History, Politics And Current Affairs

By the way, when is the B-52 factfile going to be posted, and are we going to alter the B-52K in light of what the USAF is doing with the B-52 IRL?

It'll be up soon, and the J will likely be the designation for the new-builds, while the K will be the designation for the conversions from G and H models.

Where are they getting the wing spars from?

Matt Wiser wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 5:40 am It'll be up soon, and the J will likely be the designation for the new-builds, while the K will be the designation for the conversions from G and H models.

IIRC, the K was a variant with the avionics of the J but with a less powerful engine such as the JT8D, but if you want the K to be the IRL J, I have no complaints.

I seem to recall that Stuart said on one of the previous incarnations of the board that there was no real way to build new B-52s, because the tooling and dies had been scrapped a decade prior to the war, and in fact, before the proposed POD.

How are we getting around this?

Belushi TD

Belushi TD wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 6:43 pm I seem to recall that Stuart said on one of the previous incarnations of the board that there was no real way to build new B-52s, because the tooling and dies had been scrapped a decade prior to the war, and in fact, before the proposed POD.

How are we getting around this?

Belushi TD

Can build new tooling for a given specification?

IIRC, it was suggested the earlier mark BUFFs stored could be used as source of wing spars. Which I believe was the sticking point.

Bernard Woolley wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 8:23 pm IIRC, it was suggested the earlier mark BUFFs stored could be used as source of wing spars. Which I believe was the sticking point.

Some of the earlier BUFFs would have gone to the boneyard with fairly low hours on them, especially the B and C models.

I'm thinking going with the Buffs in the boneyard being a source of wing spars for the new-builds-and Boeing taking a couple, and getting a subcontractor to measure them, and produce new tooling for brand-new spars. We've already established a long time back that Boeing did keep the tools and jigs at Boeing-Seattle, but not Wichita or Renton.

Wouldn't Boeing in Everett (isn't gonna be Seattle, the airfield there isn't big enough for a B-52) be a little close to the front lines? Maybe after the Soviet stupidity in Puget Sound got handled, but before then it would be a bit of a risky place to have something like that.

The new-builds don't happen until postwar. But Boeing-Renton's busy with repairing damaged birds.

Where’s SAC HQ at the current time, ITTL?

Wolfman wrote: ↑Tue Feb 20, 2024 11:11 pm Where’s SAC HQ at the current time, ITTL?

March AFB in Riverside, CA.

Poohbah wrote: ↑Tue Feb 20, 2024 11:12 pm

Wolfman wrote: ↑Tue Feb 20, 2024 11:11 pm Where’s SAC HQ at the current time, ITTL?

March AFB in Riverside, CA.

Thanks.

March was the wartime HQ (it was a backup SAC Command Post and HQ 15th AF). Postwar, a new HQ was built at Little Rock AFB.

Matt Wiser wrote: ↑Wed Feb 21, 2024 5:27 am March was the wartime HQ (it was a backup SAC Command Post and HQ 15th AF). Postwar, a new HQ was built at Little Rock AFB.

Oh, hell.

Well, I can have Mantell joke about the Arkansas State Police Hello (aka the PIT or TVI Maneuver).

Hey, Poohbah, any plans to repost and continue the Cobra AU, wherein Roberta’s a fighter pilot?

Wolfman wrote: ↑Mon Mar 04, 2024 10:12 pm Hey, Poohbah, any plans to repost and continue the Cobra AU, wherein Roberta’s a fighter pilot?

Plans, yes, but they're a bit longer term because I didn't keep copies.

Oh, I didn’t know that, and I’m sorry you lost what there was of it.

Post it here, as likely these papers would in the Red Dawn verse still be secret but interesting to read, Sir Humphrey sombody i follow on Twitter (X) posted this SECRET MOD paper, now in the Archives, which sets out the likely targets for Soviet conventional attack on the UK in the event of war and the aircraft forces likely to be used for the attack.