đź’ŁOperational Costs
• Hourly Flight Cost: The B-52H has an operational cost of about $88,000 per hour of flight time  .
• Extended Missions: Missions over the Middle East, often lasting multiple hours and involving refueling, can lead to total operational costs between $500,000 and $1 million per extended sortie, excluding munitions.
đź’ŁMaximum Payload Cost (70,000 Pounds of Ordnance)
The B-52 can carry a mix of up to 70,000 pounds (31,500 kg) of weapons, which may include a blend of gravity bombs, precision-guided munitions, and cruise missiles:
1. Gravity Bombs: Typical unguided bombs like the Mk 82 (500 pounds) or Mk 84 (2,000 pounds) cost between $2,000 and $3,000 each. A standard configuration might include around 30,000 pounds of gravity bombs, costing around $200,000 - $300,000.
2. Precision-Guided Bombs: For precision, JDAMs (Joint Direct Attack Munitions) cost around $25,000 each. A mix might include 20 JDAMs, bringing the cost to approximately $500,000 for these alone.
3. Cruise Missiles: B-52s can also carry AGM-86 Air-Launched Cruise Missiles (ALCMs) or AGM-158 JASSMs (Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles), which range from $1 million to $1.4 million per missile. Even deploying a minimal load of 6-10 cruise missiles could add $6-14 million to the cost of a single sortie.
đź’ŁTotal Fully Loaded Mission Cost
Combining hourly operational costs with a maximum weapon load, a fully loaded B-52 mission can cost between $6 million and $15 million per mission, depending on the specific mix of munitions. This includes:
• Flight operational costs,
• Refueling and maintenance,
• Munitions, ranging widely with the type and number of missiles included.
Ps: The B-52 was created in 1950s and is going through an extensive modernization—costing over $10 billion—aimed at extending its capabilities and operational lifespan into the 2060s. Again, all paid in advance by the US taxpayers.
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