B-52 bomber crash came as Air Force was upgrading legendary workhorse

LOS ANGELES - The U.S. Air Force at Edwards Air Force Base was in the process of tests to upgrade the aging fleet of B-52 bombers with new engines and radar systems when one of the planes crashed Monday, killing eight people, officials said.

The tests, and planned upgrades for the bomber, are just the latest in what has been a long history for the plane that has undergone more than half a dozen transformations and has remained in the U.S. arsenal for more than 70 years.

The B-52 is considered a legendary workhorse, remaining a key part of the military’s fleet for decades thanks to constant improvements to the planes.

It’s still unclear what caused the deadly crash at Edwards Air Force Base just after 11 a.m. local time, sending a huge plume of smoke from the base. In a press conference, Col. James Hayes said the B-52 that crashed was supporting a “radar modernization program.”

Edwards Air Force Base officials confirmed the plane crashed shortly after take-off of a “routine test mission.” They declined to identify the victims until the next of kin had been notified.

The airfield remained closed Tuesday after a night of crews fighting small start-up fires in the area.

Air Force officials announced in May and December that B-52s would be undergoing testing at Edwards Air Force Base as the Department of Defense looked to upgrade the plane’s engines and radar.

Efforts to upgrade and create a new version of the iconic B-52 bomber have been ongoing for decades, making it a constant presence in the country’s armed conflicts from the Vietnam War to the Gulf and Iraq wars.

“Some of these airplanes are literally twice the age of the pilots who fly them,” said Ross Aimer, a retired United Airlines pilot and CEO of Aero Consulting Experts. But, he added, “if you take care of an airplane, you can fly them forever, basically.”

In December, Air Force officials announced a B-52 Stratofortress was ferried from Boeing’s San Antonio facility to Edwards Air Force Base after it was equipped with a new radar system. The aircraft, according to the statement, was set to undergo a series of tests throughout 2026.

The Air Force has not said whether that was the B-52 that crashed.

In May, the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center announced that Boeing was moving to modify two B-52H aircraft in its San Antonio facility. The plan was to replace the planes’ 1960s-era TF33 engines with F130 Rolls-Royce engines - and test them at Edwards Air Force Base.

Pentagon officials referred questions to the U.S. Air Force. U.S. Air Force officials and officials at Edwards Air Force Base did not immediately respond to inquiries on Tuesday.

As of November 2025, the Air Force’s fleet of B-52s was assigned to the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana and the Air Force Reserve Command’s 307th Bomb Wing also at Barksdale, according to the Air Force.

But some of the Air Force’s B-52 fleet was taken to Edwards Air Force Base for testing.

Military officials have not released details of those who were onboard during the crash but, in a statement, Boeing confirmed two of its employees were among the crew.

As it happens, test teams are sometimes accompanied by contractors, so they can ask questions about the technology, said Brian Sinclair, a retired Navy test pilot who graduated from the Air Force’s Test Pilot School and now runs consulting firm 3WIRE Solutions.

“Edwards, for the Air Force, is the heart of developmental testing,” he said.

When Sinclair flew F-18s in Iraq, he said he would often see B-52s flying over him.

“They just have an incredible payload capacity,” Sinclair said. “They can drop large amounts of ordnance and they can also carry said ordnance very far.”

The first B-52, known as the B-52A, first flew in 1954 but, for more than 70 years, the heavy bomber has undergone a series of modifications and improvements.

It has a range of 8,000 miles but because it can refuel in the air, the craft can stay in flight for much longer. According to the U.S. Air Force, it also has a payload capacity of 70,000 pounds.

As of November, a total of 58 B-52Hs are in the military’s active force, with another 18 in reserve, according to the U.S. Air Force.

“Even though the airframe from the original concept is quite old, the Air Force has stayed up with modifications,” said J. F. Joseph, a retired airline pilot and U.S. Marine Corps colonel who oversees Joseph Aviation Consulting.

Aimer said the plane’s longevity is evidence of its importance to the Air Force: “It worked from Day One for the mission that it was designed for and it does a fantastic job,” he said. “It carries so much ordnance, so many bombs that we never could replace it.”

Still, other aviation experts said the continual efforts to modify the B-52 suggest more robust and consistent military funding is needed.

“We’re asking airmen to strap into jets that their grandfathers, fathers and now they are flying, and it is time for a reset,” said Doug Birkey, executive director of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.

Described by the U.S. Air Force as the “backbone of the manned strategic bomber force for the United States,” the B-52 Stratofortress has been a vital aircraft for the country’s armed conflicts.

According to the Air Force, B-52 Stratofortresses delivered 40% of all the weapons dropped by coalition forces during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. It was also used to hit wide-area troop concentrations and bunkers.

Two B-52Hs were also used to hit Baghdad’s power stations and communications facilities in 1996 during Operation Desert Strike, using air-launched cruise missiles. That mission, according to the Air Force, was the longest distance flown for a combat mission at the time, with the planes making a 16,000-mile round trip from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana for the 34-hour flight.

The B-52 was brought back again for Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001, providing close air support as it hovered above the battlefield, according to the U.S. Air Force.

During Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, it launched about 100 miles during a single night mission.

Officials said Monday’s crash took place immediately upon takeoff.

Such low-altitude emergencies are particularly dangerous because planes are typically heavy with fuel and crews have little time to react given how close they are to the ground and how slow they are moving, Aimer said.

“It’s probably the worst time for any major failure to happen, for them to control it,” Aimer said.

The deadly crash marked what aviation experts told The Times was an otherwise robust safety record for the seasoned plane. Before Monday, the most recent incident involving a B-52 occurred in Guam in 2016, after the aircraft overran the runway and crashed. In 2008, another B-52 crashed off the coast of Guam, killing six.

In 1982, a B-52 also crashed outside of Sacramento Mather Air Force Base, killing nine people on board.

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