Flightline: 13/TBD

"user314" (user314) 07/27/2020 at 11:00 • Filed to: flightline, Planelopnik, planelopnik history, b-52, BUFF

7

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SAC Alert crews rush to man their B-52s

Unknown USAF air base, sometime in the Sixties.

Developed in response to USAF General Operational Requirement 148, issued in 1956, the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! cruise missile (variously designated B-77, GAM-77 and finally AGM-28) was produced by !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (Later Rockwell International, now a part of Boeing) from 1959 to 1963 and was carried by B-52s from 1960 to 1977.

The Hound Dog, named in reference to the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! then made popular by Elvis, was designed to be launched by the B-52 at Soviet SAM sites while remaining outside their range, allowing the bomber to attack its targets with impunity. Equipped with a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! warhead, which had yields ranging from 70kt to 1.45mt, and capable of flying at Mach 2.1 for ranges up to 785 miles, the AGM-28 was also known as a stand-off weapon. The missile was powered by a version of the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , which also was used in the A-4 Skyhawk, A-6 Intruder and EA-6 Prowler, and, in its civilian form as the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , the Boeing 727 and 737-100/200 and the DC-9 and MD-80. Unlike with the other planes, the engine was run at 100% output all the time, resulting in an operational lifespan of only 6 hours (not an impediment to a missile expected to be destroyed by its own nuclear bomb well before then, mind you) The Hound Dog’s fuel tank could be topped off from the B-52's own fuel supply, allowing the larger plane to use the AGM’s engine to assist on take-off. The missile could fly at high or low altitude (though at the cost of decreased range), but early models were not capable of terrain following/terrain avoidance, and all modes had a CEP of 2 miles. Hound Dogs were guided by an inertial navigation system, which was updated by a star tracker mounted in the pylon. The GAM-77A/AGM-28B modification replaced the star tracker with a more advanced unit mounted in the missile, which allowed the Hound to continuously update itself, as well as a radar altimeter which allowed TF/TA flight, as well as increased fuel. Allegedly, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! were also to the GAM-77A, further reducing the missile’s radar cross-section. In the early 70s, further upgrades were investigated to add a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! navigation system as well as turn the Hound into a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , though neither was pursued. A number of AGM-28s have been preserved in !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! across the country.

ttyymmnn > user314 07/27/2020 at 11:33

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I noticed the tall pointy tail, and knew that it was one of the earlier ones (at least before the H). Turns out the G was the first to use the shortened tail. From Wiki:

The B-52G was proposed to extend the B-52's service life during delays in the B-58 Hustler program . . . . The B-52G entered service on 13 February 1959 (a day earlier, the last B-3 6 was retired, making SAC an all-jet bomber force)

As early as 1959 the Buff was covering for delays in other systems, and it continues to do so . Also, the last H left the production line in 1962. Fifty- eight years of service, and the B-52 as a whole could likely serve for 100 years. That’s just nuts.

user314 > ttyymmnn 07/27/2020 at 11:47

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Similarly , the Hound Dog was a short term filler for another project, the GAM-87/AGM-48 ALBM , which was to give SAC the ability to counter Soviet SAMs . Failures during testing though, and successes with the competing Polaris SLBM led to the Skybolt being canceled in 1962, and the Hound Dog wound up serving well past their expected end of service, finally being replaced by the AGM-69 SRAM and AGM-86 ALCM (what’s with the names of missiles from the 70's anyway? They’re all acronyms, no cool names like Maverick or Hound Dog.).

ttyymmnn > user314 07/27/2020 at 11:50

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So much money spent on weapons that were (thankfully) never used. 

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > user314 07/27/2020 at 14:07

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I wonder if that is the old airbase in Wilmington, Ohio. They used to fly B52s there. 

user314 > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 07/27/2020 at 14:18

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Yeah, if I could find a higher rez copy of the image I’d have a go at tracking one of the BUFFs down based on the tail or buzz number, but I couldn’t find anything better. 

Roadkilled > user314 07/27/2020 at 14:59

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I’m going to guess it’s the 11th Bomb Squadron at Barksdale Airforce Base. There are still B-52s parked there. (Excuse the poorly constructed 3D image from the mapping site.)