As a SAC Vet, it warms my heart to see the B-52 still on missions!

Yes, it do.

The BUFF doesn't owe us a nickel.

This bird has earned its keep and paid us back many fold.

That is remarkable that B52’s are still out there laying waste. 38 hour mission is cool to hear, I had no idea they could fly that kind of mission. Kind of crazy to think, take off here, fly a very long time to get to the Middle East, drop your ordinance and return home. Very cool.

Having done typical 1/3 time (8-12 hr) missions, I cannot imagine doing 2/3 more as a routine.

Would be absolutely brutal.

I operate on 4 hour sleep and 20 hour wake cycles, all my life, and the idea of that stretch is nuts.

(Longest I have logged awake in a mission with no break was 33.5 and 37 hours on 2 occasions, years apart.
Pressing the edge of "reality" and the "beyond". Not a place I ever want to be again. It took a few weeks for my head to get straight again.)

Those guys have my utmost respect.

https://www.newsmax.com/world/...dkt_nbr=010102dvykfp

US, Israel Weigh Sending Special Forces to Seize Iran's Nuclear Stockpile, Axios Reports

The United States and Israel have discussed sending special forces into Iran to secure its stockpile of highly enriched uranium at a later stage of the war, Axios reported on Saturday, citing four sources with knowledge of the discussions.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report.

Israeli forces expanded their bombardment of Iran overnight, striking fuel depots near Tehran, while Bahrain said an Iranian attack had damaged one of its desalination plants, signaling a widening assault on vital infrastructure across the region.
As the fighting escalated on day nine of the U.S.-Israeli assault on Iran, Tehran moved closer to naming a new supreme leader after the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with every indication suggesting his powerful son could take charge.

Israel's military threatened to kill any replacement for Khamenei, while U.S. President Donald Trump said the war might only end once Iran's military and rulers had been wiped out.

BLACK SMOKE HANGS OVER TEHRAN

Video from Tehran showed thick, choking black smoke hanging over the city early on Sunday after strikes on oil storage facilities had lit up the night sky with plumes of orange flame.

An Israeli source said the fuel was used to manufacture and develop weapons and to operate military bases. Iran's oil distribution company said four of its employees were killed in the blitz, adding that rationing would be introduced temporarily in some areas "to ensure fair and sustainable supplies."

Shortly after the attack, which appeared to mark a new phase in the war, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government would press on with the assault and strike Iran's rulers "without mercy."

"We have an organized plan with many surprises to destabilize the regime and enable change," he said in a video statement. "We have many more targets."

Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he was not interested in negotiating an end to the conflict that has sent energy prices skyward, hurt business and snarled global travel.

"At some point, I don't think there will be anybody left maybe to say, 'We surrender'," Trump said.

IRANIAN DRONES STRIKE GULF STATES

The governments of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain reported Iranian drone attacks in their countries on Saturday and early Sunday, with a huge fire engulfing a government office block in Kuwait.

Kuwait's interior ministry said two of its officers were killed "while performing duties."

Bahrain said on Sunday that an Iranian drone attack had caused "material damage" to a desalination plant, though the country's electricity and water authority said the strike had not disrupted water supplies.

It was the first time an Arab country has said Iran targeted a desalination facility during the conflict. On Saturday, Iran said a U.S. attack had struck a freshwater desalination plant on its Qeshm Island, disrupting water supplies in 30 villages, calling it "a dangerous move with grave consequences."

Saudi Arabia has told Tehran that continued Iranian attacks on the kingdom and its energy sector could push Riyadh to respond in kind, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

In an apparent attempt to cool anger across the Gulf, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian apologized to neighboring states for its attacks on U.S. bases in those countries on Saturday.

His comments faced backlash from some hardliners in Iran, prompting his office to reiterate Iran's military would respond firmly to attacks from U.S. facilities.

IRAN GETTING CLOSER TO NAMING A NEW LEADER

The clerical body charged with choosing Iran's next supreme leader could meet as soon as Sunday to name a successor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an attack early in the conflict, Iranian media reported.

A majority consensus over the successor has more or less been reached, said Assembly of Experts member Ayatollah Mohammadmehdi Mirbaqeri, according to the Mehr news agency.

Another member of the council, Ayatollah Mohsen Heidari Alekasir, said in a video that a candidate had been selected based on Khamenei's guidance that Iran's top leader should be "hated by the enemy."

