In the 1980s, with the enhancement of the Russian air defense systems, the only way to perform an effective B-52 strike against the Soviets was by penetrating the target area, avoiding radar detection by performing a low-level flight
After entering service in 1955, the B-52 served as the primary long-range heavy bomber for the U.S. Air Force’s Strategic Air Command (SAC) throughout the Cold War. By the 1980s, as Russian air defense systems improved, the only way to carry out an effective strike against the Soviet Union was to penetrate the target area while avoiding radar detection by flying at low altitude.
A vivid account of how a training sortie for this demanding mission was carried out was provided by Mike Mastromichalis, an experienced BUFF pilot, to Walter J. Boyne for his book Boeing B-52: A Documentary History. Mastromichalis explained that the flight plan was drawn up the day before the mission by the six-member BUFF crew during a five-hour briefing, during which the fuel log and other takeoff data were established (a typical low-level training sortie involved a 160,000‑pound fuel load and no weapons). After completing the mission planning, the crew then rested for 12 hours before the flight.
Takeoff occurred from one of SAC’s air bases—such as Robins Air Force Base (AFB) in Georgia—on the following morning. Once the B-52 climbed to roughly 31,000 feet and reached cruising speed, the first training event, an air-to-air refueling with a KC‑135A, began. The tanker typically orbited at 30,000 feet, so the BUFF crew had to descend below the Stratotanker, close to within about one mile, and then initiate a climb to move into the refueling position beneath the tanker.
Mastromichalis noted that conducting air-to-air refueling in a B-52 is a challenging operation. The pilot must keep the aircraft steady so the boom operator can insert the end of the boom into the B-52’s refueling receptacle, located just behind the cockpit. If the aircraft strays outside the refueling envelope, the boom automatically retracts and disconnects to prevent damage. Because a typical B-52 refueling sequence lasts around 25 minutes—with the boom engaged for about 17 and a half minutes—the maneuver demands a high degree of concentration to be completed safely.
Before beginning the low-level leg of the mission, the crew spent an hour and a half practicing celestial navigation. During this phase, the navigator used a sextant to ‘shoot the sun’ and calculate the aircraft’s position. By relying on time, heading, and airspeed, the navigator could guide the bomber to the next waypoint even if all of its advanced onboard navigation systems failed.
Next came the low-level leg, which, as Mastromichalis recounted, was flown along one of the designated low-level routes reserved for SAC, such as route #41/42 that entered near Montgomery, Alabama, and ended in Georgia. After descending from high altitude to about 400 feet above the ground, the crew spent the first 15 minutes checking the terrain-avoidance radar to verify its reliability. Once it was confirmed to be functioning properly, they could follow the electronically generated display that showed the terrain ahead. Following an hour and a half of demanding low-level flying, the crew began the bomb run. With support from a USAF ground station, their bomb-delivery accuracy could be evaluated.
During the bomb run, all six crew members aboard the B-52 were very busy: the Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO) dealt with multiple ground-based threats, including simulated anti-aircraft artillery and surface-to-air missile (SAM) attacks, while the radar navigator prepared to release the simulated bombs.
After having dropped the bombs, the Stratofortress headed back to base, where the crew practiced instrument approaches before landing. Once on the ground, they participated in a maintenance debriefing, finally wrapping up an extremely exhausting day.
Boeing B-52 A Documentary History is published by Schiffer Publishing and is available to order here.
Photo by Senior Airman Chris Putnam U.S. Air Force
Artwork courtesy of AircraftProfilePrints.com
