((Automated translation by Reuters using machine learning and generative AI, please refer to the following disclaimer: https://bit.ly/rtrsauto))
* The Stratofortress, built by Boeing, was on a routine training mission
* This strategic bomber is designed to carry nuclear and conventional weapons
*This incident marks the first B-52 bomber accident since 2016
(Reworded following Air Force confirmation that all 8 people on board perished; added details of the accident and suspension of operations at Edwards) by Steve Gorman and Phil Stewart
A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber crashed Monday during takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California’s Mojave Desert, catching fire and killing all eight crew members on board, officials said of the Air Force.
The eight-engine jet, designed to carry nuclear and conventional bombs, was on a routine test mission when it crashed on the Edwards runway immediately after takeoff, said Army Col. James Hayes. the air during a press conference a few hours later.
He said the “mixed crew” on board the plane was made up of government civilians, contractors and uniformed military personnel.
The flight was intended to support a radar modernization program, Hayes told reporters. The cause of the accident was unknown and was under investigation, he added.
Air Force officials did not reveal the identities of the victims, saying they were still notifying next of kin.
Aerial footage of the crash scene, about 100 miles (161 km) north of Los Angeles, showed a charred, smoldering area of desert larger than a football field, as an emergency vehicle drove along the perimeter of the site. From a distance, no large debris was visible in the images.
“After reviewing the footage of the accident, it was deemed that the aircraft was unrecoverable and that there were no survivors,†Hayes said.
Due to the damage to the runway, he added, “we are suspending all operations at Edwards Air Force Base” at least until Tuesday, specifying that no operations outside the base would be suspended.
Edwards, a sprawling flight test center established in the 1930s around a dried-up lake, occupies about 481 square miles (1,245 km²) of the Mojave Desert, making it the Air Force’s largest airfield.
His legacy in experimental aviation includes Chuck Yeager’s flight aboard the Bell X-1, which broke the sound barrier in 1947, test flights of the X-15 aircraft, and the first NASA space shuttle landings.
PILLAR OF THE BOMBING FORCE
The B-52 Stratofortress, constructed by Boeing
BA.N, is a long-range subsonic aircraft that has long been the backbone of the United States’ manned strategic bomber force, according to the Army.
The swept-wing aircraft is capable of carrying munitions including cluster bombs, gravity bombs, precision-guided missiles and nuclear warheads to altitudes of up to 50,000 feet (15,166 m), according to an Air Force fact sheet.
In a conventional conflict, the B-52 can conduct strategic attack, close air support, air interdiction, counter-air offensive and maritime operations, the fact sheet states.
Monday’s incident marks the first crash of a B-52 Stratofortress since a bomber of the same type crashed on the island of Guam in May 2016, according to the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives, a Geneva-based organization that collects data on air accidents around the world. All seven crew members on board this aircraft survived.
Only the H models of the B-52 still appear in the Air Force inventory.
The plane involved in Monday’s accident was assigned to the 412th Test Wing, based at Edwards. Most B-52s are stationed in North Dakota and Louisiana.
