSUES A DEADLINE
FOR IRAQ TO WITHDRAW ITS TROOPS.
George H.W. Bush:
NO NATION WILL BE PERMITTED
TO BRUTALLY ASSAULT
ITS NEIGHBOR.
Narrator:
IRAQ REFUSES TO GIVE IN,
SO COALITION FORCES PREPARE
FOR A MASSIVE AIR WAR.
THE FIRST AIRCRAFT UP: THE B-52.
JANUARY 16th.
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE,
LOUISIANA.
B-52 CREWS PREPARE
THEIR AIRCRAFT.
John Romano: WE WERE THE ONES
THAT WERE GOING TO BE USED
AS A FIRST STRIKE BEFORE THE WAR
ACTUALLY STARTED.
Narrator: CAPTAIN JOHN ROMANO
WAS A B-52 AIRCRAFT COMMANDER
DURING OPERATION DESERT STORM.
Romano: WE WANTED TO ELIMINATE
THE COMMUNICATIONS FACILITIES
AS WELL AS RADAR FACILITIES,
ENEMY AIR DEFENSE.
SO, IT WOULD MAKE IT POSSIBLE
FOR THE FIGHTER PILOTS
TO COME IN THERE AND ACTUALLY
EXECUTE THEIR MISSION.
Narrator:
THE MISSION'S CODENAME:
OPERATION SECRET SQUIRREL.
IF IT'S SUCCESSFUL, THE B-52
WILL FLY 14,000 MILES
OVER 34 1/2 HOURS,
THE LONGEST IT'S EVER BEEN FLOWN
IN COMBAT OPERATIONS.
Romano: WE KNEW THIS WAS
LIKE A HISTORY-MAKING MISSION,
SO WE WERE DEFINITELY GEARED UP
TO GET THIS GOING
AND TAKE CARE OF WHAT
WE NEEDED TO DO.
Narrator: THIS MISSION ALSO HAS
ANOTHER FIRST:
IT'S THE COMBAT DEBUT
OF THE AGM-86C CRUISE MISSILE.
THE MISSILE WILL ALLOW THE
BOMBER TO STRIKE IRAQI RADARS
FROM OVER A THOUSAND MILES AWAY,
KEEPING THE BUFF OUT OF RANGE OF
IRAQI SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILES.
Romano: HAVING THIS NEW WEAPON
MEANT A BIG DEAL
BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE TO PUT
ANYBODY IN HARM'S WAY.
Narrator:
CAPTAIN ROMANO AND HIS CREW
TAKE OFF AT DAWN FROM LOUISIANA.
SIX OTHERS FOLLOW BEHIND.
THE CREWS FLY STEADILY
FOR NINE HOURS.
OVER THE MEDITERRANEAN, THEY
MEET WITH A TANKER TO REFUEL.
[RADIO CHATTER]
SUDDENLY, THEY NOTICE
THEY HAVE COMPANY.
Romano: WHEN WE WERE
FLYING ALONG,
JUST GETTING ON
TO OUR SECOND AIR REFUELING,
MY ELECTRONIC WARFARE OFFICER
NOTIFIED ME
THAT THERE WAS ENEMY AIRCRAFT
IN THE AREA.
Narrator: THE AIRCRAFT
IS AN UNKNOWN FIGHTER JET...
WITH THE B-52 CLEARLY
IN ITS SIGHTS.
Romano: IF THEY WERE GOING
TO DO ANYTHING,
THEY COULD HAVE TWO AIRCRAFT
AT THE PRICE OF ONE.
Narrator: FINALLY, THE B-52s
GET OFF THE PUMP
AND HEAD ON THEIR WAY.
THE UNKNOWN JET
CONTINUES TO FOLLOW.
NEAR THE LIBYAN BORDER,
THE FIGHTER VEERS OFF.
THE B-52'S COVER IS BLOWN,
ADDING EXTRA URGENCY
TO THEIR MISSION.
Romano: SINCE THEY ACTUALLY
VISUALLY IDENTIFIED US,
IT WAS IMPERATIVE TO GET THERE
AS QUICKLY AND AS SAFELY
AS POSSIBLE
SO WE CAN GET THOSE MISSILES
OFF OF OUR AIRCRAFT.
Narrator:
16 HOURS AFTER TAKEOFF,
THE B-52s CROSS
INTO SAUDI ARABIA.
THEY APPROACH
THEIR LAUNCH POINT.
Romano: WE KNEW IT WAS
CRUNCH TIME,
AND THIS WAS THE MAKE OR BREAK
OF THE MISSION RIGHT HERE.
Narrator: THE PILOTS STEADY
THE MASSIVE BOMBER.
NAVIGATORS PLUG IN
LAST-MINUTE COORDINATES.
THEY LOCK ON TO THEIR TARGETS
AND FIRE.
Romano:
WHEN THE MISSILE WAS LAUNCHED,
THERE WAS A LITTLE BIT
OF A SHIFT
BECAUSE EACH MISSILE WEIGHED
A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF POUNDS,
AND YOU DEFINITELY CAN FEEL
A LITTLE JOLT
ONCE THE MISSILE
DEPARTED THE AIRCRAFT.
Narrator: 15 MINUTES LATER,
THE MISSILES REACH
THEIR TARGETS.
EACH ONE IS DEADLY ACCURATE.
THE IRAQI RADAR SITES
ARE DESTROYED.
NOW, COALITION STRIKE PACKAGES
CAN FINISH THE ATTACK.
Romano:
IT WAS A PRETTY GOOD FEELING
TO KNOW THAT WE CAUSED
A LOT OF HAVOC,
WE KNEW THE FIGHTERS
CAN GET IN THERE SAFELY
AND TRY TO DO
THEIR MISSION AS WELL.
Narrator: 35 HOURS
AND 14,000 MILES AFTER TAKEOFF,
THE SECRET SQUIRREL BOMBERS
ARRIVE BACK AT BARKSDALE.
THE MISSION IS ONE
FOR THE RECORD BOOKS.
Romano: KNOWING THAT AN AIRPLANE
CAN FLY THAT LONG,
35, 40 HOURS, IS REMARKABLE.
WE PROVED TO THE WORLD
THAT WE WERE A FORCE
TO BE RECKONED WITH.
Karafantis:
OPERATION DESERT STORM
WAS, ARGUABLY,
THE MOST SUCCESSFUL AIR CAMPAIGN
IN HISTORY,
AND THE B-52 PLAYED
AN INTEGRAL PART IN THAT.
IT PERFORMED
ALMOST 2,000 SORTIES;
IT RELEASED MORE THAN
72,000 POUNDS OF WEAPONS
AND DELIVERED ABOUT 25,000 TONS
OF ORDNANCE.
Narrator: THE B-52 PROVES
IT CAN TAKE OUT AN ENEMY
FROM OVER A THOUSAND MILES AWAY.
IN ITS NEXT MISSION,
IT WILL HAVE TO PROVE
HOW WELL IT CAN DO
WHEN IT GETS UP CLOSE.
2001.
OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM.
AFGHANISTAN.
U.S. SPECIAL FORCES
COMBAT TALIBAN MILITANTS
IN THE MOUNTAINS
OF ORUZGAN PROVINCE.
BUT THE DIFFICULT TERRAIN
MAKES FOR EASY AMBUSHES.
U.S. FORCES ARE IN CONSTANT NEED
OF IMMEDIATE AIR SUPPORT.
FIGHTER JETS HAVE LIMITED
FLIGHT TIME AND WEAPON LOADS,
MAKING IT DIFFICULT
TO PROVIDE EXTENDED SUPPORT
FOR THE GROUND TROOPS.
THE AIR FORCE PROPOSES
A RADICAL SOLUTION--THE B-52.
THEY HOPE ITS LONG FLIGHT TIME
CAN MAKE IT IDEAL
FOR CLOSE AIR SUPPORT
IN THE SCATTERED TERRAIN.
Yenne:
THE IRONY IS THAT THE B-52
WAS NEVER DESIGNED
AS A CLOSE AIR SUPPORT WEAPON.
IT WAS DESIGNED FOR STRATEGIC
AND NOT TACTICAL WARFARE.
Narrator: THE BUFF'S DESIGNS,
MEANT FOR GLOBAL NUCLEAR WAR,
MAY ALSO MAKE IT PERFECT
FOR BATTLEFIELD TACTICS.
THE SUPPORT CALLS
FOR A CONSTANT AERIAL PRESENCE,
B-52s CIRCLING OVER TARGET AREAS
FOR UP TO FOUR HOURS
AND REACTING TO THREATS
IN REAL TIME.
Joseph Jones: CLOSE AIR SUPPORT
IS TIME-SENSITIVE
AND IT'S REACTIVE.
Narrator: COLONEL JOSEPH JONES
WAS A RADAR NAVIGATOR
DURING OPERATION
ENDURING FREEDOM.
