The Reason Why This Monstrous US Bomber Needs 8 Engines To Take Off
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- Опубликовано: 21 апр 2023
- Welcome back to the FLUCTUS channel for a discussion about the B-52, one of the largest bombers in history, and what it takes to keep a big plane in the air.
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When the B-52 was designed in 1948, the most powerful engines developed only 17,000 pounds of thrust. Thus, eight are required to get the plane airborne. Today''s engines can develop 78,000 pounds of thrust, so if the plane were designed today it might only have two engines. The new Rolls Royce engines are designed to still provide only 17,000 pounds of thrust, so as not to require redesign of the wings, but to improve fuel efficiency and increased range. The remaining 76 operational B-52H's are 62 years old, The primary structural components are never replaced. The main reason for their longevity is that the usage has not been as severe as was projected. We designed the B-52G/H in 1956 for high-altitude bombing. The emphasis in the structural design was minimum weight, to maximize range. But in 1961, at the height of the Cold War, we redesigned the structure to meet SAC's new, more severe usage and service life requirements. These notably included low level terrain avoidance training, often under extreme gust and maneuver conditions. The emphasis in structural design shifted to toughness and durability. As Chief of Structures Technology at Boeing-Wichita at the time of the redesign. I am honored to say I chose the materials, the analysis methods, and the limiting stress levels for the redesign. I am now 96 and I am thrilled to see these planes still flying, and projected to do so for many more years.
Well done that man for your hard work and its amazing to think this aircraft the B52 was born before me , and still fly when i retire in 8 yrs time , the old B 52 with the old engines screams like a banshee , i love that , older engines sound better than to todays hush engines .
A life well lived. Thank you for taking the time to comment! Amazing that these engineering wonders will outlive their creators!
EXACTLY...that plane doesn't necessarily "NEED" 8 engines to take off. Problem is that old wing design can't handle the weight of modern turbofans.
Thanks for sharing your expertise Lawrence, it must be amazing to see your hard work still validated decades later.
@@alexlindsey6446 The entire plane would have to be redesigned to use 2 or 4 current larger engines.
the last pilot to fly the B-52 hasn't even been born yet.
I grew up as an Air force brat in the mid fifties and sixties until I did my hitch in the USAF 73-77. So I was was around these BUFFs as we called them for the first 21 years of my life. I was in SAC stationed at U-Tapao Thailand and Mather AFB in California where we had an A ramp for the 4 nuclear laden alert birds and their 4 KC-135 Strato Tankers. These big boys would taxi out at high speed with all 8 of those T 33's howling on O.R.I 's Operational Readiness exercises. I was a K-9 handler and when those 4 BUFFS taxied out at high speed 50 feet away you could feel the sound waves and the turbulence pulsating from those 8 engines making your internal organs practically vibrate. Even wearing ear plugs and a "Mickey Mouse" headset over that to further protect your ears. You still could hear the high pitched whine of those TF turbo fan engines. And those long pendulous wings flexing up and down carrying those 2 pods of 4 engines on each wing. Watching them land and take off made one marvel at how agile they were with their short landing gear.
i worked at NASA on C-141's that had the same engines (4 not 8) as those BUFF's- very fuel inefficient and low bypass design compared to a modern high bypass design. I think there was a multi-$B contract to replace them!
The ultimate importance of professional maintenance. Kudos to these men and women for keeping USAF ready to answer the call.
During the Cold War, SAC required the entire fleet to be airborne within 15 minutes to avoid being destroyed on the ground by Soviet ICBM's. "COCOA" alert exercises were frequently performed to practice this. The flight crews did not know if it were for practice, or for real.
By design, the leading edge of the wing is tilted up a few degrees so that enough lift is generated during the takeoff roll to allow lift-off without rotation.
In 81 when I was at Wurtsmith we had crews still living on the alert pad. I was an avionics tech and our bread truck had rotating dome light and a siren. Many a time during an exercise we had to get to the pad in no time and no speed limit
no during the cold war not ALL bombers were on quick response or alert , the alert birds were required to be off the ground in a matter of minutes. Usually only about 1/3 were on alert at any time. The rest of the fleet was in various stages of repair or disrepair and not loaded. The scenario we practiced was that intelligence would keep the wings and HQ SAC advised of the deteriorating world scenario and we would have ample time to generate the additional aircraft to combat status. The first wing I was assigned to that was a 36 to 48 hour endeavor.
