Eli5 why does the US still use a bomber from the 1950s when they have built two newer ones since then?
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The B1 was originally designed to be a Supersonic bomber, and then was modified mid-design to penetrate Soviet air defense at very low altitudes where there wasn’t any radar coverage.
The B1 project was then scaled back due to costs and changes in tactics (low altitude attack was no longer practical after the Soviets changed their air defenses)
The B2 famously doesn’t show up on radar making it a better tactical bomber. The problem is the aircraft was ungodly expensive and the Soviet Union collapsed so it was no longer considered a priority.
The B-52 meanwhile was built in absurd numbers, many of the airframes had relatively few hours on them, and they cost very little to operate (compared to alternatives)
So the Air Force has continued to extend it’s service life because they don’t have any other aircraft that can do what it does, as cheaply, and in such high numbers.
You use the B2’s on day one of a war, and once the air defenses are smashed why risk a 2 billion dollar airplane that they won’t even let land outside the US?
The same is now becoming true for the F-16 and F-15 as the US Air Force is buying newer versions because the F-22s and F-35s are too expensive to buy and operate. So in order to maintain the Air Force at it’s present size, and also to try to keep operational costs under control the Air Force is having to operate A-team aircraft and B-team aircraft
Congress and the Air Force meanwhile are too stubborn with regards to high cost Stealth Aircraft, so there hasn’t been any practical proposals to replace the B-52 with another low cost ‘workhorse’ bomber platform.
Many have argued that a modified 737 would be more that adequate
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