Jones: THE ENVIRONMENT
ALWAYS STAYS DYNAMIC.
THE TROOPS ARE MOVING,
THE ENEMY IS MOVING,
OR YOUR TARGET IS MOVING.
Narrator: NOT LONG INTO PATROL,
JONES' B-52 RECEIVES
ITS FIRST DISTRESS CALL.
IT'S COMING DIRECTLY FROM
U.S. FORCES ON THE GROUND.
Jones:
A 12-VEHICLE TALIBAN CONVOY
HAD TARGETED 35 FRIENDLY TROOPS.
THEY HAD BRACKETED OUR
FRIENDLY FORCES ON THE GROUND,
AND WITHOUT IMMEDIATE ATTACK
THEY WERE IN DANGER OF CASUALTY.
Narrator: THE B-52 IS ONLY
TEN MINUTES FROM THE TROOPS.
BUT THE TALIBAN'S CONVOY
IS CLOSING IN FAST.
FROM 38,000 FEET
A MOVING CONVOY IS NEARLY
IMPOSSIBLE TO HIT DIRECTLY.
THE B-52 MUST BE DEADLY ACCURATE
OR RISK TAKING OUT
FRIENDLY FORCES.
[GUNFIRE]
Narrator: HIGH OVER AFGHANISTAN,
A B-52 CREW LOOKS DOWN
ON AN ENEMY CONVOY,
A CONVOY THAT'S HEADING STRAIGHT
TOWARDS FRIENDLY TROOPS.
[GUNFIRE]
Jones: WE WERE ACUTELY AWARE
ON OUR CREW
THAT IF WE WEREN'T ABLE TO REACT
ACCURATELY AND QUICKLY
THAT THERE WAS GOING TO BE
FRIENDLY CAUSALITIES.
Narrator:
THE B-52 HAS 27 GRAVITY BOMBS
LOADED IN ITS BOMB BAY.
THAT'S ENOUGH TO DO
OVER A MILE OF DAMAGE.
Jones: WE WERE GOING TO COME IN
FROM BEHIND THE CONVOY,
LAY A STRING OF WEAPONS
DOWN ALONG THE CONVOY LINE.
Narrator: HITTING THE MOVING
TARGET WON'T BE EASY:
JONES MUST RELEASE THE BOMBS
AT EXACTLY THE RIGHT TIME AND
POSITION TO HIT THEIR TARGET.
Jones: WE HAD TO PREDICT WHERE
THAT CONVOY WAS GOING TO BE
48 TO 53 SECONDS AFTER
THE RELEASE FROM THE AIRPLANE
TO HIT A TARGET THAT WAS
GOING TO MOVE ALMOST A MILE
AFTER WE HAD RELEASED
OUR WEAPONS.
Narrator: WITH FRIENDLY FORCES
NEARBY, IT'S A BIG RISK.
AND JONES WILL ONLY HAVE
ONE SHOT.
Jones: WE NEVER HAD PREPARED
TO STRIKE A MOVING TARGET EVER.
THIS WAS A SERIOUS HEADS-UP
BALLGAME THAT WE WERE PLAYING.
Narrator: JONES TAKES
ONE LAST LOOK AT THE CONVOY
AND RELEASES THE PAYLOAD.
27 BOMBS FLY OUT OF THE B-52
AND HIT THE GROUND HARD.
AS THE DUST CLEARS,
JONES RADIOS DOWN TO THE TROOPS.
Jones: WE MADE SEVERAL CALLS
AND GOT NO CALL BACK,
THERE WAS AN IMMEDIATE CONCERN
THAT THERE MAY HAVE BEEN
A FRIENDLY FIRE INCIDENT,
WITH WHICH WE WERE
THE GUILTY PARTIES.
[RADIO CHATTER]
Narrator: THEN THE RADIO
CRACKLES TO LIFE.
Jones: AND ALL THE SUDDEN
THE GROUND GUY COMES ON
AND THERE IS HOOTING
AND HOLLERING IN THE BACKGROUND
AND LAUGHING, AND THIS GUY GOES,
"WELL, THIS WAR'S OVER,
YOU JUST DESTROYED
THAT ENTIRE CONVOY EN MASSE."
Narrator: THE THREATS NOW
ELIMINATED, THE B-52 CLEARS OUT.
OVER THE NEXT MONTHS
THE BUFF QUICKLY BECOMES
ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT
CLOSE AIR SUPPORT AIRCRAFT
IN AFGHANISTAN.
Jones: IT MODIFIED THE WAY
WE THINK ABOUT THAT AIRPLANE
AS A CLOSE AIR SUPPORT VEHICLE.
Narrator:
50 YEARS AFTER ITS CONSTRUCTION,
THE BUFF IS STILL ONE
OF THE AIR FORCE'S TOP ASSETS.
Jones: THE B-52 IS JUST WAITING
FOR THE NEXT OPERATION,
AND THAT NEXT OPERATION
IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER.
Narrator: AUGUST 2015.
BOEING IS AWARDED
A $46 MILLION CONTRACT
TO BRING ITS OLDEST BOMBER
INTO THE DIGITAL AGE.
WHILE THE AIR FORCE HAS NEWER,
MORE ADVANCED BOMBERS,
THEY STILL HEAVILY RELY
ON THE 60-YEAR-OLD BUFF.
WITH 76 AIRFRAMES STILL
IN SERVICE, ALL FROM THE 1960s,
THE REMAINING B-52s
HAVE STOOD THE TEST OF TIME.
AND THEIR POWER
IS STILL UNMATCHED.
NOW THE B-52 FLEET
WILL BE UPGRADED
WITH NEW DIGITAL DISPLAYS,
REAL-TIME SATELLITE DATA LINKS,
AND AN INCREASED
SMART WEAPONS PAYLOAD.
Yenne: THE CONSTANT UPGRADES
THROUGH ALL OF THESE DECADES
HAVE CONSISTENTLY RENEWED IT
AS ALMOST AN ALL-NEW AIRPLANE
FOR EVERY DECADE IN WHICH
IT'S BEEN OPERATIONAL.
Narrator:
FROM A NUCLEAR DETERRENT
TO A PRECISION BOMBER.
Yenne: THE REMARKABLE THING
ABOUT THE B-52
IS THAT IT HAS PERFORMED SO MANY
DIFFERENT TYPES OF MISSIONS
OVER SO MANY YEARS.
Narrat: IT GET
TO AHIURS.
: IT'S DEFINITELY
A GLOBALEACH ACRAFT.
IT CAN STRIKE ANYTIME,
ANYWHERE, ANYHOW.
Narrator: AND DELIVER
A PAYLOAD THAT STICKS.
Morriss: THE AMOT OF FIREPOWER
THT CAN CARR
AT A GIVEN MOMENT
REALLY PVES THAT IT IS
A PLFOF CHOICE.
Narrator: THE U.S. AIRORCE
PLANS TO U THE BUFF
INTO 2040 AND BEYOND.
Romano: IT'S BEEN AROU
FOR A LONG TIME,
WE CONTINUE TO FLY IT,
ANE G TO BCONTINUING
TO FLY THIAIRCRAFT
FOR LONG TIME COMING.
Narrator:
THE AIR FORCE'SVY HITTE
WILL ALWAYS BE READY TO DELIVER
THE KNOCKOUT PCH.
NO MATTER WHAT FUTURE THREATS
APPEAR, THE B-52 READY.
AND IT'S KNOWN TO DELIVER
THE KNOCKOUT PUNCH.
Woman: THE B-52 IS ABLE TO HOUSE
AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF WEAPONS.
Narrator:
ITS SPECIALTY: DISTANCE.
Man: NOBODY REALLY KNEW WE HAD
THAT GLOBAL REACH.
Narrator: THE B-52
STRATOFORTRESS WAS DESIGNED
TO CARRY THE AIR FORCE'S
MOST DANGEROUS PAYLOAD.
Man: IF ONE CRASHED
AND A NUCLEAR WEAPON WENT OFF,
IT COULD'VE MEANT
WORLD WAR III.
Narrator:
THIS 60-YEAR-OLD BOMBER
HAS BEEN FIGHTING LONGER
THAN ANY OTHER U.S. AIRCRAFT.
Man: ANY GIANT IS VULNERABLE.
WE'RE LIKE DUCKS
IN A SHOOTING GALLERY.
Narrator: AGAINST A CONSTANTLY
CHANGING BATTLEFIELD,
IT'S ADAPT OR DIE.
Man: WITH THE B-52
WE WERE DOING SOMETHING
WE HAD NEVER, EVER DONE BEFORE.
¶
Narrator: 2003.
A U.S.-LED COALITION
MOVES INTO IRAQ.
[GUNFIRE]
THEIR GOAL: TO REMOVE DICTATOR
SADDAM HUSSEIN FROM POWER.
George Bush: SADDAM HUSSEIN
MUST LEAVE IRAQ WITHIN 48 HOURS.
