USAF planning to fly fleet of 90 year old bombers

[midnight rambler]

B-52 production ended in 1962, so the latest B-52 bombers are at least 60 years old next year. The USAF plans to continue flying B-52 bombers for at least another 30 years so they intend to be flying 90 y.o. aircraft in the future. A few years ago the USAF announced they would be keeping the B-52 bombers in service until the mid 2040s, it appears they've added another ten years to their plans. Conceivably future B-52 crew members may be flying the same aircraft their great, great, great, great grandfathers flew.

https://www.newsweek.com/cold-war-bomber-b-52-gets-new-lease-life-amid-us-tensions-china-russia-1659367

[brosil]

Aircraft, with proper care, can fly a very long time. There are planes from the 1920s that still make regular flights. Normally, they aren't operational warplanes. This should tell you that the U.S.A. can't afford to replace them. The cost of maintenance will exceed the cost of replacement over time.

[osoab]

A gimme to Boeing.