@@fk4515 Sir, may I assume you were in SAC? If so, my utmost thanks and respect. I was at Boeing, so was not involved in operations and not privy to threat levels. I understand that the overall alert status depended on the perceived threat level at the time. I believe the entire fleet was required to airborne in 15 minutes if at the highest DEFCON level. Is that correct?
But why does it need eight engines? The video never answered the question.
@@cosetteudx The plane was designed in the early stages of jet engine development, and the early model B-52's engines had only about 9,000 pounds of thrust. Thus, it took eight of them to get the plane airborne. As the models progressed from A thru G, the thrust increased to about 14,000 pounds,. The TF-33 turbofan engines on the remaining 76 B-52H's have 17,000 pounds thrust. Current engines have as much or more than 78,000 pounds of thrust, but it would require a complete redesign of the plane to use only two or four af the newer larger engines. The new Rolls Royce engines will have the same size and thrust as the TF-33's so as not to require a redesign.
From Deb…in 1963 the USAF shipped our family to England for a 3-year tour. Dad was stationed at RAF Upper Heyford. But before that we were at RAF Fairford. Dad was a navigator on mostly KC-135s & also the BUFF. Our Fairford quarters had a great view of the flight line, with the large window of my bedroom giving me a fab view of flight ops. Every time the klaxon went off, my brother and I would rush to that window to watch the fabulous show of the entire B-52 squadron taking off; the four plumes of each plane trailing behind! Don’t be jealous of my childhood! No wonder I’ve been an aviation addict ever since.
Weren't you Lucky!!
All of these pilots were not born when this aircraft started flying. Amazing
The kids working on it were not even a gleam in daddy’s eyes. I worked on them as an avionics tech at Wurtsmith AFB 81-85
Nor were Thier father's
I lived 25 miles NE of Blytheville, Ark Air Base in the 60's & 70's. These fine warplanes circled my Grandparent's farm several times a month. They were a site to see & watch!
Former Master Crew Chief B-52H 61-011 Chameleon. The B-52 actually flies at 3° nose down. One of my greatest thrills was running up engines after maintenance. Worst was cleaning starters after an alert cart start. Flying low level was also thrilling. Picking up drag chutes suck. 5th Bomb Wing Minot.
The American Boeing B- 52 Stratofortress and Russian Tupolev Tu-95 are the embodiment of "If it ain't broke don't mess with it."
Can't wait to see the B-52 with the new Rolls-Royce engines! So curious to see the difference between the old and the new on my favorite Airforce plane.
The Pratt and Whitney TF33 engines have the best sound.Very distinctive.
They provide the same thrust just more economical hence the B52 will fly longer before need to refuel.
The combined 8 engines produce a takeoff thrust almost as large as one of my B777 GE90-115 engines.
Back in 1969 I had three B-52 models held above my bed by fishing line along with Huey and Cobra helicopters until My brother gave me a pack of Blackcat fire crackers.
Ha, ha, ha....been there, done that!!!
One of the reasons the BUFF is so big is that there isn't very many cubic inches inside the fuselage that isn't filled with equipment. I worked ECM systems on it, and there is a vast amount of electronics inside it and many, many, miles of wiring.
So another Old Crow. I worked the ECM at Loring AFB. Enjoyed the work on the BUFF.
Some people call it ugly i think its one the most beautiful planes ever built.
The starters on B52's are mounted on the OPAH Oil Pump and Accessories Gear Drive Housing. The starters are driven by compressed air that drives a Starter turbine wheel that drives the gear housing. The cartridge starter allows for starting when a ground APU Auxiliary Power Unit isn't available as a compressed air source. Back in the 70's there was just one cartridge starter on each wing and bleed air was used for the other engines. It's interesting that they have 8 Cart Starters on the BUFF's now. The video makes it sound like "The Black Smoke" blows into the actual engine or something. It is simply the residual exhaust from the starter turbine wheel.
United States Air Force 1971-1975 AFSC 43250 Jet Engine Technician SSGT.
Thanks for the explanation of the carts. Given the smoke from the carts, I always wondered how the heck the engine's turbine could possibly deal with that much contamination...because I mistakenly thought that the cart gas was used to directly spin up the turbine.
Very good thanks from hamou fahem Algeria
A marvelous airframe. Long live the BUFF.
amazing that frame holds up after 50 years
Those are some awesome aircraft. I'm glad they belong to us
God bless the men and women who operate and maintain them! 😊😊
My father-in-law flew over 250 bombing missions in Vietnam, incl. Linebacker I+II or what he called murdering thousands on innocent people on the ground. Is that what „God“ intended ?