REFUSAL TO DO SO WILL RESULT
IN MILITARY CONFLICT.
[EXPLOSION]
Narrator:
SADDAM ISN'T WILLING TO GO.
HE COMMANDS HIS FORCES TO LAUNCH
MORE THAN A THOUSAND
SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILES
TOWARDS ALLIED AIRCRAFT.
THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY TO TAKE OUT
THE MISSILE SITES: BOMBING.
SO THE AIR FORCE SENDS IN
ITS MOST RELIABLE BOMBER:
THE B-52 STRATOFORTRESS.
THE B-52: IT'S A LEGEND
AMONG AIRCRAFT.
FOR MORE THAN A HALF A CENTURY
IT'S LED THE WAY IN EVERY
MAJOR U.S. BOMBING CAMPAIGN.
Seifert: SO, THIS IS
THE B-52H STRATOFORTRESS.
HERE IN THE COMMUNITY,
WE CALL IT THE BUFF,
WHICH STANDS
FOR BIG, UGLY, FAT FELLOW,
ALTHOUGH THAT ACRONYM
IS OPEN TO INTERPRETATION.
Narrator: THE B-52 IS
156 FEET LONG, 40 FEET TALL.
EACH WING MEASURES
4,000 SQUARE FEET.
IT'S ONE OF THE LARGEST BOMBERS
IN AIR FORCE HISTORY,
AND IT PACKS A DEADLY PUNCH.
Seifert:
THE B-52'S GREATEST STRENGTH
HAS ALWAYS BEEN
ITS ORDNANCE CAPABILITY.
IT'S BEEN DESIGNED TO CARRY
REALLY ANY TYPE OF WEAPON
IN THE AIR FORCE INVENTORY.
Narrator: THE B-52 CARRIES
WEAPONS ALL OVER ITS AIRFRAME.
EACH WING HOLDS
UP TO NINE WEAPONS--
MISSILES, MINES, SMART
AND LASER-GUIDED BOMBS.
INSIDE THERE'S ROOM FOR 27 MORE,
AS WELL AS 8
NUCLEAR CRUISE MISSILES.
THIS GIVES THE BUFF
A MASSIVE PAYLOAD
OF DIFFERENT
WEAPON CONFIGURATIONS.
THE B-52 CARRIES
70,000 POUNDS OF WEAPONS,
MORE THAN ANY OTHER PLANE
IN THE AIR FORCE ARSENAL.
Seifert: IT WOULD TAKE
FIGHTERS MULTIPLE TIMES
TO DO WHAT WE CAN DO
IN ONE PASS.
Narrator: IN IRAQ,
THE QUESTION ISN'T
HOW MUCH THE B-52 CAN CARRY,
IT'S "CAN IT BE PRECISE?"
APRIL 2003.
FAIRFORD AIR FORCE BASE,
ENGLAND.
TWO B-52 BOMBERS LINE UP
ON THE TARMAC.
Trey Morriss: THE MAIN OBJECTIVE
FOR THE USE OF THE B-52
WAS GEARED TOWARDS
RADAR CONTROL FACILITIES
OR COMMAND AND CONTROL
FACILITIES.
Narrator: COLONEL TREY MORRISS
HAS FLOWN IN THE B-52
FOR OVER 25 YEARS.
Morriss: WHEN YOU GET INTO THESE
DENSELY POPULATED AREAS
LIKE BAGHDAD,
WE'RE REALLY WORRIED
ABOUT THE CIVILIAN POPULATION
OR ANY KIND
OF OUTLYING FACILITIES
THAT WE DON'T WANT TO DESTROY.
Narrator: BUT THE BUFF ENTERS
WITH A REPUTATION.
SINCE VIETNAM
IT'S BEEN CONSIDERED
AN IMPRECISE
AND INDISCRIMINATE BOMBER.
IN OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM,
MORRIS AND HIS SQUADRON ARE
DETERMINED TO PROVE OTHERWISE.
Morriss: WE WANT TO FLIP
THIS STIGMA AROUND
AND MAKE EVERYBODY UNDERSTAND
THAT THE B-52 CAN BE
JUST AS PRECISE AS ANY OTHER
PLATFORM OUT THERE.
Narrator: 7:00 AM.
MORRISS' B-52 TAKES OFF
TOWARDS IRAQ,
ITS TARGET STILL UNKNOWN.
Morriss: WE KNEW THAT WE WOULD
BE ASSIGNED TARGETS
ONCE WE ARRIVED IN THE REGION.
WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT TYPE
OF CIVILIAN POPULATION
MIGHT BE AROUND THAT TARGET
UNTIL WE GET THERE.
Narrator: AS THE CREW APPROACHES
THE IRAQI BORDER,
A CALL COMES IN
FROM COMMAND AND CONTROL.
AN IRAQI RADAR HAS BEEN LOCATED
ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF TIKRIT.
IT'S THE B-52'S JOB
TO DESTROY IT.
THE ONLY PROBLEM: THE RADAR IS
SURROUNDED BY OTHER BUILDINGS.
Morriss: THE PLANNERS
AND THE STRATEGISTS
NEEDED JUST THIS SPECIFIC
BUILDING TO BE DESTROYED
AND NOT THE OTHER OUTLYING
BUILDINGS AROUND IT.
Narrator: MORRISS' TEAM IS READY
FOR THE CHALLENGE.
THEIR B-52 IS ARMED
WITH A BRAND NEW UPGRADE:
THE ADVANCED TARGETING POD.
THE TARGETING POD PUTS
STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGY
ON THE AIR FORCE'S
OLDEST AIRFRAME.
IT DISPLAYS A HIGH-RES INFRARED
IMAGE OF THE TARGET AREA.
THIS ALLOWS THE NAVIGATOR
TO LOCATE TARGETS
OVER TEN MILES AWAY.
Lohman: EVEN FROM 40,000 FEET
I CAN ACTUALLY I.D. A TARGET
AND FEEL COMFORTABLE PUTTING
A WEAPON ON THAT TARGET.
Narrator: THEN, THE NAVIGATOR
USES THE POD
TO STEER A LASER-GUIDED BOMB.
Lohman: I CAN ACTUALLY CONTROL
WHERE THAT WEAPON IS GOING TO GO
USING THE INTEGRATED
TRACK HANDLE
THAT YOU CAN SEE HERE.
Narrator: IT'S A TECHNOLOGY
THAT SHOULD ALLOW THE BUFF
TO BOMB WITH PRECISION,
IF IT WORKS.
Morriss: AT THIS POINT THERE HAD
ONLY BEEN ABOUT 12 MISSIONS
EVEN FLOWN TESTING AND TRAINING,
SO WE FELT THERE WAS
A LOT TO PROVE.
Narrator: 30 MILES FROM TIKRIT,
COLONEL MORRISS' B-52
LOOKS FOR AN ENEMY RADAR.
Morriss:
YOU CAN SEE THE TARGET AREA,
YOU CAN INDIVIDUALLY SEE
BUILDINGS,
YOU CAN SEE CARS
DRIVING UP AROUND THE STREETS.
Narrator: THE BUFF'S NAVIGATOR
USES HIS LASER
TO LOCATE THE TARGET.
BUT THERE'S ANOTHER FACTOR
HE HAS TO ACCOUNT FOR: WEATHER.
Morriss: THROUGH THE TV SCREEN
HE CAN SEE WIND BLOWING DUST.
SO HE NEEDS TO ADJUST
THAT LASER DESIGNATION POINT
TO ACCOUNT FOR WIND.
Narrator: THE NAVIGATOR
LOCKS THE TARGETING LASER
ON TO THE RADAR FACILITY.
HE READIES
THE LASER-GUIDED BOMB...
AND FIRES.
Morriss: YOU CAN FEEL IT.
THERE'S A DEFINITE JOLT
IN THE AIRPLANE
WHEN A WEAPON
LEAVES AN AIRCRAFT.
Narrator: THE FIVE-MAN CREW
WAITS ANXIOUSLY.
IT TAKES THE BOMB ALMOST
A MINUTE TO REACH THE GROUND.
Morriss: MY MAIN CONCERN WAS,
IS THIS WEAPON, AS IT'S FALLING,
GOING TO PERFORM
LIKE WE WANT IT TO?
Narrator:
THE NAVIGATOR CONCENTRATES
ON KEEPING
THE TARGETING POD STEADY.
THE LIVES OF INNOCENT CIVILIANS
ARE IN HIS HANDS.
Morriss: HE'S GIVING US UPDATES
THROUGH THAT TIMING.
YOU KNOW, HE'S SAYING
25 SECONDS, 20, 10, 5,
AND WHEN HE WENT DOWN TO ZERO,
THE WEAPON DIDN'T DETONATE.
THERE WAS ABOUT
3 SECONDS OF TERROR
OF WHAT HAPPENED TO THE WEAPON?
