Gallery: Take a flight in the US Air Force’s B-52 bomber

B-52 Stratofortress pilots control six-decade-old hardware with a 185-foot wingspan — and the lives of the four or five airmen onboard. But the moment the Vietnam War-era bomber’s wheels leave the ground, anything can happen — and some of the most important lessons cover more than routine flight procedures.

Defense News visited Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana to check out the aging B-52 bomber fleet and talk to pilots about what it will take for the aircraft to fly for several more decades. Here’s what we saw:

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Lt. Col. Michael “Fredo” DeVita, left, instructor pilot and commander of the 11th Bomb Squadron, and student pilot 1st Lt. Clayton Hultgren prepare to take off in a B-52H Stratofortress for a training flight at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., on Jan. 4, 2024. (Stephen Losey/Staff)