B-52 bomber visits program office team at Wright-Patt

  • Published
  • By Brian Brackens
  • Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – Aircrew from the 2nd Bomb Wing operating a B-52 Stratofortress, traveled to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base last month, to meet with members of the B-52 Program Office team.

The visit was a chance for the program office to see the bomber up close, and engage with the aircrew.

“Partnering with the 2nd Bomb Wing leadership, we wanted to bring a B-52 out here to showcase the hardware and introduce the crewmembers to some of the acquisition professionals that are charged with executing the biggest modernization in the BUFF [B-52] history,” said Col. Louis Ruscetta, the Senior Materiel Leader for the B-52 Program Office, which is responsible for the development, modernization, and sustainment of America’s oldest, most lethal bomber. “The [acquisition] professionals here at Wright-Patterson don’t get the chance to interact with the crew or airplane on a day-to-day basis, so this was a great opportunity.”

“It has been a wonderful day to get folks out to see the aircraft,” added Lt. Col. David Mueller, chief of the Directors Action Group within the B-52 Program Office, who led the effort to organize the visit. “With limited travel due to COVID restrictions or other limitations, the visit let folks see the weapon system they support, allowing for more familiarization and expertise on it.”

The aircraft’s visit to Wright-Patt highlights a long relationship between the B-52 and acquisition professionals on base. In fact, according to Boeing [the bomber’s manufacturer] historical records, on Oct. 21, 1948, a team from Boeing met with Air Force acquisition officials in a Dayton hotel to discuss the design of a new bomber. The Air Force team told Boeing to scrap the propellers on the original design and develop an all-jet bomber. Over the next couple of days, in a room of the hotel, Boeing designed what would become the B-52.

Capt. Sarah Wildehaim, a radar navigator and aircrew member on the B-52, expressed her appreciation for the B-52 Program Office.

“I talked to a few folks [from the B-52 Program Office] and they talked about the mods they’re looking at, and the upgrades that they are trying to put on this jet,” said Wildehaim. “It’s super exciting and it’s something we [B-52 aircrew] are looking forward to.”

Since its first flight in 1952, the B-52 has played an essential role in defense of the United States; serving as a deterrent during the Cold War and fighting in numerous operations around the world.

Over the years, the program office has worked hard to keep the aircraft operational and lethal. Currently, the office is leading efforts to replace the engines, upgrade the entire communication suite for the aircraft, and install new AESA radar.

“The BUFF has a critical role in the Air Force’s strategic plan for its bomber roadmap,” said Ruscetta. “Right now we are planning to keep this bomber effective through 2050 to fly alongside the B-21, not just to do the conventional missions it has been doing since the 1960s, but also to do those next generation standoff missions against our near peer adversaries. This aircraft has been a workhorse and is really the backbone of the Air Force.”