AND FINALLY YOU SEE IT
COME INTO THE TV SCREEN.
WHEN THE WEAPON HIT THAT TARGET
EXACTLY IN THE MIDDLE
OF THE BUILDING,
IT WAS A GREAT FEELING,
NO COLLATERAL DAMAGE,
AND IT STRUCK WITH PRECISION.
Narrator:
OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM
GIVES B-52 PILOTS SOMETHING NEW
TO BOAST ABOUT:
THEY'RE AS ACCURATE
AS ANY OTHER PRECISION BOMBER.
Morriss: THE CRITICS OF THE B-52
OFTEN FELT THAT THE POD
WAS NOT THE PROPER CAPABILITY
TO PUT ON THIS PLATFORM
BECAUSE IT WAS THE MINDSET WAS
THAT IS A FIGHTER CAPABILITY.
BUT IT'S OBVIOUS THE RESULTS
SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES.
THE B-52 IS JUST NOT
A MASS BOMBER ANYMORE.
IT IS A PRECISE WEAPON.
Narrator: PRECISION BOMBING:
IT'S THE LATEST TACTIC
OF A PLANE BUILT TO FIGHT
A VERY DIFFERENT KIND OF WAR.
AUGUST 1945.
WORLD WAR II.
A U.S. B-29 BOMBER DROPS
THE FIRST-EVER NUCLEAR BOMB
OVER HIROSHIMA, JAPAN.
THREE DAYS LATER, IT DROPS
ANOTHER ON NAGASAKI.
THE RESULTS CHANGE THE NATURE
OF MODERN WARFARE.
CONFLICTS CAN NOW BE WON OR LOST
BY A SINGLE BOMB.
ENGINEERS WORK AGGRESSIVELY
TO DEVELOP HEAVIER,
MORE POWERFUL WARHEADS.
BUT THE AIR FORCE'S GO-TO BOMBER
STRUGGLES TO KEEP UP.
Layne Karafantis:
THE B-29 WAS RELIANT
UPON HAVING
OFFSHORE MILITARY BASES,
AND OFTENTIMES COULDN'T EVEN
RETURN TO THOSE BASES
ONCE THEY HAD DROPPED
THEIR PAYLOADS.
Narrator: LAYNE KARAFANTIS
IS THE CURATOR
OF MODERN MILITARY AIRCRAFT
AT THE SMITHSONIAN
NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM.
Karafantis: THE AIR FORCE NEEDED
TO BUILD AN AIRCRAFT
THAT WAS GOING TO BE ABLE
TO LEAVE THE UNITED STATES,
GO TO ENEMY TERRITORY,
DROP NUCLEAR WARHEADS
AND RETURN HOME
ALL IN ONE FLIGHT.
Narrator: FEBRUARY 1946.
THE PENTAGON.
THE AIR FORCE MAKES A REQUEST
FOR A NEW LONG-RANGE BOMBER.
MARTIN, CONVAIR, AND BOEING
MAKE A BID FOR THE JOB.
THE REQUEST CALLS
FOR AN AIRCRAFT
WITH A SPEED
OF 300 MILES PER HOUR,
A 5,000-MILE COMBAT RADIUS,
AND A 10,000-POUND
NUCLEAR BOMB PAYLOAD.
Bill Yenne:
IT WAS WIDELY ASSUMED
THAT IF THERE WAS
ANOTHER WORLD WAR,
IT WOULD BE A NUCLEAR WAR.
Narrator: BILL YENNE
IS AN AIR FORCE HISTORIAN
AND AUTHOR ON THE B-52.
Yenne: IF WE'RE GOING TO BE
SENDING BOMBERS
INTO THE ENEMY HEARTLAND,
IT WAS GOING TO BE SENDING THEM
IN WITH NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
Narrator: ENGINEERS STRUGGLE
TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS.
PROTOTYPES ARE EITHER TOO FAST
TO HAVE RELIABLE RANGE
OR TOO HEAVY
TO OUTRUN THE ENEMY.
Yenne: THE DEVELOPMENT
OF BOMBERS HAS ALWAYS BEEN
ABOUT THE THREE CHALLENGES
OF SPEED, PAYLOAD AND RANGE.
AS YOU ADD TO ONE, YOU HAVE TO
SUBTRACT FROM ANOTHER.
Narrator: SOMETHING ELSE ADDS
TO THE PRESSURE...
THE COLD WAR.
THE U.S. MUST ACT FAST
TO MAINTAIN THE UPPER HAND.
Yenne: THE IDEA
FOR AN INTERCONTINENTAL BOMBER
DID NOT OCCUR IN A VACUUM.
THE SOVIET UNION WAS DOING
EXACTLY THE SAME THING
AT EXACTLY THE SAME TIME.
Narrator: GLOBAL DOMINANCE
RELIES ON ONE THING...
Man: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...
Narrator: WHO CAN GET
THEIR BOMBS IN THE AIR FIRST?
Narrator: 1948.
BOEING WINS A CONTRACT
FOR THE NEW AIR FORCE BOMBER.
FOUR YEARS LATER,
IN SEATTLE, WASHINGTON,
THEY REVEAL THE NEW PLANE
TO THE PUBLIC.
Yenne: THE B-52 DESIGN AS IT WAS
PRESENTED, APPROVED, AND ORDERED
WAS THE LARGEST JET AIRPLANE
THAT HAD EVER BEEN,
EVER BEEN PRESENTED SERIOUSLY.
Narrator: THE B-52 ISN'T
JUST BIG, IT'S FAST.
THANKS TO EIGHT
TURBOFAN ENGINES,
THE 185,000-POUND BEAST FLIES
OVER 600 MILES PER HOUR.
Seifert: THE B-52 HAS 8
PRATT AND WHITNEY TF-33 ENGINES
FOR A TOTAL OF 136,000 POUNDS
OF THRUST.
Narrator: ENGINES GIVE THE BUFF
POWER, WINGS GIVE IT RANGE.
AT 185 FEET LONG, THE BUFF'S
WINGS ALLOW FOR INCREASED LIFT,
SUPPORTING OVER TEN HOURS
OF NONSTOP FLIGHT.
IT IS ALSO ONE
OF THE FIRST AIRCRAFT EVER
TO BE DESIGNED WITH SWEPT WINGS.
AT AN ANGLE OF 35 DEGREES BACK,
THE UNIQUE WING SHAPE
STREAMLINES THE B-52 IN FLIGHT.
BUT THE BOMBER ISN'T JUST BIG
ON THE OUTSIDE.
INSIDE IT HOSTS
A DOUBLE-DECKER COCKPIT.
Seifert: SOMETHING UNIQUE
TO THE B-52 IS OUR CREW SIZE.
WE HAVE TWO PILOTS UP FRONT,
TWO NAVIGATORS DOWNSTAIRS,
AND AN ELECTRONIC WARFARE
OFFICER IN THE BACK.
WITH OUR VARIETY
OF MISSION SETS,
THAT REALLY ALLOWS US
TO COVER ALL OUR BASES.
Narrator: THE FIVE-PERSON
COCKPIT MAXIMIZES EFFICIENCY,
GIVING THE B-52 NOT ONLY BRAWN,
BUT BRAINS.
Seifert: WITH FIVE PEOPLE ON
THE BOMBER ALL DOING THEIR JOBS,
IT MAKES FOR A REALLY EFFICIENT
AND EFFECTIVE BOMBER.
Narrator: AT BOEING FIELD,
THE YB-52 TAXIS ONTO THE RUNWAY.
[CHEERING]
THE CROWDS ROAR
AS IT STARTS TO ASCEND.
[CHEERING]
Yenne: THERE WAS SMOKE,
THERE WAS FIRE,
THERE WAS THUNDERING, RUMBLING,
AND TO SEE THIS THING
COMING DOWN THE RUNWAY
WAS AN INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE.
Narrator: IN JUST MOMENTS
THE MASSIVE BOMBER IS AIRBORNE.
THE YB-52'S TEST FLIGHT LASTS
THREE HOURS AND EIGHT MINUTES.
IT'S THE LONGEST
MAIDEN FLIGHT EVER.
Karafantis: THE ROLLOUT
WAS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT.
THIS WAS GOING TO SHOWCASE
AMERICA'S ABILITY
TO DELIVER A RETALIATORY STRIKE
AGAINST THE SOVIET UNION.
Narrator: THE SOVIETS TAKE NOTE
OF THE AIR FORCE'S NEW WEAPON,
AND QUICKLY COUNTER
WITH A BOMBER OF THEIR OWN.
Yenne: IT WAS NO COINCIDENCE
THAT WITHIN A FEW MONTHS
OF THE B-52 MAKING
ITS DEBUT FLIGHT
THAT IN THE SOVIET UNION
THE TUPOLEV BEAR MADE ITS DEBUT.
Narrator:
THE TUPOLEV TU-95 BEAR.