Two Iranian sources told Reuters last week that the clear favorite was Khamenei's son, Mojtaba Khamenei, who amassed power under his father as a senior figure in the security forces and the vast business empire they control. Choosing him would send a signal that hardliners were still firmly in charge.

Trump has justified the biggest U.S. military operation in the Middle East since the 2003 invasion of Iraq by saying Tehran posed an imminent threat to the United States, without providing evidence. He has also said Iran was too close to being able to build a nuclear weapon.

The U.S. and Israel have discussed sending special forces into Iran to secure its stockpile of highly enriched uranium at a later stage of the war, Axios reported, citing four people with knowledge of the discussions.

Asked about the possibility of sending ground troops to secure nuclear sites on Saturday, Trump said it was something they could do "later on."

The U.S.-Israeli attacks have killed at least 1,332 Iranian civilians and wounded thousands, according to Iran's U.N. ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani.

Iranian attacks have killed 10 people in Israel. At least six U.S. service members have been killed, with Iran saying on Sunday it had struck U.S. bases in Kuwait.

Lebanon has also been pulled into the conflict after the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah fired rockets and drones into Israel last week.

At least four people were killed when Israel hit a hotel building in central Beirut early on Sunday, with Israel saying it had targeted Iranian commanders operating in the Lebanese capital. It was the first such strike in the heart of Beirut, prompting fears Israel would expand its attacks to areas beyond where Hezbollah traditionally operates.

How many mid-air refuelings on a 38 hour mission?

quote:

Originally posted by sigmonkey:
Having done typical 1/3 time (8-12 hr) missions, I cannot imagine doing 2/3 more as a routine.

Would be absolutely brutal.

I operate on 4 hour sleep and 20 hour wake cycles, all my life, and the idea of that stretch is nuts.

(Longest I have logged awake in a mission with no break was 33.5 and 37 hours on 2 occasions, years apart.
Pressing the edge of "reality" and the "beyond". Not a place I ever want to be again. It took a few weeks for my head to get straight again.)

Those guys have my utmost respect.

I did a 350 mile canoe race in 62 hours with about 3 hours of sleep total. Took a week after to feel normal. I did a 24 hour solo drive with 15 minutes of sleep since then, with the mantra: "At least I'm not paddling"

If the (relatively) good guys retake the Irranion gubbmint, are We The People
gonna finance.rebuilding their infrastructure?

https://sigforum.com/eve/forum...0601935/m/7020038915

quote:

Originally posted by pbslinger:

quote:

Originally posted by sigmonkey:
Having done typical 1/3 time (8-12 hr) missions, I cannot imagine doing 2/3 more as a routine.

Would be absolutely brutal.

I operate on 4 hour sleep and 20 hour wake cycles, all my life, and the idea of that stretch is nuts.

(Longest I have logged awake in a mission with no break was 33.5 and 37 hours on 2 occasions, years apart.
Pressing the edge of "reality" and the "beyond". Not a place I ever want to be again. It took a few weeks for my head to get straight again.)

Those guys have my utmost respect.

I did a 350 mile canoe race in 62 hours with about 3 hours of sleep total. Took a week after to feel normal. I did a 24 hour solo drive with 15 minutes of sleep since then, with the mantra: "At least I'm not paddling"

In my early 20’s I drove 22 hours with 30 minutes of sleep. I could not do that now that I am much older. Even the tip of the spear military guys will tell you that they get to a point where they can no longer do things they could when younger. Youth has a lot of advantages.

quote:

Originally posted by sigmonkey:
Yes, it do.

The BUFF doesn't owe us a nickel.

This bird has earned its keep and paid us back many fold.

As I understand it, there are plans in place for modernization programs that will keep the 52 in active inventory until the design is near 100 years old.

quote:

Originally posted by sigmonkey:
Longest I have logged awake in a mission with no break was 33.5 and 37 hours on 2 occasions, years apart.
Pressing the edge of "reality" and the "beyond". Not a place I ever want to be again. It took a few weeks for my head to get straight again.
Those guys have my utmost respect.

I wonder if it is possible on one of these long missions for one of the pilots to get a little sleep while the other is in control... and then the other?

ETA:

The amazing stealth flying wing only requires one pilot at a time to function during cruise profile flying because of the advanced computer. During their extraordinarily lengthy marathon missions, the crew divided up the work and took turns sleeping to manage their mission and keep each other as sharp as possible.

https://simpleflying.com/how-c...harp%20as%20possible.

