USAF Resurrected a B-52H which spent 8 years in Desert Storage

[asianobserve]

Resurrected B-52H returns to flight after eight years in storage

A US Air Force Boeing B-52H is back in flight after spending eight years parked in storage in the Arizona desert.

The regenerated Stratofortress, nicknamed Ghostrider, completed first flight on 30 August at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, rising into the sky without a painted livery.

The base’s Air Logistics Center was tasked with restoring the airworthiness of the un-retired B-52H, reversing a normally one-way trip for aging military aircraft to the “boneyard” at Davis-Monthan AFB near Tucson, Arizona.

The air force will use Ghostrider to replace another B-52H severely damaged by fire in 2014, restoring the strategic bomber fleet to approved levels. The air force maintains of fleet of 58 B-52s in the active duty force and 18 more in reserve units.

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/a...2h-returns-to-flight-after-seven-year-428990/

The "Ghostrider" in storage in 2014

 

[asianobserve]

The other B-52H that are in 1000-levell storage in AMARG, Arizona:

Interesting how many recoverable jets are there in storage in AMARG.

 

[charlie]

The other B-52H that are in 1000-levell storage in AMARG, Arizona:

Interesting how many recoverable jets are there in storage in AMARG.

it would almost cost the same to build a new one rather then getting them out of storage and going through all the checks, validation of system, certify and upgrade I assume.

 

[asianobserve]

it would almost cost the same to build a new one rather then getting them out of storage and going through all the checks, validation of system, certify and upgrade I assume.

I do not have the figure but it definitely is cheaper to resurrect a B-52H in storage than to build a new one (there is no more B-52 production line in the first place so any new build will be a brand new bomber which will be substantially more costly than the cost of producing the B-52 in current dollars). The reason why the B-52H that was damaged in 2014, which will be replaced by Ghostrider, was not repaired was that it was calculated to be cheaper to resurrect a B-52H in storage than repair the damaged one:

On Jan. 28, 2014, two airmen suffered minor injuries when an oxygen leak caused a fire on a B-52H, which was undergoing routine maintenance, Ventura said in an email Thursday to Air Force Times. Although the plane was not destroyed, repairing the damage was deemed to be too costly.

Global Strike Command decided the most cost effective option was to replace the damaged bomber with another B-52H in storage at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, commonly known as the 'boneyard' at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ventura said.

https://www.airforcetimes.com/story...19/b52-comes-back-from-the-boneyard/23675305/

 

[charlie]

(there is no more B-52 production line in the first

That make sense...............................