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.
Anthologeas t1_jae4el1 wrote
Reply to comment by adamcoe 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
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.