IT HAS THE CAPABILITY
TO REACH THE UNITED STATES,
AND IT'S NUCLEAR CAPABLE, TOO.
Yenne: WITH THE ADVENT
OF THE BEAR,
THE PLAYING FIELD
HAD BEEN LEVELED.
Narrator: BUT A LEVEL
PLAYING FIELD ISN'T ENOUGH.
THE U.S. WANTS THE UPPER HAND.
ENTER AIR FORCE GENERAL
CURTIS LEMAY.
HE COMES UP WITH A PLAN
TO SHOW OFF AMERICA'S
NEWEST NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
AND HIS PLAN RELIES ON THE B-52.
MAY 21, 1956.
BIKINI ATOLL.
IN A TEST CODE-NAMED CHEROKEE,
THE B-52 DROPS
A 7,600-POUND HYDROGEN BOMB
CALLED THE MARK 15.
THE EXPLOSION IS 3.8 MEGATONS.
THE NUCLEAR CLOUD
REACHES 94,000 FEET.
IT IS ALMOST
200 TIMES MORE POWERFUL
THAN THE BOMB DROPPED
ON NAGASAKI IN WORLD WAR II.
THE TEST ALLOWS GENERAL LEMAY
TO SHOW OFF HIS FIREPOWER.
HIS NEXT STEP:
TO LET THE SOVIETS KNOW
THAT HE CAN ALSO DELIVER IT.
IN 1960, LEMAY SETS INTO MOTION
A BRAND-NEW
NUCLEAR DETERRENCE PROGRAM.
HE USES HIS B-52s
TO BRING NUCLEAR WARHEADS
TO THE SOVIETS' DOORSTEP
EVERY SINGLE DAY.
Yenne: OPERATION CHROME DOME
WAS A 24-HOUR-ALERT MISSION
IN WHICH B-52s WERE TASKED
WITH A SPECIFIC STRATEGIC TARGET
WITHIN THE SOVIET UNION.
AND IF THE COLD WAR TURNED HOT,
THEY WOULD BE PREPARED
TO IMMEDIATELY FLY
INTO THE SOVIET UNION
AND STRIKE
STRATEGIC TARGETS THERE.
Narrator: AERIAL REFUELING
ALLOWS THE B-52s
TO CIRCLE SOVIET BORDERS
AROUND THE CLOCK.
CHROME DOME THRUSTS THE BUFF
ONTO THE FRONT LINE OF
THE NEW NUCLEAR BATTLEGROUND.
AT LEAST 12 NUCLEAR-ARMED B-52s
ARE AIRBORNE AT A TIME.
LEMAY BELIEVES HIS NUCLEAR B-52s
ARE A DETERRENCE.
BUT WITH EVERY FLIGHT,
THE ODDS OF AN ACCIDENT GROW.
Karafantis:
THE FEAR IS THAT SOMETHING
IS GOING TO MALFUNCTION;
MAYBE WITHIN
THE PLANE'S HARDWARE,
AND THEN THE PLANE WILL CRASH,
AND YOU WORRY ABOUT WHAT'S GOING
TO HAPPEN TO THOSE BOMBS.
Yenne: IF ONE CRASHED
AND A NUCLEAR WEAPON WENT OFF,
IT WOULD HAVE BEEN DISASTROUS.
IF IT WAS MISINTERPRETED,
IT COULD HAVE MEANT
WORLD WAR III.
Narrator: SOON ENOUGH, THE B-52s
ARE PUSHED TO THEIR LIMIT.
IN 1966, DISASTER STRIKES.
A FULLY ARMED B-52 COLLIDES WITH
A REFUELING TANKER OVER SPAIN.
THE PLANE AND
ITS FOUR NUCLEAR BOMBS
CRASH INTO
THE UNSUSPECTING ALLY.
IT'S A DISASTER THAT JUST MIGHT
PUT THOUSANDS OF LIVES AT STAKE.
Narrator: A NUCLEAR-ARMED B-52
COLLIDES WITH A REFUELING TANKER
OVER PALOMARES, SPAIN.
THE PLANE, ALONG WITH FOUR
THERMONUCLEAR BOMBS,
HITS THE QUIET FISHING TOWN.
Yenne: WHEN SOME OF THE BOMBS
CAME LOOSE,
THERE WAS A NATURAL FEAR
THAT THERE COULD BE A NUCLEAR
EXPLOSION OR A RADIATION LEAK.
Narrator:
THREE BOMBS STRIKE LAND.
ONE FALLS INTO THE NEARBY
MEDITERRANEAN.
Karafantis: THIS OPENED THE
DOORS FOR INTERNATIONAL CONCERN
OVER WHAT THESE HOVERING
AIRCRAFT WITH NUCLEAR BOMBS
MIGHT MEAN FOR COUNTRIES ABROAD.
Narrator: IN 1968,
ANOTHER B-52 CRASHES.
THIS TIME, IN GREENLAND.
NUCLEAR DEBRIS COVERS
THREE SQUARE MILES.
Karafantis: SOME HYDROGEN BOMBS
WERE RELEASED DURING THE CRASH,
AND STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND SAID,
"OKAY, ENOUGH WITH
THE CONSTANT CIRCLING B-52s."
Narrator: THE CHROME DOME
PROGRAM IS CANCELLED.
BUT NO SOONER DOES
THE NUCLEAR MISSION VANISH
THAN THE B-52 TAKES UP
A NEW ROLE,
HALFWAY AROUND THE WORLD.
1968.
THE U.S. IS DEEP INTO AN AIR
CAMPAIGN THROUGHOUT VIETNAM.
[RADIO CHATTER]
Narrator: IT'S CALLED
"ARC LIGHT,"
AND THE AIR FORCE MAKES THE B-52
ITS PRINCIPAL BOMBER.
Yenne: DURING THE VIETNAM WAR,
THE B-52,
BECAUSE OF ITS HUGE SIZE,
TOOK ON A CONVENTIONAL MISSION
DROPPING NON-NUCLEAR IRON BOMBS.
THIS WAS THE FIRST USE
OF THE B-52 ACTUALLY IN COMBAT.
Narrator: IT ISN'T LONG
BEFORE THE BUFFS SHOW
JUST HOW MUCH DAMAGE
THEY CAN DO.
A YEAR INTO THE WAR
THE B-52s DROP AN AVERAGE
OF 8,000 TONS OF BOMBS A MONTH.
THEY QUICKLY GAIN A REPUTATION
AS INDISCRIMINATE
"CARPET BOMBERS,"
DESTROYING MILES
OF NORTH VIETNAMESE COUNTRYSIDE
WITH EVERY BOMBING RUN.
THE NORTH VIETNAMESE STRIKE BACK
WITH EVERYTHING THEY HAVE,
INCLUDING THEIR BRAND-NEW
SOVIET-MADE MISSILES.
Karafantis:
SOVIET SURFACE-TO-AIR
MISSILE TECHNOLOGY
WAS RAPIDLY INCREASING,
AND THIS WAS PUTTING
EVEN HIGH-FLYING BOMBERS,
SUCH AS THE B-52, AT RISK.
Narrator: THE MISSILE'S RADAR
HAS A RANGE OF UP TO 18 MILES.
THE B-52'S MAXIMUM ALTITUDE
IS ONLY NINE.
Karafantis: EFFECTIVELY, THIS
MADE THE B-52 A SITTING DUCK.
Yenne: THE AIR FORCE WAS FACED
WITH A DILEMMA;
EITHER FIND A WAY TO DEFEND
THE B-52 AGAINST THIS THREAT
OR GET RID OF IT ALTOGETHER.
Narrator:
TO COMBAT THE ENEMY RADAR,
THE AIR FORCE BEGINS A PROGRAM
KNOWN AS RIVET RAMBLER,
INSTALLING AN ALL-NEW ELECTRONIC
COUNTERMEASURE SYSTEM
INTO THE B-52s.
THE NEW HARDWARE IS DESIGNED
TO JAM THE SIGNALS
OF ENEMY MISSILE RADAR
AND MAKE THE B-52s UNDETECTABLE.
THE MODIFICATIONS COME
JUST IN TIME.
IN DECEMBER OF 1972
PEACE TALKS BETWEEN
NORTH VIETNAM AND THE U.S.
COME TO A STALEMATE.
PRESIDENT NIXON ORDERS
A MAJOR AIR OFFENSIVE
TO PUSH TALKS BACK ON THE TABLE,
CODENAMED
OPERATION LINEBACKER II.
THE B-52s PLAY A KEY ROLE.
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, GUAM.
B-52 CREWMEMBERS SCRAMBLE
FOR THE UPCOMING MISSION.
Man: ROLL CALL,
CAPTAIN DILWORTH.
Toby Pugh: ON THE WAY
TO THE BRIEFING ROOM
IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT SOMETHING
BIG WAS ABOUT TO HAPPEN
BECAUSE THE AIR BASE
WAS EERILY SILENT.
