American B-52 “Stratofortresses” have now been confirmed to be operating in Iran as part of “Operation Epic Fury.” A major escalation in the war, this signals that the US has sufficient air superiority to commit these assets without fear of loss.
It also suggests that the US believes Iran’s air defenses are sufficiently degraded to allow these large bombers to operate freely. First flown in 1955, the B-52 is one of the US’s longest-serving aircraft.
Effectively enormous flying bomb “trucks,” B-52s are generally used to support massive offensives and can level infrastructure at scale. Historically, they were used extensively in conflicts such as the Gulf War, the War in Afghanistan, and the Iraq War.
B-52s can also be used to provide close air support for ground troops by acting as enormous loitering munition silos able to drop precision bombs where needed. They are also an effective psychological warfare device given their size and power.
B-52s over Iran
But they are generally considered vulnerable to modern air defenses and fighters, especially since they are huge and non-stealthy. If Iran’s defenses were still functional, the bombers would be very vulnerable to attack.
The presence of these bombers over Iran also likely means the conflict has entered a new phase. Typically speaking, modern wars tend to consist of various distinct phases, the first of which tends to be to blind the enemy.
This phase tends to see things like stealth fighters, electronic warfare (EW) assets (like the EA-18G “Growler”), cyber attacks, and cruise missile attacks deployed to knock out things like radar, command centers, and surface-to-air missile systems.
The second phase typically involves the use of aircraft to acquire air superiority. This phase will see non-stealth fighters and drones deployed to intercept enemy aircraft and pick off remaining defensive systems where required.
The third phase, which is likely the one we are now seeing, sees assets like the B-52 deployed to provide large-scale strikes to further degrade enemy assets. This tends to see sustained bombing campaigns and is typically the point where wars escalate.
And the B-52H (its most modern variant) is a highly capable bomber indeed. Able to strike multiple targets at once, each bomber is capable of carrying 70,000 pounds (31,751 kg) of ordinance in a single sortie.
A message to Tehran
This can include “dumb bombs” like the Mk-82 and Mk-84, as well as precision-guided munitions like the GBU-31 and GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAMs).
They can stay airborne for many hours and are also capable of firing long-range cruise missiles where needed. This makes them more efficient for bombing campaigns than using groups of fighters carrying smaller payloads.
As for the B-52’s likely targets in Iran, experts have suggested they’ll likely be used to knock out missile production sites and underground bunkers. They may also be used to saturate and destroy remaining airfields, command centers, and logistic hubs.
But the presence of these vulnerable bombers also sends a psychological message to the enemy that the US feels confident enough to use them. It signals to Tehran that the US can now “hit anywhere, anytime.”