Patrolling the skies for 50 years in the world's most long-lived bomber: Air Force captain pilots a B-52 - just like his father and GRANDFATHER

For Air Force Captain David 'Swoop' Welsh, flying the legendary B-52 bomber is a family tradition.

The 28-year-old pilot is the third generation to fly the half-century-old aircraft; his father, retired Lt. Col. Don Welch, was trained to drop nuclear bombs from the B-52 during the Cold War, and his grandfather, retired Col. Don Sprague, flew B-52 combat missions in Vietnam.



And a new contract worth up to $11.9 billion is set to upgrade the loyal bomber into the 21st century, meaning a few more generations of Welsh pilots could sit in the cockpit yet.

Three generations: Air Force Capt. David Welsh, 28, pictured center, is the third generation to fly the B-52 bomber. His father, retired Lt. Col. Don Welch, right, was trained to drop nuclear bombs with the plane during the Cold War, and his grandfather, retired Col. Don Sprague, left, flew B-52 combat missions in Vietnam

'It is definitely a testament to the robust design of the B-52,' Welch told The Los Angeles Times . 'Getting to fly the same aircraft as my father and grandfather has been pretty cool.'

Lawmakers argued in 1977 that the B-52 should be replaced by a model called the B-1 because the aircraft was 'older than the pilots flying it.' But while those pilots have retired, the aircraft is still going strong.

The B-52 began production in 1952 and stopped in 1962 and has defied the actuarial tables. The Air Force expects the latest improvements to keep the plane in the air until around 2040.



In the 1980s: Lieutenant Welch's father, retired Lt. Col. Don Welch, bottom right, poses with the crew of his B-52D in 1985

Vietnam bomber: David Welch's grandfather, retired Col. Don Sprague, pictured center in 1962, poses in front of a B-47 just before he started flying the B-52

DEATH FROM ABOVE: B52 STRATOFORTRESS FACTS Primary Function: Strategic heavy bomber

Contractor: Boeing Military Airplane Co.

Power plant and manufacturer: Eight Pratt & Whitney engines

Speed: 650 mph maximum

Dimensions: Wingspan 185ft; length B-52G, 160ft 11in, B-52 H, 159ft 4in, height 40ft 8in

Range: Unrefueled - G-model, 7,500 miles; H-model, 8,800 miles

Armament:

Bombs: Approximately 70,000 lbs of mixed ordnance - short-range attack missiles, bombs and mines (some modified to carry air-launched cruise missiles and some modified to carry anti-ship missiles)

Guns: G-model has four .50 caliber machine guns in tail turret; H-model has 20mm Gatling gun Crew: Two pilots, navigator, radar navigator and electronic warfare officer

Popular Culture: The B-52 featured in Stanley Kubrick's 1964 film Dr. Strangelove, which follows the crew aboard a B-52 bomber as they attempt to complete their mission of dropping a nuclear bomb on the Soviet Union while the President of the United States and Britain's Royal Air Force try to stop them



Granted, Welsh's bomber isn't exactly the same as when his grandfather was fighting with his comrades over the jungles of Vietnam.

While there are 'dials in the B-52 cockpit that have not been connected to anything for years,' the plane has been upgraded with new engines and electronics over the years to ensure it continues to perform.

However, the current computers are only as advanced as the original PCs from the early 1980s.

According to the Times, bombing information has to be uploaded before a mission and cannot be changed once the aircraft is in the sky.



The upcoming overhaul will see it get 'modern digital display screens, computer network servers and real-time communication uplinks.'



Pilots will soon be able to send and receive information via satellite links, allowing them to change mission plans, re-target weapons and converse with ground forces.



The B-52 was originally designed to deliver nuclear bombs onto targets in the Soviet Union.



It was then used to 'carpet-bomb' communist positions in Vietnam, carrying up to 81 500-lb. bombs.



The aircraft was supposed to soar above anti-aircraft fire, but when the Soviets developed missiles that could reach high altitudes, the B-52 was adapted for low-altitude penetrating missions.

When the enemy's technology advanced to foil those missions, the plane became a platform for nuclear-tipped cruise missiles.



It ran crucial missions in Kosovo and the Middle East, and if the US decides to launch an attack on Syria, the B-52 may well be the aircraft for the job, albeit using GPS-guided smart bombs and bunker-busting munitions.



Vietnam: This 03 Apr 1967 picture shows an Air Force B-52 Stratofortress unloading tons of bombs on enemy stongholds in South Vietnam

Still going strong: The same bombers, albeit with numerous upgrades, are flying today in an effort to defend the US

The main reason the Pentagon keeps relying on the decades-old bomber is its relatively low cost.



According to Reason.com , the high price tags on the B-1 and the B-2 Stealth bomber mean the Air Force can't buy as many of them and is more reluctant to put them in harm's way.



The hulking plane -nicknamed B.U.F., Big, Ugly and Fat, is also perfectly adequate for most real-world contingencies.

