The B-52 bomber aircraft first entered service during the Eisenhower administration during the 1950s. More than seven decades later, the Air Force is spending billions of dollars to transform the Cold War-era bomber with new engines, upgraded avionics and advanced radar systems designed to keep it flying into the 2050s.That modernization effort was thrust into the spotlight Monday when a B-52 Stratofortress crashed shortly after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base in California during a test mission, killing all eight people aboard.The crew included military personnel, government civilians and contractors supporting the flight test mission.Boeing later confirmed that two of its employees were among those on board.SIX DEADLIEST NON-COMBAT MILITARY AVIATION ACCIDENTS IN THE LAST 5 YEARSThe crash marks the loss of one of just 76 B-52s remaining in the Air Force inventory.
The nuclear-capable bomber remains a cornerstone of America's strategic bomber force and is expected to serve alongside the Air Force's next-generation B-21 Raider for decades to come.The B-52 bomber aircraft first entered service during the Eisenhower administration during the 1950s. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)As investigators begin piecing together what happened, aviation attorney and Marine helicopter pilot veteran Justin Green said the fact that the aircraft went down moments after takeoff is likely to shape the early stages of the investigation."Aircraft controllability issue, some sort of engine failure, because they're in a very critical moment of flight when you're just taking off," Green told Fox News Digital."So I think that's really gonna be the focus."Green, who serves as co-chair of the plaintiffs' executive committee in litigation stemming from the 2019 Boeing 737 MAX crash in Ethiopia and is involved in litigation related to the January 2025 midair collision over the Potomac River, cautioned that investigators are still in the earliest stages of the probe."The key thing in investigati...