A B-52H Stratofortress with a special orange paint scheme parks after landing at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., Sept. 30, 2024. A heritage orange test and evaluation paint scheme represents a rich history of substantial advancements and progress in the B-52’s lifecycle. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Aaron Hill)
Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org
B-52s touch down frequently at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., but the one that landed Sept. 30 looked a little different.
Sporting bright orange paint on the cockpit, wing tips, engine nacelles, and tail, the Stratofortress seemed dressed for an early start to hunting season in Louisiana; in fact, the special paint scheme was a nod to the B-52’s roots more than 60 years ago.
“The orange color represents the test and evaluations conducted during the 1950s and 1960s, honoring the B-52’s history,” the 2nd Bomb Wing noted in a photo caption of the B-52 landing.
A U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress with a special orange paint scheme touches down and deploys a parachute for a landing at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., Sept. 30, 2024. The orange color represents the test and evaluations conducted during the 1950s and 1960s, honoring the B-52’s history. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Aaron Hill)
A B-52H Stratofortress with a special orange paint scheme begins to slow down after landing at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., Sept. 30, 2024. The test orange scheme was used to remind everyone of the B-52’s incredible journey and continuous progress made in the U.S. Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Aaron Hill)
A B-52H Stratofortress with a special orange paint scheme parks after landing at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., Sept. 30, 2024. The orange paint scheme was used to signify the B-52’s modernization while paying respect to its legacy. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Aaron Hill)
U.S. Air Force Aircrew from the 49th Test and Evaluation Squadron, 53rd Wing, gather beside a B-52H Stratofortress with an orange paint scheme at Barksdale Air Force Base, La. Sept. 30, 2024. A heritage orange test and evaluation paint scheme represents a rich history of substantial advancements and progress in the B-52’s life cycle. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Aaron Hill)
A B-52H Stratofortress with a special orange paint scheme parks after landing at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., Sept. 30, 2024. A heritage orange test and evaluation paint scheme represents a rich history of substantial advancements and progress in the B-52’s lifecycle. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Aaron Hill)
U.S. Air Force Aircrew from the 49th Test and Evaluation Squadron, 53d Wing, gather beside a U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress with a special orange paint scheme at Barksdale Air Force Base, La. Sept. 30, 2024. The orange color represents a test and evaluation paint scheme based on the test and evaluations conducted during the 1950s and 1960s, honoring the B-52’s history. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Aaron Hill)
U.S. Air Force Airmen from the 49th Test and Evaluation Squadron, 53rd Wing, gather beside a B-52H Stratofortress with a special orange paint scheme at Barksdale Air Force Base, La. Sept. 30, 2024. The orange color represents a test and evaluation paint scheme based on the test and evaluations conducted during the 1950s and 1960s, honoring the B-52’s history. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Aaron Hill)
U.S. Air Force Airmen from the 49th Test Evaluation Squadron, 53rd Wing, gather beside a B-52H Stratofortress with an orange paint scheme at Barksdale Air Force Base, La. Sept. 30, 2024. The orange paint scheme was used as a reminder to the B-52’s long standing power and presence in the U.S. Air Force since the 1950s. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Aaron Hill)
Collectively dubbed “motherships,” the two sported orange markings at times to better identify them as test vehicles. The Buff landing at Barksdale in September matched the pattern on “The High and Mighty One.” That airframe’s orange accents are still on display at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Arizona.
A B-52 mothership carries the X-15 aloft for a research flight in April 1960, leaving behind high-altitude, as Air Force Maj. Robert M. White readies for his first X-15 flight. Courtesy photo/NASA
Fittingly, the orange-accented B-52 that landed at Barksdale is assigned to the 49th Test and Evaluation Squadron, the bombers’ operational testing lead.
A photographer identified as Redhome Aviation posted images to Facebook on Sept. 30, showing the bomber taking off from Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., where B-52s get depot-level maintenance.
The Air Force is upgrading its B-52Hs with new engines, radars, and cockpit equipment over the coming years. The changes will carry a new designator, B-52J, and keep the bombers in service into the 2050s, when the airframes will approach 100 years old.
Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org
A new Air Force plan for how many fighters it needs in the next decade marks a sharp upturn from what it thought it needed just seven years ago. But analysts worry that the aspirational plan now in Congress' hands doesn’t make a tight enough connection to national strategy.
Dick Cheney, who died Nov. 3 at 84, is best remembered by most Americans as among the most powerful Vice Presidents in history, a consummate Washington insider who had previously served in the Nixon administration, was Chief of Staff for President Gerald Ford, a Congressman for a decade, and Secretary…
Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach swore in as the 24th Chief of Staff of the Air Force on Nov. 3 and kept his focus simple in his first message to Airmen: the service’s first and foremost priority is to “fly and fix so we are ready to fight.”
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. has flown a second YFQ-42A Collaborative Combat Aircraft, stepping up the pace of testing for the new uncrewed fighter escort. The company also announced “Gambit 6,” a fresh variant in its CCA family meant for air-to-ground missions.
Lt. Gen. Jason T. Hinds took charge of NATO Allied Air Command and U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa on Oct. 31, one day after being confirmed for the post by the Senate.
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The ongoing government shutdown has not slowed progress on the Joint Advanced Tactical Missile, a congressional official said, correcting a previous statement from lawmakers about the secretive program.
Anduril Industries’ YFQ-44A Collaborative Combat Aircraft took to the sky Oct. 31, the Air Force announced. The service also confirmed that a production decision on the CCA program is still expected in fiscal 2026, despite the ongoing government shutdown.
Northrop Grumman is gearing up to produce the Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite, or IVEWS, which will provide the modern electronic warfare protection the fighter has long needed, officials say.
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