B-52 flies in face of critics

Published: Jan 04, 2006
Source: aimpoints.hq.af.mil



The longest serving military aircraft in the world, the B-52 Stratofortess, often is praised for its storied history, but it also has become a symbol of the Pentagon's inertia in moving forward with the development of a new bomber.

“I think there's been a huge disparity in how much money is invested in bombers versus the short-range aircraft,” said Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Wash.

“There still isn't a program for a new replacement bomber, and there needs to be,” he told a Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments forum. The Air Force, Dicks said, is “limping along” with aging bombers.

Retired general and former head of the Air Combat Command, Richard Hawley, said the Defense Department needs to start planning for a new generation of bombers to be deployed by 2020 at the latest. “We've got to get off this do-nothing kick,” he added.continue..