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Reports on the use of the B-52 bomber to fire satellite-guided cruise missiles against target forces in Kosovo, Serbia. B-52 as a heavy hitters in aerial combat; Duration of the bombing; Strict tactical control of the B-52 from takeoff to landing.

Reports that the United States Air Force's B-52H is being upgraded with improved conventional combat capabilities to ensure that the Air Force remains an effective bomber into 2000. Considerations of other upgrades; Comments by Colonel John A. Traugott, B-52 system program director at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center.

The article reports on consideration of several aerospace industries for upgradation of replacement of the Boeing B-52 engine. Topics discussed include analysis of options by the U.S. Air Force for replacement of TF-33s engines from military aircrafts developed by Pratt & Whitney; adoption of redesigning services by GE Aviation for the TF33 inlet and turbine exhaust services; and introduction of the BR700 series by Rolls-Royce.

The article focuses on the up-gradation of nuclear-armed Boeing B-52H Stratofortress that was designed to power regional jets. Topics discussed include replacement of strategic bomber's Boeing engine by General Electric CF6 engine and presents the views of U.S. president Donald Trump regarding upgrading of B-52H Stratofortress during his campaign.

This article reports that the U.S. Air Force's Boeing B-52 Stratofortress has increased its bomb-carrying capability after the aircraft dropped three Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM) from its internal weapons bay during a test at the Edwards Air Force Base in California.

Contrails is an Aviation Week & Space Technology initiative to capture the untold stories that make aerospace such a fascinating field. This article presents a crew member's account of a bombing run carried out on a target in Iraq by a team of 13 U.S. Air Force B-52G stealth bombers on January 16 during the war against Iraq in 1991. A squadron of B-52G bombers had been on alert at Diego Garcia since its deployment to the Indian Ocean island in August 1990. Thirteen bombers set out to accomplish the mission with the assistance of 12 KC-135 aircrafts and KC-10 tanker aircrafts. The takeoff of the fully loaded bombers was a task that taxed every resource available to the pilots.

Announces the mating of the X-43 scramjet and its booster to the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) B-52 carrier aircraft for a scheduled ground test in February 2001. Scheduling of test flight of NASA's Hyper-X vehicle between April and June 2001; Inclusion of high-temperature tunnel runs in the test program.

Several letters to the editor are presented in response to the articles including "Flight 9525 Lessons", "Adaptive Change" and "Minecraft" published in the previous issue.

The article focuses on the production and upgrades of several fighter planes used by air forces of the U.S., France, and Russia as of 2014. Topics include the addition of a global Positioning System (GPS) to A-10 Thunderbolt fighter plane in 1999, delivery of more than 410 Typhoons aircrafts to the U.S. Air Force, and Dassault Rafale to become the sole combat aircraft operated by the French air force and Navy, and addition of conventional bombing to B-52 Stratofortress heavy bomber.

Informs that the X-38 program has successfully completed its third drop test from a B-52 carrier aircraft using a prototype vehicle. Aim to demonstrate aerodynamics and technology that could be used in a space station crew return vehicle; Vehicle's fly-by-wire control system and electromechanical actuators.

Discusses Boeing's offer to reengine the United States Air Force's B-52 fleet with Rolls-Royce RB211-535E4-Bs. Impact of the offer on military procurement; Details of plan; Projected savings to Air Force; Criticism of the proposal; Plans, if proposal is accepted.

Reports that innovative conventional tactics and procedures are squeezing combat capabilities out of upgraded B-52s by Weapons School-trained flight crews. Changing attitudes about bombers; Comments by Lieutenant Colonel Brian Rogers, operations officer of the 72nd Bomb Squandron; What occurred in the past with B-52 training.

Reports on Israeli armament manufacturer Raphael's delivery of lower cost version of the AGM-142 Have Not standoff missile for United States Air Force B-52 bombers. Version eyed as an alternative to the Tri-Service Standoff Attack Missile (TSSAM); Version dubbed Popeye 2, designed for tactical aircraft; Congressional budget to study the idea of employing a lightweight version of the Have Nap, dubbed the Have Lite.

Several letters to the editor are presented in response to articles in previous issues in 2014 including "Revolutionary Roadmap" in the November issue, "Endless Buff" by Bill Sweetman in the October issue, and one on the landing of European Space Agency's comet lander spacecraft Philae.

The article gives brief information about military aircraft. AgustaWestland company's AW101, AW109, AW129, AW139/149/189 helicopters are mentioned. Boeing's B-52 bomber, C-17 transport aircraft, and CH-47 transport helicopter are noted. Panavia's Tornado air-defense aircraft is mentioned. Sikorsky's S-300C training helicopter is also noted.

The article reports on the decision of the U.S. Air Force to form a fourth B-52 squadron under the Global Strike Command scheme. The squadron will play a key role in helping to restore capability and confidence in the service to do the nuclear mission. According to Lieutenant General Robert Elder, commander of the 8th Air Force and the U.S. Strategic Command's nuclear bomber and reconnaissance Task Force 204, the changes are intended to help reverse the decline in nuclear expertise.

The article reports that U.S. Air Force officials said that the recent tests on fixes to the service's troubled stealthy cruise missile have met their objectives, after a series of problems earlier this 2007. In advance of flight testing, which is slated to start early in 2008, the Air Force has conducted captive-carriage missions of the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (Jassm). Host aircraft include B-52s and B-1s. Sixteen missiles have been deployed.

Several letters to the editor are presented in response to articles in previous issues including articles on the B-52 bomber, F-14 Tomcats, and Joint Stars, F-15E and F-117 aircraft.

