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A photo of a B-1B moments after it took off.
The $60,000-Per-Hour Math Behind Moving A Third Of America's B-1B Fleet To England

Moving one-third of America's B-1B fleet to England cut flight times, reduced costs and transformed Fairford into a key strike hub.

A photo of a B-1 Lancer flying against what appears to be a sunset.
The US Air Force Bomber Fleet Has Shrunk From 500 To 140 Jets As Demand Hits Record Highs

The US Air Force has far fewer bombers than it did at the end of the Cold War, but these aircraft are being deployed more frequently around the world.

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Why The B-52 Modernization Program Is $3 Billion Over Budget

The latest and greatest version of the BUFF is getting pricier.

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Will Russia Even Be A Strategic Bomber Power By 2030? Its Intended Replacement Still Hasn't Flown

Russia's place as one of the 'big three' strategic bomber nations is looking increasingly shaky out to 2030 as its Soviet inheritance disappears.

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7 Bomber Aircraft Still Flying Combat Missions Years After Their Intended Retirement Date

Why the world's largest warbirds are also some of the oldest.

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Why The US Air Force Almost Never Launches The B-1B, B-2, & B-52 Together From One Base

Why the USAF rarely launches the B-1B, B-2, and B-52 together—and why Guam's Andersen AFB is uniquely equipped to make it possible.

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The US Air Force Bolted Jet Engines Onto Its Largest-Ever Bomber, But It Still Wasn't Enough To Save It

One of the overlooked and innovative engineering aspects of the B-36 Peacemaker was its use of four turbojets to supplement its six piston engines.

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Why The B-1 Lancer Can't Fly Supersonic At Every Weight

The B-1B is better not thought of as a supersonic bomber, but as a subsonic bomber capable of limited supersonic dashes on under specific conditions.

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How The US Air Force Added 15 Years To The B-1B Lancer's Life In Just 22 Days Per Jet

How a radical process improvement just saved the B-1 from the Boneyard.

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These 6 Indo-Pacific Air Force Bases Would Decide The Opening Hours Of A Major War
These 6 Indo-Pacific Air Force Bases Would Decide The Opening Hours Of A Major War

Analyzing the defense of the West-Pac island chains.

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A photo of a B-52 taxiing in preparation for takeoff.
The $48.6 Billion B-52J Upgrade Just Locked In 2 Small American Towns Through 2050

The upgraded B-52 will keep two small towns at the center of US nuclear deterrence strategy for years to come, while the USAF waits for the B-21.

A photo of the control console of a B-52 strategic bomber
Why The US Air Force Still Flies A Strategic Bomber With A Cockpit Designed In The 1960s

The B-52 began its service life in the 1950s; it's still flying today because it's easy to modernize and it can carry any weapon in the US arsenal.

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Inside The B-2 Spirit Bomber’s Secret Crew Rest Areas

Why the B-2's rest areas are functional, not comfortable and the tales of a "mini-fridge" are overblown.

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Why The B-52's New Engines Will Make It More Powerful Than Jets Built 40 Years After It

One engine swap makes a 1950s bomber more useful than the aircraft designed to replace it.

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This Is How Fast The B‑2 Spirit Bomber Can Fly

The military aircraft is not as fast as you might think.

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Why The US Air Force's 1950s B-52 Is Easier To Modernize Than Its 1990s F-22 Raptor

While the F-22 is the "king of air combat", the crown for "ease of upgrade" easily goes to the venerable B-52. Now let's see why that is.

A B-52 on the apron with exhaust surrounding its engines.
The Cold War Operation That Kept Nuclear-Armed B-52s Minutes From Soviet Airspace At All Times

The reason why the USAF kept nuclear armed B-52s on continual rotation just outside of Soviet airspace...for nearly a decade.

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Why The B-21 Raider Costs Less Per Hour To Operate Than The B-2 Spirit It Replaces

The B-21 is a generation upgrade over the B-2 intended to be a high-end stealth bomber workhorse than a first night wonder.

Close up of the B-21 cockpit area with the American flag as a backdrop.
Why The B-21 Raider Can Be Deployed To Forward Bases The B-2 Spirit Could Never Operate From

The Raider is designed to overcome the enormous logistical difficulties of the Spirit, but it also faces a much more dangerous forward deployed world.

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How Crew Rest & Sleep On B-2 Spirit Bomber Flights

Staying sharp on the stick.

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