The US looks set to deploy its Cold War heavy bombers to Iran as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth warned that Tuesday would mark the fiercest attacks of the war so far.
Even after 70 years of service, the B-52 Stratofortress is one of America’s deadliest weapons; and it has participated in nearly every US conflict since the Vietnam War.
Three B-52s arrived in the UK’s RAF Fairford base on Monday, with the aircraft expected to take part in a major bombing raids of Iran’s nuclear sites after the US and Israel gained control of the country’s skies.
It’s the first time the US has deployed the heavy bombers to take part in the war with Iran, with Hegseth vowing that the 11th day of America’s war against Iran would see the “most intense day of strikes” yet against the Islamic Republic.
“We are winning with an overwhelming and unrelenting focus on our objective,” Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon.
Massive bombs on board
The B-52 Stratofortresses was first introduced in 1952 as a doomsday bomber — designed to carry nuclear bombs to strike the Soviet Union without having to refuel along the way.
It is among the oldest aircraft design still operating in the US military.
And in the decades since, it has been repeatedly upgraded to launch modern weapons systems.
B-52s are capable of carrying up to 70,000 pounds of ordinance, including nuclear weapons, cruise missiles and other heavy bombs,
The bombers are also capable of dropping the 30,000-lb. Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bunker-buster bomb, which can penetrate deep underground to take out the subterranean facilities operated by Iran’s current regime.
Along with the B-2 Spirit, the B-52 serves as a key part of America’s Nuclear Triad, which aims to deter nuclear attacks by being able to launch nuclear warheads around the world by land, sea and air.
An American staple of war
While serving as part of America’s nuclear deterrent force during the Cold War, the B-52 rose to prominence during the Vietnam War in Operation Linebacker II, which saw the aircraft drop more than 15,000 tons of bombs across the country.
The B-52s were also deployed during Operation Desert Storm in the early 1990s, with the bombers used to take out Iraqi bases and underground bunkers.
The heavy bombers have been repeatedly deployed throughout America’s wars in the Middle East, with the aircraft completing about 1,800 combat missions against ISIS forces in Syria and Iraq.
Since their use against ISIS, the B-52s have been used by the US as a show of force against its adversaries, with the heavy bombers deployments to Europe used as an intimidation tactic against both Iran and Russia.
The long-range bombers were recently used to patrol the coast of Venezuela in the days before the capture of its former president, Nicolas Maduro.
There were more than 740 B-52s built, but currently there are 58 in service.
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