@@thomasmoeller2961
NO.
Definitely NOT.
But the murdering, obnoxious communists were hiding their army, weaponry right in the middle of civilian population.
Just the way Palestinian terrorists are hiding right in the middle of its own civilian people.
Causing the utterly unnecessary and heart breaking deaths of NON-COMBATANT children and women.
Whish is a ghastly betrayal of their own PEOPLE, whome they are supposed to be defending.
A daibolical, cunning and cruel trick.
AND they exhibit these avoidable deaths to the outer world as the violations of the freedom fighters of the free west, the democracy.
If they don't shoot at them or bomb the areas, the communists would be shooting and bombing them.
If they shoot and bomb them they appear to be heartless.
Forcing in to a dichotomy.
@@thomasmoeller2961 Your a communist democrat that murdered thousands of Americans
Lived in Blytheville when Blytheville AFB (later Eaker) was operating. Nothing like see a B52 in person and in takeoff. I really miss seeing them. I was often on base and could really see how massive they were. We had renters that were crew chiefs and would rotate on the alert pad, planes and crews ready to go at a moment's notice. I miss those days.
The first one I ever saw close up.
I was driving west on M-28 in the Upper Pennisula, and it came in just above treetop level headed for a landing at K. I. Sawyer AFB.
Pretty darn cool!!!
I remember watching them take off and land as a kid at the Grabd Forks Air Force Base. I was born and raised there. This was an amazing air base. Many years lader for many years I provided alot of the weekend entertainment, meet alit of people and made many friends. I always was amazed by these plains.
I don't know if that's worth it, taking into account that living so close to a military base seems to have given you a stroke
A super military aircraft of a super power , good 👍
I cant believe how the wings dont fold with the weight of 4 engines on them.....fabulous engineering.
Not just engines. Those wings are full of fuel, external fuel tanks, and external pylons for bombs and cruise missles.
The weight of the engines and fuel is actually beneficial, as the wing's most critical loading is the upward lift during flight, and the weight counters the lift.
I just LOVE B-52 🥰
Probably the best missile truck ever built:)
En Verdad Es Una Gran Aguila En Vuelo!✈️🇵🇷🎱🇵🇷
I think the new engines are virtually fit for life and can take bio fuels. Two large engines would virtually destroy the wings, which are not designed for modern large high power engines. The B52 is special, glad it flies on. 🇬🇧
*_Former Boeing.... BUFF lives on and on.... kids flying it today had parents that flew it._*
Because there is almost zero rotation, the B-52 has no tail strikes common to other military aircraft. Many aircraft have 'sacrificial' wearing blocks to take the punishment of a tail strike. Cheaper to replace these blocks than repair dinged up tail sections on fuselage.
When B-52 was first flown, the 8 engines were quite the sight. They were needed for power and for redundancy. Can't have aircraft turning back from a strategic mission because of a blown engine. Today, the 2 giant GE 9xx engines on our 777 have more power than all 8 engines on the current B-52's combined.
In fact, the GE 9xx engines are larger in diameter than the entire fuselages of 737 and B-52. If it wasn't so expensive to retrofit engines, 4 GE 9xx engines on BUFF would more than double performance.
*_How long will BUFF continue to fly.... for as long as it needs to..._*
I mean B-52 will always be ideal to bomb the Taliban, so probably will live forever.
@@niweshlekhak9646 Thanks for comment. A little 'carpet bombing' goes a long ways. Back in the day B-52's lined up wing to wing and front to back to drop 70,000 pounds of dumb bombs. It was like spreading a carpet out, everything in zone was destroyed.
@@SJR_Media_Group Those were not "dumb" bombs. They were very smart. They ALL fell all the way to the ground and then went BOOM.
I was rather taken aback the first time I got to watch one climb out in a nose down attitude.
@@bobmorgan1575 Thanks for comment. I've been in every Boeing Military Aircraft except B-52. Bet it is quite an experience. Been in B-17, B-29, F-15, and F/A-18. Also in every Commercial plane except 787, that includes 707, 727, 737, 747, 757, 767, and 777.
By far the greatest warplane of all time
I used to live near the old Plattsburgh air force base in northern N.Y., the base was part of the strategic air command and had a B52 loaded with nukes in the air 24/7 until the end of the cold war then they closed the base now all we have up here is fort drum home of the 10th mountain division
When I was in Plattsburgh was a FB-111 base I don't see where they ever had B-52s. It seems to me they went from B-47s to FB-111s. There was a B-52 wing in Rome New York (Griffiss AFB)
Seeing one on video can’t compare to seeing one up close. When I was in the Army, we saw one in the hangar waiting to deploy and it was massive.
