European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 28, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                All Owca photo the equipping of b-s2s with cruise missiles provides Fust the latest indication of Tho air Force intent to continue relying on those planes to the next Century drone patrol aboard a b-52 by Norman Black associated press t he b-52 does not swoop Mlo the  to be free of the runway it lumber sit does nol respond instantaneously to commands us Crew has to engage in hard physical work to Fly it. When it lands it needs a Parachute to Slop. A upside the bomber Community there is no Glamour to this a Peol lying Bui the b-52, the Workhorse of America s manned bomber Force for 30 years remains a key part of Tho nuclear triad even As the last of them stationed there at grand Forks fab. N a. Departs for other bases to make Way for the new b 1b bomber. The b-52 is a huge eight Jet air plane that has been part of the air Force so Long it has outlived its nickname the Stralo fortress ii can no longer Fly in tha stratosphere and drop bombs from on High and expect to survive against modern fighters. Hence it has been modified accordingly Over the years. Part of that modification work has placed the b-52 Back in the headlines. By equipping the planes to carry the new air launched cruise missile the United slates has exceeded the limits of the Salt ii arms Accord. Thai has generated controversy Over the Wisdom of abandoning the never ratified Accord in the absence of a new arms control agreement Tho Salt ii debate aside the equipping of b-52s with cruise missiles provides just the latest indication of the air Force s intent to continue relying on Iheson planes to the next Century. And that Means More generations of air Crews younger than the plane itself must continue to Irain a recent seven hour Light aboard a b 52 shows the training in t easy. Part of the Low level bombing run by Teepee 15" is broken off under standing safety rules when a key piece of radar navigation equipment goes on the Iritz. Laler Ifie bomber is ordered to drone patrol lying As a target Tor fledgling fighter pilots at 19,000 feet instead of taking evasive Maneu vers if the b-52 had been on an actual Mission the Balky equipment would not have forced a Retreat. Page 16 the stars and stripes says the Pilot. Ii it were the real thing we d never quil says Cap Richard b. Wilt a graduate of the air Force Academy who has been tapped to move up to the b-1. That is As close As Witt or his five crewmen will come to talking about the 0b for which they Irain carrying arming and dropping nuclear bombs and missiles on Tho soviet Union. Instead they focus on the mechanics of flying this Behemoth with droopy wings following checklist after checklist repeatedly practising Tho Tricky Man Euver of Aerial refuelling flying a High Speed while hugging mountains and valleys Al 400 feet Altitude radar provides a picture of the terrain ahead of to screens set in front of the Pilot and co Pilot regardless of weather. But the tension is nonetheless palpable As the giant plane wheels and turns climbs and Falls to stay close to the ground it is demanding and living in part because of the absence of any creature comforts. The plane is  noisy. The Crew spaces Are tight almost Claustrophobic. The Healing system leaves the Potot and co Pilot sweltering White the two navigators one of whom in the old Days would have been called the Bombardier shiver in their compartment on a deck below the cockpit. The navigators and the electronic warfare officer and gunner who sit facing aft in a Small compare men behind the cockpit never see the outside. The gunner has four 50-caliber machine guns sticking out the Tail but he uses radar to direct his tire. Tho men clambered up a ladder in the plane s belly to Start their Day. Carrying boxes of cold sandwiches and Small coolers with juice and cola along with their Light gear. Hooking up with a Kc-135 Tanker flying overhead can Best be described As walking an  says Witt. Minute adjustments of the eight thrill Les Are required like squeezing a mouse he says. The Crew is professional and works Well together. The average age Tor a Sac bomber Crew is 30 or less. The b-52 can be compared in some respects to the Mavy s world War la Era battleships. Uss Iowa. Missouri and new Jersey and soon the Wisconsin Riave been brought Oul of Mothballs modernized with new weapons and returned to the Active Fleet. Sunday december 26,1986 a Photob-52 Btung Htu ded by Kc-135 Tanker Hying Emit i but the b-52 was never mothballed. And ils most important Moduli cations have involved its avionics the radars radios guidance equipment and electronic jamming gear considered essential to overcoming Soviel air defences. Witt and his Crew maintain they can survive in this plane col John t. Jaeckle the commander of the 319lh Bambard enl Wing at grand Forks says Ilia main concern would be getting everybody Oil the Patch away irom this base before Soviel missiles arrived. It s really an unbelievable plane when you consider it was designed in the 1940s," Jaeckle says. Bui it shows the years the mechanics never Stop working to keep them flyable. Will can recall perhaps two instances when he was handed a clean checklist for a soon to Fly bomber with nothing listed As broken. After this particular exhausting flight the Crew will spend 45 minutes briefing Ehe ground technicians on All that went wrong