• The KillerFrogs

When you say "flyby"... (Attn. J. Donati)


B-1 has a range of 12,000 km
B-2 has a range of 11,000 km
B-52 has a range of 14,000 km

range, speed, payload options and different flight capabilities are why all 3 are still in service. B-52 is cheapest to operate, b-1 next and b-2 most expensive by far to operate.

B-52s are currently scheduled to operate until 2044 nearing their 100 year in service mark.
 
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BrewingFrog

Was I supposed to type something here?
Not according to spellcheck, Big Guy.


I'm just spitballing here, but I'm pretty sure that one reason the Air Force kept it around wasn't "just because it's cool."

A pretty cogent reason for keeping it around was because the DoD needed to justify the inordinately expensive cost of developing and producing the plane on the eve on an entirely new generation of military aircraft technology that the B-1B lacked. It was a short-sighted decision and the Air Force had to put the best face on it.

Retrofitted B-52s have largely the same capacity for rotary weapons, smart weapons, and customizable payloads as the B-1B at a fraction of the cost. And the subsonic B-1B doesn't get places much faster than the B-52.

I suspect you're being lulled by the appearance of the B-1B. Well guess what? A Chevrolet Corvette looks sleeker and "cooler" that a Tesla Model S, but doesn't have any greater acceleration and barely more speed.

There's an old saying about a book and its cover. I'm sure you know it.
Sigh.

The BUFF is old. Older than me, fer cryin out loud! They excelled at getting great big heapin' helpins of ordnance onto targets from a very large distance away. That is a valuable talent, and one that hasn't been overlooked or discounted, as they are still in service and probably will be for the next decade or so. This does not mean, however, that they are suited for the same mission profiles that the B-1B excels at performing.

I will vamp on your crude analogy by pointing out that a Ford Country Squire station wagon can do nearly all the things a sleek VW V-10 Tiguan Diesel can do, but it can't go as fast, or handle worth a flip. Beyond the automotive analogies, it is also important to consider that very smart and dedicated folks have been playing with their toys and discovered that they have many clever uses not normally thought of that are unique to their platform. Like the BUFF, it lives on because it is useful to a degree in certain specific areas. Plus, it hasn't been heaved onto the bone heap like the F-117 just yet, so it must have some inscrutable value besides window-rattling afterburners.

The coming drone fleet will likely render most everything with a pilot obsolete anyway...
 

ShadowFrog

Moderators
I’ve been a proponent of the Bone since the 70’s, helluva platform, can still do supersonic even as B model, sleek & deliver 42 JDAMS fast for warheads on foreheads, especially with the Sniper pod. The Beak can deliver even more tho not as fast but, unless you’re hungover like BF at Rose Bowl watching a parade fly-by, you ain’t gonna see/hear/scan it’s arrival even long after target obliterated. And yes, I’m still a Buff fan, my first Wing served, and they’ll be around trucking a plethora of bang-bangs for almost 90 years before it’s retired. Grandchildren of original Buff pilots are flying it now. All 3 serve both unique & supporting overlap mission capabilities flown by crewdogs—the best team I almost got to join.
 

SnoSki

Full Member
IMHO the B-1B is the sexiest plane in the military. Say what you want about the F16 or the F-117(?). The curves on that B-1 could inspire Versace.
 

froginmn

Full Member
One of my best friends was Air Force but not a pilot (his dad had flown the Berlin Air Lift, though). He got married in ATX about 20 years ago, and I was in the wedding along with a few of his pilot buddies. One told this story:

They were doing a flyover for an event. They punched in the coordinates after takeoff and headed on their way. After a bit, he radioed over to the leader, questioning the coordinates. Leader says, no we're fine.

Later he calls over again and says, this doesn't look right. Are you SURE we have the right coordinates? Leader looks again and says, oh [ Finebaum ]. He punches in the correct coordinates and finds they are way behind schedule. They punch it down, and make it to the stadium on time but hauling ass. He said they hit the mark but the people better not have blinked or they would have missed them. Different type of flyover that day...
 
One of my best friends was Air Force but not a pilot (his dad had flown the Berlin Air Lift, though). He got married in ATX about 20 years ago, and I was in the wedding along with a few of his pilot buddies. One told this story:

They were doing a flyover for an event. They punched in the coordinates after takeoff and headed on their way. After a bit, he radioed over to the leader, questioning the coordinates. Leader says, no we're fine.

