The USA has consolidated the Israeli defence by placing F-15E Strike Eagles fighter jets.
New Delhi: Ever since Iran pledged to avenge October 26 Israeli airstrikes in which four Iranian soldiers were killed, there has been an eerie, strange lull in the Middle East region as Israel is on the edge fearing a bigger attack. America has already supplied Israel with state-of-the-art THAAD air defence system to counter Iranian missiles.
In late October, a USAF F-16s squadron from Germany was deployed in the Middle East. Also, KC-46 Pegasus tankers were also installed to CENTCOM.
Apart from that, the USA has consolidated the Israeli defence by placing F-15E Strike Eagles fighter jets and has also, for the first time, stationed the lethal Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers and Flight Refuelling Aircraft (FRA) to defend Israel while more missile defense-capable destroyers are being moved into the region.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei criticised the move by describing it as “destabilizing presence” of B-52 bombers in the region. “We have always believed that the presence of America in the region is a destabilizing presence,” said Baghaei adding that it “will not deter Iran’s resolve to defend itself.”
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has vowed a “crushing response” to the Israeli airstrikes. This is a critical time for Israel as it is engaged in fierce conflicts with Palestine’s Hamas in Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Presently, the USA has nearly half a dozen air bases in the region around Iran, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The B-52s are positioned at the Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, which is the the largest U.S. base in the Middle East.
The B-52 was first flown in 1952 and became a part of the United States Air Force (USAF) in 1955 and later NASA in 1959.
The bomber has earned itself the moniker the BUFF (Big Ugly Fat Fella).
The B-52 is a giant of a bomber with a 185-foot wingspan. It is manned by a crew of five including a pilot, co-pilot, weapon systems officer, navigator, and electronic warfare officer. An empty B-52 weighs 83,250 kg with a maximum take-off weight of 221,323 kg. It has an incredible fuel capacity of 181,610 liters.
The significance of the B-52 Stratofortress can be gauged from the fact that it has been operated by the United States Air Force and NASA since mid-1950s.
The bomber can carry up to 70,000 pounds (32,000 kg) of weapons and has a typical combat range of around 14,200 km without aerial refuelling.
During the USA-led NATO and the Soviet Union hostilities of the Cold War, the B-52 played a crucial part of military operations as they are developed to carry nuclear weapons.
Superior performance at high subsonic speeds and relatively low operating costs have kept them in service despite the development of more advanced strategic bombers, such as the Mach 2+ Convair B-58 Hustler, the cancelled Mach 3 North American XB-70 Valkyrie, the variable-geometry Rockwell B-1 Lancer, and the stealth Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit.
The B-52 is given the respect same as a combat veteran. There are 76 aircraft in inventory as of 2024.
The eight engines of the B-52 are paired in pods and suspended by four pylons beneath and forward of the wings’ leading edge. The careful arrangement of the pylons also allowed them to work as wing fences and delay the onset of stall.
In 2021, the USAF selected the Rolls-Royce F130 as the engine and announced plans to purchase 650 engines, 608 direct replacements and 42 spares.
Unlike the previous re-engine proposal which also involved reducing the number of engines from eight to four, the F130 re-engine program maintains eight engines on the B-52.
This hulk bomber is powered by 8 × Pratt & Whitney TF33-P-3/103 turbofans, 17,000 lbf (76 kN) thrust each.
It can reach a maximum speed of 1,050 km/h and cruise speed of 819 km/h.
It can be fitted with 1× 20 mm (0.787 in) M61 Vulcan cannon originally mounted in a remote-controlled tail turret on the H-model and carry about 32,000 kg mixed ordnance; bombs, mines, missiles, in various configurations.