Dark haze over Tehran as US-Israeli forces bomb oil storage facilities
Warplanes hit five oil facilities in overnight strikes in and around the Iranian capital, killing four people.

By Anadolu, AP, EPA and Reuters
Published On 8 Mar 2026
8 Mar 2026


Huge fireballs and thick plumes of smoke rose over Tehran after joint United States-Israeli air strikes hit fuel depots in the Iranian capital.

Iran’s oil distribution company said four of its employees were killed in the blitz, as a dark haze hung over the city on Sunday and the smell of burning oil lingered in the air.

Saturday’s strikes triggered large fires after hitting four oil storage facilities and an oil transfer and production centre in Tehran and neighbouring Alborz province, the Fars news agency reported. Iranian state media described the incident as an “attack from the US and the Zionist regime”.

The facilities targeted were the Aghdasieh oil warehouse in northeast Tehran, the Tehran refinery in the south, the Shahran oil depot in the west, and an oil depot in the city of Karaj. Witnesses said oil from the Shahran depot had leaked into nearby streets.

Israel said it had struck “a number of fuel storage facilities in Tehran” that were used “to operate military infrastructure”.

Shortly after the attacks, which appeared to mark a new phase in the war, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government would press on with the assault and strike Iran’s rulers “without mercy”.

“We have an organised plan with many surprises to destabilise the regime and enable change,” he said in a video statement. “We have many more targets.”

Joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran have continued for a ninth day, killing more than 1,300 people in Iran and about 300 in Lebanon, according to officials. About a dozen people have been killed in Israel.

https://www.aljazeera.com/gall...l-storage-facilities

The current number of B-52s in service (about 75), will be about 90 years old in 2050, but it is still amazing to me that they have served this long.

Certainly the aircrews get some sleep on these hauls.

2-4 IFR transfers with that amount of time in the air.
Almost 9,000 miles on a full load of fuel and it can take off with full load of fuel and ordinance.

Absolutely savage and spot on. Last month, these "journalists" thought they were experts on ICE, immigration, and Venezuela and this month they think they're experts on international oil logistics, military strategy, diplomacy, and middle east politics.

https://x.com/US_OGA/status/2030378966939324452?s=20

quote:

https://www.newsmax.com/world/...dkt_nbr=010102dvykfp

US, Israel Weigh Sending Special Forces to Seize Iran's Nuclear Stockpile, Axios Reports

The United States and Israel have discussed sending special forces into Iran to secure its stockpile of highly enriched uranium at a later stage of the war, Axios reported on Saturday, citing four sources with knowledge of the discussions.

6guns, this is in no way directed at you!
Just the article.

Here’s my problem with the media-

SHUT THE FUCK UP!
Seriously, for the love of all that is good:
SHUT
THE
FUCK
UP

People don’t need to know any of this. No one needed to know who took out Ben Laden, no one needed to know who snatched up Maduro, no one needed to know who rescued Capt Phillips. People damn sure don’t need to know about details, methods or equipment.

“America, earlier today, we / our US Forces accomplished ‘X’”
And that’s it.

Now, the world is expecting some SF unit.
More importantly, Mamood, the dude working as the security guard on the night shift at the Nuke Plant might be expecting some action in the near future.

Kinda ruins the element of surprise.

Fuck the media
[rant off]

Fucked up his apostrophe and everything.

https://x.com/Hinduism_sci/status/2030712427290190114

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
Fucked up his apostrophe and everything.

https://x.com/Hinduism_sci/status/2030712427290190114

Listening to the talking in the background of the video, I think they were saying the lyrics to “another one bites the dust”. I may be wrong because my Farsi is a little rusty.

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:

I wonder if it is possible on one of these long missions for one of the pilots to get a little sleep while the other is in control... and then the other?

Napping on long haul flights is a well documented benefit. Also if fatigue sets in during a long day and/or circadian disruption it can truly improve safety. Not permitted by the FAA for a pilot at the controls! Long airline flights will have one or even two relief pilots, so that a pilot can leave the cockpit and take a nap.

In my freight days, way back last century, there were some hellaciously long duty days (24+ hours) that were legal by the regs. I never napped in the cockpit but I saw others doing it. As long as everything is going according to plan, in cruise flight one pilot can easily manage the flight. The big risk is that the pilot who is supposed to be awake falls asleep, too.