Later he calls over again and says, this doesn't look right. Are you SURE we have the right coordinates? Leader looks again and says, oh [ steaming pile of Orgeron ]. He punches in the correct coordinates and finds they are way behind schedule. They punch it down, and make it to the stadium on time but hauling ass. He said they hit the mark but the people better not have blinked or they would have missed them. Different type of flyover that day...

Late and hauling ass in full grunt is always more of a crowd pleaser than early and slow in idle.
 
Not according to spellcheck, Big Guy.


I'm just spitballing here, but I'm pretty sure that one reason the Air Force kept it around wasn't "just because it's cool."

A pretty cogent reason for keeping it around was because the DoD needed to justify the inordinately expensive cost of developing and producing the plane on the eve on an entirely new generation of military aircraft technology that the B-1B lacked. It was a short-sighted decision and the Air Force had to put the best face on it.

Retrofitted B-52s have largely the same capacity for rotary weapons, smart weapons, and customizable payloads as the B-1B at a fraction of the cost. And the subsonic B-1B doesn't get places much faster than the B-52.

I suspect you're being lulled by the appearance of the B-1B. Well guess what? A Chevrolet Corvette looks sleeker and "cooler" that a Tesla Model S, but doesn't have any greater acceleration and barely more speed.

There's an old saying about a book and its cover. I'm sure you know it.
Normally your cliffiness doesn’t bother me, but you have zero idea of what you are talking about on this subject and it irritates the scheiss out of me.
I won’t bore the board or waste my time educating you on tactical aviation and military requirements/acquisition (that would assume you can acknowledge that you don’t already know everything) but trust me we didn’t keep the B-1 because it looks sexy. I’ll just leave it at this: while a Mack truck and an F-150 raptor are both trucks, they are two very different tools with very different capabilities.

See you tomorrow morning after you spend all night googling.
 

QuilterFrawg

CDR USN (Ret)
Used to live in the LA, every few months we would go up to "Star Wars Valley"

Nothing like seeing an F-18 doing 600kts in a 5G turn below you


So good to see my favorite - the F-14 Tomcat! I spent hours on vulture's row and in the tower watching flight ops on the carrier. The early F-14s needed their afterburners to launch, so watching them launch after dark was oh so cool. I was sad to see them go.
 

Hoosierfrog

Tier 1
So good to see my favorite - the F-14 Tomcat! I spent hours on vulture's row and in the tower watching flight ops on the carrier. The early F-14s needed their afterburners to launch, so watching them launch after dark was oh so cool. I was sad to see them go.

You sure you saw an F 14. I saw no swing wing jets, saw F15s, F 18s, F16s and even a couple F 5s. Do we even fly 14s today?

Knew a chief that ran the laundry on the Forrestal and the Tomcat drivers would always come requesting special tapered unis and other pain in the butt requests. He said he finally said he wouldn’t do it unless he could get a ride. Said he wished he hadn’t done it afterwards. He said the cat launch was fun, the high g turns were fun, but they did an evening landing. The pilot told him to prepare to trap a wire and asked where the ship was. Said he never saw anything until the ass end of the Forrestal showed up at the last second and thought they’d hit something when they caught the wire. He said that part was scary as hell.
 

Surfrog

Active Member
You sure you saw an F 14. I saw no swing wing jets, saw F15s, F 18s, F16s and even a couple F 5s. Do we even fly 14s today?

Knew a chief that ran the laundry on the Forrestal and the Tomcat drivers would always come requesting special tapered unis and other pain in the butt requests. He said he finally said he wouldn’t do it unless he could get a ride. Said he wished he hadn’t done it afterwards. He said the cat launch was fun, the high g turns were fun, but they did an evening landing. The pilot told him to prepare to trap a wire and asked where the ship was. Said he never saw anything until the ass end of the Forrestal showed up at the last second and thought they’d hit something when they caught the wire. He said that part was scary as hell.

There was no F14 in that clip, the only cats still flying are in Iran which we sold in the 70s and 80s. We shredded all of ours after retirement to stop any possible export of planes or parts.

Aunt was a 14 RIO out of Miramar with VF-124 before moving on to VFA-14, retired from the navy when they retired the jet after 20+ years.
 

ShadowFrog

Moderators
There was no F14 in that clip, the only cats still flying are in Iran which we sold in the 70s and 80s. We shredded all of ours after retirement to stop any possible export of planes or parts.

Aunt was a 14 RIO out of Miramar with VF-124 before moving on to VFA-14, retired from the navy when they retired the jet after 20+ years.
Callsign?
 
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