Narrator: CAPTAIN TOBY PUGH WAS
WITH THE 72nd STRATEGIC WING
DURING THE VIETNAM WAR.
Pugh: THE BRIEFING OFFICER
STOOD UP AND SAID,
"GOOD EVENING, GENTLEMEN.
YOUR TARGET FOR TONIGHT IS..."
AND HE ROLLED UP THE MAP,
AND THERE WAS A RED STAR
IN THE MIDDLE OF DOWNTOWN HANOI.
Narrator: HANOI IS
NORTH VIETNAM'S CAPITAL CITY,
IT'S PROTECTED BY HUNDREDS
OF SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILES.
Pugh: WE KNEW WE WERE GOING
TO BE THREATENED BY EVERYTHING
THAT WAS AVAILABLE
TO THE NORTH VIETNAMESE.
IT WAS PROBABLY
THE MOST HEAVILY DEFENDED TARGET
THAT HAD EVER BEEN ATTACKED.
Narrator:
IT'S THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY
TO TEST THE B-52'S
NEW ELECTRONIC UPGRADES,
WHICH ALL HINGE
ON A SINGLE CREW POSITION:
THE ELECTRONIC WARFARE OFFICER.
Man: ROGER, CO-PILOT,
JUST THE NORMAL ACQUISITION
SIGNALS ON,
NO THREATS AT THIS TIME.
Narrator:
BY SENDING COUNTER SIGNALS,
THE B-52'S ELECTRONIC WARFARE
OFFICER
CAN BLOCK, OR JAM, ENEMY RADAR.
Loucks: SO HERE YOU'LL ACTUALLY
SEE SOME OF THE ANTENNAS
THAT THE ELECTRONIC WARFARE
OFFICER USES
TO IDENTIFY A THREAT AND THEN
PUT JAMMING BACK ON THAT THREAT.
Narrator: A SUCCESSFUL JAM
MAKES THE B-52 UNTRACEABLE.
BUT THE TECHNOLOGY
IS NO GUARANTEE OF SUCCESS.
Loucks: IF THE ELECTRONIC
WARFARE OFFICER
IS UNABLE TO COUNTER
OR IDENTIFY A CERTAIN THREAT,
IT LEAVES THE B-52 OPEN
TO ENEMY RADAR,
AND ULTIMATELY THE RESULTS
COULD BE DEADLY.
Narrator: IN GUAM,
OVER 100 FULLY LOADED B-52s
TAXI TO THE RUNWAY.
Pugh: EVERY PARKING STUB
THAT THEY COULD FIND
HAD A B-52 ON IT.
WE HAD NEVER SEEN SO MANY B-52s
ALL IN ONE PLACE AT ONE TIME.
Narrator: THE MISSION CALLS
FOR THREE WAVES OF ATTACK.
PUGH'S B-52 IS
IN THE SECOND WAVE.
WHEN IT ARRIVES OVER HANOI
THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE
WILL BE LONG GONE.
Pugh: WE WERE ALL FLYING
ON THE SAME HEADING AND ALTITUDE
AND AT THE SAME AIR SPEED.
THE LOGIC WAS, IF WE ALL FLEW
ON THE SAME ROUTE
THAT WE WOULDN'T RUN
INTO EACH OTHER.
BUT THAT ALSO MADE IT POSSIBLE
FOR THE GROUND FORCES
TO DETERMINE WHERE WE
WERE GOINGO BE.
WE WERE SORT OF LIKE DUCKS
IN A ROW IN A SHOOTING GALLERY.
Narrator: PUGH IS THE ELECTRONIC
WARFARE OFFICER ON THE MISSION.
IT IS HIS FIRST TIME
JAMMING IN COMBAT.
THE CREW MUST PUT ALL
OF THEIR FAITH
INTO HIS ABILITY
TO BLOCK OUT THREATS.
Pugh: AS SOON AS WE CROSSED
THE BORDER INTO NORTH VIETNAM,
THE RADAR ENVIRONMENT
GOT VERY BUSY.
[RADIO CHATTER]
AND IT WAS FILLED WITH A NUMBER
OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF SIGNALS,
ALL OF WHICH WERE TRYING
TO HONE IN ON US.
ELECTRONIC COUNTERMEASURES IS
SORT OF A CHESS GAME IN THE SKY.
YOU'RE TRYING TO ANTICIPATE
THE MOVES
THAT THE OTHER PEOPLE WILL MAKE,
YOU'RE TRYING TO MAKE MOVES THAT
WILL CONFUSE THE OPPONENT.
Narrator: PUGH'S JAMMING WORKS.
NO MISSILES ARE ABLE TO LOCK ON
TO HIS AIRCRAFT.
BUT AS THE FIRST WAVE OF B-52s
REACHES HANOI,
ITS PREDICTABLE FLIGHT PATH
BLOWS ITS COVER.
Pugh: VERY SHORTLY AFTER THAT
THE SAM SIGNALS CAME UP,
AND THAT'S WHEN THEY
STARTED FIRING AT US.
[ALARM SOUNDING]
Narrator: THE BOMBERS
MUST STAY ON TRACK
OR RISK MISSING THEIR TARGET.
BUT THEY ARE HEADED STRAIGHT
INTO THE LINE OF FIRE.
[ALARM SOUNDING]
Pugh: THAT'S WHEN THE THREAT
WAS THE HIGHEST FOR US.
THE CONCENTRATION LEVEL
OF EVERYBODY IN THE CREW
IS SO COMPLETELY FOCUSED.
IT IS PROBABLY THE MOST
CONCENTRATED I'VE BEEN
ON ANYTHING IN MY LIFE
AT THAT MOMENT.
Narrator: FINALLY, PUGH AND
HIS CREW ARE OVER THE TARGET.
THE NAVIGATOR PULLS THE LEVER,
AND THE BOMB DOORS OPEN.
THE B-52'S 108 BOMBS DROP.
BUT THERE IS NO TIME
TO SEE IF THEY HIT.
Pugh: WE HAD JUST ENOUGH TIME
TO COMPLETE THE WEAPONS RELEASE,
CLOSE THE BOMB BAY DOORS,
MAKE THE HARD LEFT TURN.
WE'RE TALKING
60 DEGREES OF BANK,
WHICH IS HUGE FOR A B-52.
Narrator:
OUT OF THE LINE OF FIRE,
THE CREW HEADS
TOWARDS THE PACIFIC.
Pugh: EXITING THE TARGET AREA
HAD A SENSE OF RELIEF
THAT WE HAD COMPLETED
THE MISSION WE'D SET OUT TO DO.
AND THAT'S--THAT'S WHAT FLYING
IS ALL ABOUT.
Narrator: THAT NIGHT,
B-52s STRIKE
MORE THAN 90%
OF ASSIGNED TARGETS.
THROUGHOUT THE NEXT TEN DAYS,
15 B-52s ARE SHOT DOWN,
BUT THE MISSIONS HAVE
A STAGGERING SUCCESS RATE.
THE BUFFS DROP OVER 15,000 TONS
OF MUNITIONS OVER NORTH VIETNAM,
DODGING MORE THAN 1,200 SAMS.
IT'S A MAJOR TRIUMPH
FOR THE AGING BOMBER.
Yenne: THE VIETNAM WAR
REALLY DEMONSTRATED
THE CAPABILITY OF THE B-52
AS A SYSTEM
TO KEEP PACE WITH THE CHANGES
IN THE MISSION
AND THE CHANGES IN WARFARE.
Narrator: BUT NO SOONER
IS THE B-52 BACK IN THE U.S.
THAN IT HAS TO FACE DOWN
ANOTHER THREAT,
THIS TIME FROM WITHIN
ITS OWN RANKS.
1974.
THE AIR FORCE DEBUTS
ITS BRAND-NEW BOMBER:
THE ROCKWELL B-1A.
Yenne: IT HAD THE CAPABILITY
TO DELIVER NUCLEAR WEAPONS
DEEP INTO THE SOVIET UNION
WITH MUCH GREATER SPEED
THAN THE B-52.
Narrator:
THREE SEPARATE BOMB BAYS
GIVE IT A LARGER NUCLEAR PAYLOAD
THAN THE BIGGER B-52.
ITS ONLY DRAWBACK: COST.
ITS $102 MILLION PRICE TAG TAKES
CENTER STAGE IN AN ELECTION.
Karafantis: DURING HIS
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN,
JIMMY CARTER SAID THAT HE WANTED
TO CUT THE B-1 PROGRAM
DUE TO ITS HIGH COST.
Narrator:
IF THE B-1 PROGRAM GOES THROUGH,
THE BUFF WILL END UP
IN THE BONEYARD.
IT LOOKS AS IF THE B-52'S FUTURE
WILL COME DOWN TO A VOTE.
Narrator: 1976.