The article reports on a statement by U.S. Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne, regarding the airborne electronic attack mission. According to Wynne, the Air Force is continuing to look for options for a portfolio approach to the airborne electronic attack mission. The closest to a sure thing, the B-52 Standoff Jammer, was terminated in 2006 because of major cost growth. But Wynne says the Air Force still needs a jammer capable of traveling with advanced fighters.

The article reports on an Italian air force Boeing KC-767 tanker that used the aircraft's fifth generation, fly-by-wire boom to make a series of contacts with a B-52 bomber. The system is designed to deliver up to 900 gallons of fuel per minute despite simplified construction to reduce costs and improve reliability. Other tests that will be conducted include refueling a variety of aircraft and exercising the entire system.

The article reports that the U.S. Air Combat Command (ACC) has not given up on the idea of fielding a powerful standoff jammer despite the budgetary and mission fights over two previous attempts to turn B-52s into electronic attack platforms. Ronald Keys, chief of the ACC, points out that stealth aircraft such as the F-22 and B-2 are not invisible and if they orbit in a battle zone long enough, they will have trouble staying undetected, particularly by low-frequency surveillance radars.

The article reports on the announcement by the U.S. Air Force that it cannot meet the 2012 deadline for starting an airborne tactical jamming program using the B-52 for long-range electronic attack. Electronic warfare veterans however say new technologies are emerging from the black world that could meet the deadline.

The article reports that the U.S. Air Force's B-52 Core Component Jammer (CCJ) program has failed to be included in Fiscal 2008 budget plans. As a result, the standoff jamming aircraft cannot make the 2012 operational deadline set in a joint Navy/Air Force agreement two years ago. Meanwhile, some Navy officials had criticized Air Force plans for the B-52 CCJ as too limited in its capabilities to support ground operations and as lacking well-defined requirements.

The article focuses on the Airborne Electronic Attack plans of the U.S. Air Force which was discussed during a conclave of the Defense Acquisition Working Group. The Air Force proposed the Common Core Jammer program for installation on a number of B-52s. If the Air Force can not devise an acquisition strategy that fields a tactical jamming aircraft by 2012, the Navy cannot exit the expeditionary mission area and consequently will wear out its jamming aircraft at a higher-than-planned rate, overstretching its shrinking fleet.

The article reports that the U.S. Air Force has once again launched a program to transform the B-52 into a standoff electronic jamming aircraft. The Common Core Jammer project, which has now been briefed to the Air Force chief of staff, J. Michael Moseley, is redlined at $2 billion to keep it safe from requirements creep that drove up costs and doomed the recently canceled B-52 Stand-Off Jammer program.

The article reports the completion of the B-52 Stratofortress flight tests using a blend of synthetic and JP-8 fuels in a two-engine pod. The U.S. Air Force is moving slowly but surely toward the goal of certifying a synthetic kerosene. The outcome of the B-52 flight tests demonstrated that the blend is working, said Jerold C. Smith, chief engineer with the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center. The next step will determine what it will take to fully qualify the blend.

The article reports on the possibility for the U.S. Air Force to use the B-52 bomber for its operations. The Department of Defense and U.S. Air Force officials killed the B-52 Stand-Off Jammer (SOJ) program last December 2005. The Air Force previously committed to provide an SOJ aircraft to fill the capability gap that will occur when the Prowlers are retired around 2012 and the Navy acquires a smaller number of EA-18G Growlers to replace them.

This article reports that U.S. President George W. Bush wants to retire the F-117 stealth fighters, sending most to the boneyard over the next year, rather than by 2011. The fighters, which cost about $45 million each, were a revolution in technology when they were unveiled in 1988 following a classified development program. Their radar-evading technology and ability to drop precision-guided bombs at night were a major asset in the 1991 Persian Gulf war. Bush's plan would retire 10 F-117s in 2007 and the remainder in 2008. The Pentagon is trying to save money by accelerating retirement of several key aircraft; nearly half the B-52 bombers and all U-2 spy planes; while increasing funds for the F-22 fighter.

B-52 operators have used their targeting pod for the first time to drop precision ordnance in combat capping an effort by the organization Air Force Reserve Command to field the Litening-2 targeting system on the veteran bomber. The Litening-2 enhancement enables B-52 crews to identify a target using either television or forward-looking infrared sensor. The target-identification feature allows B-52 operators to receive target coordinate, slew the pod's optics to the location and verify that coordinates match the intended target before dropping bombs. The pod also allows the bomber to provide near-instantaneous battle hit assessment.

Reports that the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration will receive a 1961-vintage Boeing B-52H bomber. Supplement and replacement for B-52B that has been a workhorse at Dryden Flight Research Center since 1959; Maintenance problems posed by 1952-vintage B-52B.

Opinion. Looks at the United States' strategic bomber force. Its future prospects; B-2 procurement to end at 20 aircraft; B-2 Block 20 and 30 modifications; The B-1 as the workhorse bomber; The role of the B-52; The US and Russia having the only strategic bomber forces; Aircraft used by France, and the United Kingdom for bombing missions.

Reports on the efforts of the US Senate and House of Representatives to reconcile the Fiscal 1995 Defense authorization bill. Endorsement of the Armed Services Committee's recommendation to spend for the preservation of B-2 airplane tooling and subcontractor sustenance; Pentagon's opposition; Comparison between costs of B-52 and B-2 airplanes.

Reports on the rollout of a modified B-52H bomber for conventional missions. Weapons delivery capability of the aircraft; Use of universal bomb bay adapter; Plans of the United States Air Force for the aircraft.

Discusses the U.S. Air Force's deployment of B-52G bombers to Saudi Arabia to employ highly accurate AGM-142 Have Nap stand-off weapons against targets in Iraq. Have Nap capability; Conventional strike missions; Inertial guidance.