IIRC there is a difference between a "Cartridge" start and a "Cart" start. A Start-Cart or "Huffer" is a ground ower unit that provides compressed air to spool up the engine.
Cartridge starts are done with a "explosive (or rocket fuel) cartridge" that is fired and spools up the engine. The first video image of a Cartridge Start may be seen in the moving "Flight of the Phoenix" starring Jimmy Stewart.
Those things are one of my favorites for sure .
Nhôm của máy bay Mĩ rất tốt nên người dân Bắc Việt Nam thường tái chế thành xoong, nồi,chảo và đồ dùng gia đình. Rất bền.
Worked B-52G aircraft, as an Aircraft Hydraulic Systems Tech, at Castle AFB 1989-1993. Keep 'Em Flying!
I love the sound of those engines. Powerful.
We have a lot of skill men and women in the world they are to be commended
Thank you America for bringing aluminum mining technology from the sky to help the North Vietnamese people have the best aluminum home appliances in the world.
I grew up in northeastern Montana, just 60 miles from old Glasgow AFB. In addition, just to the south of us was the low-altitude Flint Rock Oil Burner run which B-52s from all over trained on. They were a very common sight during my youth. As it stands now, I haven't seen a B-52 in flight since 2001 (it and a B-2 flew over my house, which is below an aerial refueling leg). Miss seeing those ol' girls.
Why are you talking about airplanes in the front and missing the girls in the back?😅
OUTSTANDING video. Not only was it very educational, but entertaining as well. The narration was just perfect and the video was crystal clear! Liked it so much that I just subscribed! Thank you for creating, uploading and sharing!
PS: I don't know if you take requests, but I would really enjoy a video about the FLYING WING. I don't know if she is still flown or not, but I feel it would make a great video. Thanks! ✈😊
Terrific video, Fluctus~! Thanks!!
What a beautiful jet maintaining this is really a costly job but nice work
I Love you American!❤❤❤❤
Very well-made video. Thank you!
If people maintained their cars half as good as these planes,cars would last 50 years as well.
أمريكا عظيمه وستبقى عظيمه ❤❤❤
I served at BAFB in fuels- this a/c is pretty awesome...
At 3:12 & 10:10, it's stated the engines take a long time to warm up. TORO CACA. This disinformation has been put out in a number of videos. In northern cold & snow country the engines would be heated if the engine was frozen. Ice would form around the compressor blade & turbine blades & had to be thawed before starting. For day to day missions, the crew shows up to the aircraft an hour & thirty minuets prior to take off. They do their walk around then go inside & do their preflight inspections, check the chute, powering up the avionics etc. Then it's engine start , more check with aircraft power, the taxi out approx 20 min before take off. On alert, they crew preflight is done one time. Response time on alert is under 10 minuets. No waiting for any bogus lengthy warm up.
Very beautiful sweet looking sir
Fue desarrollado poco después de la SGM en dónde la tecnología de los motores a reacción no estaba tan desarrollada como hoy día,el BUFF Fue diseñado con regla de cálculo y servilletas tiene casi setenta años en servicio y no hay forma de remplazarlos.y eso que hay bombarderos más modernos en la USAF.
One of the B-52s is being displayed at the War Museum in Korea. I was surprised to find that it was huge in its height, wingspan, and sheer size. However, it is still smaller than B747.
And a very cramped cockpit! It wasnt designed for comfort but for a specific purpose.
I was impressed seeing the b52 in Seoul also, Im from Australia and it was my first sight of one in the flesh!
VelociRaptor
The B-52 is only 159ft in length, most civil planes are longer than that.
With the current technical means, are the B-52 operational today? Aren't they very fragile considering the current weaponry?
They fly daily where I live. There are a few bases dedicated to them around the U.S. From what I've heard, there's always one locked and loaded in the air at all times.
i still miss the b-52's and kc-135's that were stationed here at castle. i think it was a mistake to centralize everything but who knows? still miss'em!