AFTER OVER 20 YEARS IN SERVICE,
THE B-52'S FATE
COMES DOWN TO AN ELECTION.
Gerald Ford: IN MY OPINION...
Narrator: PRESIDENT GERALD FORD
WANTS TO BUILD THE B-1 BOMBER,
A MOVE THAT WILL SEND
THE BUFF PACKING.
BUT RIVAL JIMMY CARTER WANTS
TO KEEP THE B-52 GOING.
Karafantis: AFTER JIMMY CARTER
WON THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION,
THE B-1 BOMBER PROGRAM
WAS CANCELLED,
AND THIS, IN TURN, GAVE THE B-52
A NEW LEASE ON LIFE.
Narrator:
THE AIR FORCE GETS TO WORK
IN KEEPING THE B-52
WITH THE TIMES.
IN 1982 THEY LOAD
ITS INTERNAL ROTARY LAUNCHER
WITH THEIR NEWEST WEAPON:
THE AGM-86 CRUISE MISSILE.
WITH A RANGE OF 1,500 MILES,
THE MISSILE ALLOWS THE B-52
TO STRIKE FROM NEARLY ANYWHERE
IN THE WORLD.
B-52 PILOTS ARE DETERMINED
TO PROVE THE WEAPON'S WORTH,
AND EIGHT YEARS LATER THEY'RE
ABLE TO PUT THEM TO THE TEST.
1990.
IRAQI DICTATOR SADDAM HUSSEIN
ORDERS HIS ARMY
INTO NEIGHBORING KUWAIT.
THE U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL
ISSUES A DEADLINE
FOR IRAQ TO WITHDRAW ITS TROOPS.
George H.W. Bush:
NO NATION WILL BE PERMITTED
TO BRUTALLY ASSAULT
ITS NEIGHBOR.
Narrator:
IRAQ REFUSES TO GIVE IN,
SO COALITION FORCES PREPARE
FOR A MASSIVE AIR WAR.
THE FIRST AIRCRAFT UP: THE B-52.
JANUARY 16th.
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE,
LOUISIANA.
B-52 CREWS PREPARE
THEIR AIRCRAFT.
John Romano: WE WERE THE ONES
THAT WERE GOING TO BE USED
AS A FIRST STRIKE BEFORE THE WAR
ACTUALLY STARTED.
Narrator: CAPTAIN JOHN ROMANO
WAS A B-52 AIRCRAFT COMMANDER
DURING OPERATION DESERT STORM.
Romano: WE WANTED TO ELIMINATE
THE COMMUNICATIONS FACILITIES
AS WELL AS RADAR FACILITIES,
ENEMY AIR DEFENSE.
SO, IT WOULD MAKE IT POSSIBLE
FOR THE FIGHTER PILOTS
TO COME IN THERE AND ACTUALLY
EXECUTE THEIR MISSION.
Narrator:
THE MISSION'S CODENAME:
OPERATION SECRET SQUIRREL.
IF IT'S SUCCESSFUL, THE B-52
WILL FLY 14,000 MILES
OVER 34 1/2 HOURS,
THE LONGEST IT'S EVER BEEN FLOWN
IN COMBAT OPERATIONS.
Romano: WE KNEW THIS WAS
LIKE A HISTORY-MAKING MISSION,
SO WE WERE DEFINITELY GEARED UP
TO GET THIS GOING
AND TAKE CARE OF WHAT
WE NEEDED TO DO.
Narrator: THIS MISSION ALSO HAS
ANOTHER FIRST:
IT'S THE COMBAT DEBUT
OF THE AGM-86C CRUISE MISSILE.
THE MISSILE WILL ALLOW THE
BOMBER TO STRIKE IRAQI RADARS
FROM OVER A THOUSAND MILES AWAY,
KEEPING THE BUFF OUT OF RANGE OF
IRAQI SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILES.
Romano: HAVING THIS NEW WEAPON
MEANT A BIG DEAL
BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE TO PUT
ANYBODY IN HARM'S WAY.
Narrator:
CAPTAIN ROMANO AND HIS CREW
TAKE OFF AT DAWN FROM LOUISIANA.
SIX OTHERS FOLLOW BEHIND.
THE CREWS FLY STEADILY
FOR NINE HOURS.
OVER THE MEDITERRANEAN, THEY
MEET WITH A TANKER TO REFUEL.
[RADIO CHATTER]
SUDDENLY, THEY NOTICE
THEY HAVE COMPANY.
Romano: WHEN WE WERE
FLYING ALONG,
JUST GETTING ON
TO OUR SECOND AIR REFUELING,
MY ELECTRONIC WARFARE OFFICER
NOTIFIED ME
THAT THERE WAS ENEMY AIRCRAFT
IN THE AREA.
Narrator: THE AIRCRAFT
IS AN UNKNOWN FIGHTER JET...
WITH THE B-52 CLEARLY
IN ITS SIGHTS.
Romano: IF THEY WERE GOING
TO DO ANYTHING,
THEY COULD HAVE TWO AIRCRAFT
AT THE PRICE OF ONE.
Narrator: FINALLY, THE B-52s
GET OFF THE PUMP
AND HEAD ON THEIR WAY.
THE UNKNOWN JET
CONTINUES TO FOLLOW.
NEAR THE LIBYAN BORDER,
THE FIGHTER VEERS OFF.
THE B-52'S COVER IS BLOWN,
ADDING EXTRA URGENCY
TO THEIR MISSION.
Romano: SINCE THEY ACTUALLY
VISUALLY IDENTIFIED US,
IT WAS IMPERATIVE TO GET THERE
AS QUICKLY AND AS SAFELY
AS POSSIBLE
SO WE CAN GET THOSE MISSILES
OFF OF OUR AIRCRAFT.
Narrator:
16 HOURS AFTER TAKEOFF,
THE B-52s CROSS
INTO SAUDI ARABIA.
THEY APPROACH
THEIR LAUNCH POINT.
Romano: WE KNEW IT WAS
CRUNCH TIME,
AND THIS WAS THE MAKE OR BREAK
OF THE MISSION RIGHT HERE.
Narrator: THE PILOTS STEADY
THE MASSIVE BOMBER.
NAVIGATORS PLUG IN
LAST-MINUTE COORDINATES.
THEY LOCK ON TO THEIR TARGETS
AND FIRE.
Romano:
WHEN THE MISSILE WAS LAUNCHED,
THERE WAS A LITTLE BIT
OF A SHIFT
BECAUSE EACH MISSILE WEIGHED
A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF POUNDS,
AND YOU DEFINITELY CAN FEEL
A LITTLE JOLT
ONCE THE MISSILE
DEPARTED THE AIRCRAFT.
Narrator: 15 MINUTES LATER,
THE MISSILES REACH
THEIR TARGETS.
EACH ONE IS DEADLY ACCURATE.
THE IRAQI RADAR SITES
ARE DESTROYED.
NOW, COALITION STRIKE PACKAGES
CAN FINISH THE ATTACK.
Romano:
IT WAS A PRETTY GOOD FEELING
TO KNOW THAT WE CAUSED
A LOT OF HAVOC,
WE KNEW THE FIGHTERS
CAN GET IN THERE SAFELY
AND TRY TO DO
THEIR MISSION AS WELL.
Narrator: 35 HOURS
AND 14,000 MILES AFTER TAKEOFF,
THE SECRET SQUIRREL BOMBERS
ARRIVE BACK AT BARKSDALE.
THE MISSION IS ONE
FOR THE RECORD BOOKS.
Romano: KNOWING THAT AN AIRPLANE
CAN FLY THAT LONG,
35, 40 HOURS, IS REMARKABLE.
WE PROVED TO THE WORLD
THAT WE WERE A FORCE
TO BE RECKONED WITH.
Karafantis:
OPERATION DESERT STORM
WAS, ARGUABLY,
THE MOST SUCCESSFUL AIR CAMPAIGN
IN HISTORY,
AND THE B-52 PLAYED
AN INTEGRAL PART IN THAT.
IT PERFORMED
ALMOST 2,000 SORTIES;
IT RELEASED MORE THAN
72,000 POUNDS OF WEAPONS
AND DELIVERED ABOUT 25,000 TONS
OF ORDNANCE.
Narrator: THE B-52 PROVES
IT CAN TAKE OUT AN ENEMY
FROM OVER A THOUSAND MILES AWAY.
IN ITS NEXT MISSION,
IT WILL HAVE TO PROVE
HOW WELL IT CAN DO
WHEN IT GETS UP CLOSE.
2001.
OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM.
AFGHANISTAN.
U.S. SPECIAL FORCES
COMBAT TALIBAN MILITANTS
IN THE MOUNTAINS
OF ORUZGAN PROVINCE.
BUT THE DIFFICULT TERRAIN
MAKES FOR EASY AMBUSHES.
U.S. FORCES ARE IN CONSTANT NEED
OF IMMEDIATE AIR SUPPORT.
