adamcoe t1_jad4tgq wrote on February 28, 2023 at 4:08 PM

Reply to comment by TwoFrontHitters in TIL the last B-52 Bomber produced for the US left the factory 10/26/1962 - the same day as the climax of the Cuban Missile Crisis - they're still used 60 yrs later. by GoGaslightYerself

A testimony to the military industrial complex and an essentially unlimited amount of money.

But sure, western maintenance, whatever gives you an old fashioned, red blooded American chubby

thewayoflurkings t1_jadt4dz wrote on February 28, 2023 at 6:42 PM

Maintenance costs money for parts, inspections, and workers to perform it.

Anthologeas t1_jae4el1 wrote on February 28, 2023 at 7:53 PM

While I agree that the MIC and the US defense budget in general is a financial hole that siphons money away from much-needed social programs, I think your position is misinformed. The institutional discipline at all levels of the DoD which would have been essential to maintaining these platforms over such an extended period of time is extremely rare. Look at the state of the Russian, Iranian, or Canadian militaries. Regardless of the money piped into them, each of these militaries have squandered their resources and even accept deficit equipment on the date of procurement.

Adding the endless budget to the mix just makes this feat more impressive as, unlike many of the aforementioned militaries, it would have been comparatively easy for the DoD to write the B-52 fleet off as obsolete decades ago in order to invigorate a new procurement cycle.

adamcoe t1_jadxv58 wrote on February 28, 2023 at 7:12 PM

Rain your downvotes on me by all means, you know I'm right and every one is confirmation of it. Honestly it'd be a little sad if the world's most grotesquely funded military wasn't maintaining their stuff well, wouldn't it?