I miss the B52s that were at Seymour Johnson AFB in Goldsboro NC. They would fly low level behind my house. After the B52s left the 68th Bomb Wing became a refueling with with KC135s .The 68th was disbanded and in now the 916th Air Refueling Wing a reserve unit. They had KC10s for a few years then it became a reserve unit the KC135 replaced the KC10s. Within the last year the Wing traded the KC135 for the new KC46 Pegasus
The tu160 is a much larger mach 2 bomber and uses four engines. 8 engines are required only because they are not large engines,
WELL.
I think the reason is this B52 was designed in 1948.
Tu160 was designed in the 1970s or so. (I don't know the year.)
Love the 52's!
💥USA💫 The Star
There is one at the Imperial War Museum at Duxford England. Worth a visit!
And one at Darwin museum
INEFFABLE ! MIND BLOWING 👌👍👏👏👏
when l was a kid in the 60s, l could see this wonderful machine high in the sky over SW Ontario Canada. l knew to look very closely at the entrail to see a pair coming out from the engine pods then blending into the more visible 4 total.
and wished and wondered what it would be like to FLY IN ONE.
Nice video. I have wondered which was actually bigger the B-36 or the B-52? I was stationed at Roswell when the B-52 was there. Sometimes a B-58 would make a visit. At that time the B-52 was equipped with hound dog missiles.
B-36 is about 10 feet longer fuselage & 45 feet longer wing span. B-36 could carry a heavier load also.
@@vitogulotta7193 Just much slower, 230 mph cruise VS. 509.
@@michaelplunkett8059 Hve you ever flown or worked the H?
@@vitogulotta7193 B-36: 210 ft. wingspan
B-52: 185
@@jimwatson842 According to the Air Force Museum the B-36 has a wing span of 230 Ft.
Good aircraft keep it in use
The B52 was and still is a wonderful marvel. And i am just a ordinary person who has nothing to do eith aviation.
GOD I Love this PLANE 👍👋🥰👌
Very nice
Awesome Video
AMAZING!!!
Still prefer the B1. It has a larger payload capacity than the B52, and it's supersonic.
It's something to say that this incredible plane is flown by people that are less than half its age.
BUFF = Beautiful Unmatched Freedom Fighter. 🇺🇸
BUFF = Big Ugly Flying F**ker
That is not what we called the BUFFs
Un gran equipo de trabajo todos los de mantenimiento...
They are undergoing a engine upgrade. Using a rolls-royce engine made for the b-52
Please please keep on such a thing
Rolls engines will see BUFF through to its centenary.
In the air under 10 mins .? Freaking amazing 😮. Behemoth air - borne ..
Amazing Aircraft
At 12:44 it says: "American Made Jet Engines", and yet, the engines are made by "Rolls-Royce", a British company.
When doing pre-flight checks…do they check the fluids, including the wiper fluid? 🤭
Imagine what if this massive aircraft was redesigned to be an high speed tactical bomber just like B-22 spirit and then break the speed of sound 😬
One GE9X produces as much thrust as all 8 of these engines combined. Crazy
WOW!!! amazing!
Man that thing is huge.
Да это очень красиво,когда нет современной ПВО. А если есть,то формула такова: одна С-400 один В-52.
I landed one of these first try in a simulator when I was at encampment at Barksdale
I love
I love
I love
The B-52 max takeoff weight 488,000 lbs (219,600 kg), compared to the 747 max takeoff weight of 910,000 lb (412,770 kg). Therefore a B-52 would only need two 747 jet engines to do the same job as the older eight engines. This is 60 year old tech when compared to today's tech! 😆
Actually a bit more but you're close. Basic acft weight is 188,000, it holds 312,000 lbs of fuel, plus munitions.
Forget JATO- just put the charge inside the engine. Wow.
Just keep them all well fed.
dumd question but if this plane caught fire on the ground would the bombs blow up or do they need actual impact? I suppose when if the gas tanks blew up everything would go off?
thanks very mucu useful datum .turbo jet engine for air crafts will be changec with electric power turbo motors with hydrogene fuel cells for improving environment. thank you.
SO cool wow
هي مجرد أسطوانة تنفث الكثير من التلوث....فكروا في حل لهذا التلوث وهذا الإفراط في إستهلاك الوقود....
I have been told from a AF officer (retired) that the plain tends to land like a frame is bent (lands crooked)
Awesome
Great
You don't actually address why there is a need for 8 engines,
Because it is freaking huge.
WHAT A BOMBER
Military aircraft must be coated with gray paint and a flat gray texture ... this reduces lighting so that it allows you to avoid enemy radars ..
Looks much more like a turbojet than a turbofan engine. It must be a very low bypass TF.