FIGHTER JETS HAVE LIMITED
FLIGHT TIME AND WEAPON LOADS,
MAKING IT DIFFICULT
TO PROVIDE EXTENDED SUPPORT
FOR THE GROUND TROOPS.
THE AIR FORCE PROPOSES
A RADICAL SOLUTION--THE B-52.
THEY HOPE ITS LONG FLIGHT TIME
CAN MAKE IT IDEAL
FOR CLOSE AIR SUPPORT
IN THE SCATTERED TERRAIN.
Yenne:
THE IRONY IS THAT THE B-52
WAS NEVER DESIGNED
AS A CLOSE AIR SUPPORT WEAPON.
IT WAS DESIGNED FOR STRATEGIC
AND NOT TACTICAL WARFARE.
Narrator: THE BUFF'S DESIGNS,
MEANT FOR GLOBAL NUCLEAR WAR,
MAY ALSO MAKE IT PERFECT
FOR BATTLEFIELD TACTICS.
THE SUPPORT CALLS
FOR A CONSTANT AERIAL PRESENCE,
B-52s CIRCLING OVER TARGET AREAS
FOR UP TO FOUR HOURS
AND REACTING TO THREATS
IN REAL TIME.
Joseph Jones: CLOSE AIR SUPPORT
IS TIME-SENSITIVE
AND IT'S REACTIVE.
Narrator: COLONEL JOSEPH JONES
WAS A RADAR NAVIGATOR
DURING OPERATION
ENDURING FREEDOM.
Jones: THE ENVIRONMENT
ALWAYS STAYS DYNAMIC.
THE TROOPS ARE MOVING,
THE ENEMY IS MOVING,
OR YOUR TARGET IS MOVING.
Narrator: NOT LONG INTO PATROL,
JONES' B-52 RECEIVES
ITS FIRST DISTRESS CALL.
IT'S COMING DIRECTLY FROM
U.S. FORCES ON THE GROUND.
Jones:
A 12-VEHICLE TALIBAN CONVOY
HAD TARGETED 35 FRIENDLY TROOPS.
THEY HAD BRACKETED OUR
FRIENDLY FORCES ON THE GROUND,
AND WITHOUT IMMEDIATE ATTACK
THEY WERE IN DANGER OF CASUALTY.
Narrator: THE B-52 IS ONLY
TEN MINUTES FROM THE TROOPS.
BUT THE TALIBAN'S CONVOY
IS CLOSING IN FAST.
FROM 38,000 FEET
A MOVING CONVOY IS NEARLY
IMPOSSIBLE TO HIT DIRECTLY.
THE B-52 MUST BE DEADLY ACCURATE
OR RISK TAKING OUT
FRIENDLY FORCES.
[GUNFIRE]
Narrator: HIGH OVER AFGHANISTAN,
A B-52 CREW LOOKS DOWN
ON AN ENEMY CONVOY,
A CONVOY THAT'S HEADING STRAIGHT
TOWARDS FRIENDLY TROOPS.
[GUNFIRE]
Jones: WE WERE ACUTELY AWARE
ON OUR CREW
THAT IF WE WEREN'T ABLE TO REACT
ACCURATELY AND QUICKLY
THAT THERE WAS GOING TO BE
FRIENDLY CAUSALITIES.
Narrator:
THE B-52 HAS 27 GRAVITY BOMBS
LOADED IN ITS BOMB BAY.
THAT'S ENOUGH TO DO
OVER A MILE OF DAMAGE.
Jones: WE WERE GOING TO COME IN
FROM BEHIND THE CONVOY,
LAY A STRING OF WEAPONS
DOWN ALONG THE CONVOY LINE.
Narrator: HITTING THE MOVING
TARGET WON'T BE EASY:
JONES MUST RELEASE THE BOMBS
AT EXACTLY THE RIGHT TIME AND
POSITION TO HIT THEIR TARGET.
Jones: WE HAD TO PREDICT WHERE
THAT CONVOY WAS GOING TO BE
48 TO 53 SECONDS AFTER
THE RELEASE FROM THE AIRPLANE
TO HIT A TARGET THAT WAS
GOING TO MOVE ALMOST A MILE
AFTER WE HAD RELEASED
OUR WEAPONS.
Narrator: WITH FRIENDLY FORCES
NEARBY, IT'S A BIG RISK.
AND JONES WILL ONLY HAVE
ONE SHOT.
Jones: WE NEVER HAD PREPARED
TO STRIKE A MOVING TARGET EVER.
THIS WAS A SERIOUS HEADS-UP
BALLGAME THAT WE WERE PLAYING.
Narrator: JONES TAKES
ONE LAST LOOK AT THE CONVOY
AND RELEASES THE PAYLOAD.
27 BOMBS FLY OUT OF THE B-52
AND HIT THE GROUND HARD.
AS THE DUST CLEARS,
JONES RADIOS DOWN TO THE TROOPS.
Jones: WE MADE SEVERAL CALLS
AND GOT NO CALL BACK,
THERE WAS AN IMMEDIATE CONCERN
THAT THERE MAY HAVE BEEN
A FRIENDLY FIRE INCIDENT,
WITH WHICH WE WERE
THE GUILTY PARTIES.
[RADIO CHATTER]
Narrator: THEN THE RADIO
CRACKLES TO LIFE.
Jones: AND ALL THE SUDDEN
THE GROUND GUY COMES ON
AND THERE IS HOOTING
AND HOLLERING IN THE BACKGROUND
AND LAUGHING, AND THIS GUY GOES,
"WELL, THIS WAR'S OVER,
YOU JUST DESTROYED
THAT ENTIRE CONVOY EN MASSE."
Narrator: THE THREATS NOW
ELIMINATED, THE B-52 CLEARS OUT.
OVER THE NEXT MONTHS
THE BUFF QUICKLY BECOMES
ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT
CLOSE AIR SUPPORT AIRCRAFT
IN AFGHANISTAN.
Jones: IT MODIFIED THE WAY
WE THINK ABOUT THAT AIRPLANE
AS A CLOSE AIR SUPPORT VEHICLE.
Narrator:
50 YEARS AFTER ITS CONSTRUCTION,
THE BUFF IS STILL ONE
OF THE AIR FORCE'S TOP ASSETS.
Jones: THE B-52 IS JUST WAITING
FOR THE NEXT OPERATION,
AND THAT NEXT OPERATION
IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER.
Narrator: AUGUST 2015.
BOEING IS AWARDED
A $46 MILLION CONTRACT
TO BRING ITS OLDEST BOMBER
INTO THE DIGITAL AGE.
WHILE THE AIR FORCE HAS NEWER,
MORE ADVANCED BOMBERS,
THEY STILL HEAVILY RELY
ON THE 60-YEAR-OLD BUFF.
WITH 76 AIRFRAMES STILL
IN SERVICE, ALL FROM THE 1960s,
THE REMAINING B-52s
HAVE STOOD THE TEST OF TIME.
AND THEIR POWER
IS STILL UNMATCHED.
NOW THE B-52 FLEET
WILL BE UPGRADED
WITH NEW DIGITAL DISPLAYS,
REAL-TIME SATELLITE DATA LINKS,
AND AN INCREASED
SMART WEAPONS PAYLOAD.
Yenne: THE CONSTANT UPGRADES
THROUGH ALL OF THESE DECADES
HAVE CONSISTENTLY RENEWED IT
AS ALMOST AN ALL-NEW AIRPLANE
FOR EVERY DECADE IN WHICH
IT'S BEEN OPERATIONAL.
Narrator:
FROM A NUCLEAR DETERRENT
TO A PRECISION BOMBER.
Yenne: THE REMARKABLE THING
ABOUT THE B-52
IS THAT IT HAS PERFORMED SO MANY
DIFFERENT TYPES OF MISSIONS
OVER SO MANY YEARS.
Narrat: IT GET
TO AHIURS.
: IT'S DEFINITELY
A GLOBALEACH ACRAFT.
IT CAN STRIKE ANYTIME,
ANYWHERE, ANYHOW.
Narrator: AND DELIVER
A PAYLOAD THAT STICKS.
Morriss: THE AMOT OF FIREPOWER
THT CAN CARR
AT A GIVEN MOMENT
REALLY PVES THAT IT IS
A PLFOF CHOICE.
Narrator: THE U.S. AIRORCE
PLANS TO U THE BUFF
INTO 2040 AND BEYOND.
Romano: IT'S BEEN AROU
FOR A LONG TIME,
WE CONTINUE TO FLY IT,
ANE G TO BCONTINUING
TO FLY THIAIRCRAFT
FOR LONG TIME COMING.
Narrator:
THE AIR FORCE'SVY HITTE
WILL ALWAYS BE READY TO DELIVER
THE KNOCKOUT PCH.
NO MATTER WHAT FUTURE THREATS
APPEAR, THE B-52 READY.