The Iran War Proves the B-52 Bomber Isn’t Obsolete Yet
You know things are going well in an air war when the B-52 Stratofortress releases its impressive payload.
This massive bomber is not a Day One or Day Two airplane because it lacks stealth.
The B-52 needs air superiority to fly over targets without risking damage from enemy air defenses.
The enormous strike aircraft has been flying missile-launching missions outside Iranian airspace. Now it is cruising directly over the country, making the enemy pay the price.
A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress aircraft, assigned to the 96th Bomb Squadron from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, flies over spectators at the Dubai Airshow 2025, Nov. 17, 2025, at the Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The B-52 flew from Rota, Spain, to participate in the event, showcasing U.S. airpower on a global stage. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Tylin Rust)
Extreme Payload of Precision-guided Munitions
The Big Ugly Fat Fellow (BUFF) is dropping large numbers of JDAMs.
This munition includes a guidance kit attached to a dumb bomb. JDAMs have a range of about 20 miles but cost only $80,000 each, compared to the $3.5 million price of Tomahawk cruise missiles, depending on the variant.
The BUFF is leveraging previous sorties that suppressed enemy air defenses.
Now, the B-52 can fly confidently on its bombing missions with the air superiority established by the Americans and Israelis.
B-2s and B-1Bs Are Also Bombing to the Stone Age
B-2 Spirits are also dropping munitions over Iran. Like the B-52, they are using bunker-busting bombs to target underground ballistic missile production facilities.
Eight B-52s are flying out of RAF Fairford in England along with 15 B-1B Lancers.
Aircrew piloting a B-1B Lancer prepare to park at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., April 30, 2020. A pair of B-1s flew from the continental United States and conducted operations over the South China Sea as part of a joint U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and U.S. Strategic Command Bomber Task Force mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jette Carr)
Heavy Hitting Air Power
Air and Space Forces reported that the U.S. is “switching towards more and more dynamic targets servicing mobile targets around the battle space,” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force General Dan Caine said March 30. “We’ve continued to do the work against Iran’s missile, drone, and naval production facilities.”
“Given the increase in air superiority, we’ve successfully started to conduct the first overland B-52 missions,” Caine said.
Stealth Escorts Keep an Eye on the BUFFs
B-52s are usually escorted by F-22s and F-35s in overwatch mode.
This has proven to be an effective tactic, as both stealth fighters can carry out strike missions and take out enemy fighters, although the Iranian air force has been severely weakened during Operation Epic Fury.
The B-52 has become a featured asset.
Putting the Furious in ‘Fury’
“What the bombers bring to the equation is that they have larger payloads of weapons and longer duration missions, which gives them the ability to maintain a presence in the weapons engagement zone for longer periods of time to respond to dynamic targets that have just been located, such as mobile missile launchers breaking concealment,” Mark Gunzinger, a former B-52 pilot and Director of Future Concepts and Capability Assessments at AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies told Air and Space Forces.
The B-52 has deployed GBU-31 2,000-pound JDAMs and GBU-72 Advanced 5K Penetrator bombs, along with guided bombs weighing 500, 1,000, 2,000, and 5,000 pounds. The BUFFs have also launched Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles.
It Won’t Be Easy to Eliminate Iran’s Ballistic Missile Program
The Stratofortresses face a tough mission to eliminate Iranian underground ballistic missile launchers and factories. These targets are elusive, and the bunker-busting capability is welcomed in the theater.
U.S. Airmen assigned to the 96th Expeditionary Bomber Generation Squadron salute the crew of a B-52H Stratofortress aircraft as they begin to taxi at Morón Air Base, Spain, Nov. 19, 2025, as part of Bomber Task Force Europe 26-1. The ability of U.S. forces and equipment to operate in conjunction with those of our Allies and partners is critical to bolstering an extended network of capabilities to decisively meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Codie Trimble)
Full air superiority over the entire country is still not guaranteed, as Iran’s mosaic defense—a patchwork of decentralized surface-to-air missiles along with ballistic missiles and drones—has proven difficult to eliminate completely.
The United States Has Suffered
The air war over Iran has resulted in some damaged and destroyed American aircraft due to Iranian efforts. Sixteen MQ-9 Reaper drones have been shot down. There were some close calls. An Air Force F-35 sustained damage from anti-aircraft fire, and an F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet was nearly hit by a MANPADS missile. On Friday, Iranian state-run media reported that an Air Force F-15 was shot down.
But so far, the air war over Iran has been a success. Fighters and bombers are severely damaging the country’s military assets and nuclear infrastructure.
President Donald Trump announced in a primetime address to the nation that the air campaign will continue for another two to three weeks. This indicates that RAF Fairford’s bombers will remain busy.
B-52 bombs. Image Credit: 19FortyFive.com Taken at the National Museum of the Air Force.
What Is China Thinking?
One spectator of Operation Epic Fury will be China. The People’s Republic is expected to analyze the use of American fighters and bombers along with their aerial order of battle.
The Chinese are wondering what types of radars and air defense deployments could stop a concentrated air attack over their country. Does China have enough surface-to-air missiles to thwart a diverse range of U.S. bombers and fighters operating to first weaken air defenses and then to fly stealth and conventional strike airplanes that target Chinese military assets?
The United States Could Use Some More Allies
One surprise about Operation Epic Fury is that the United States has only one ally—Israel—flying missions. NATO has been a disappointment to Trump, and there is no “coalition of the willing” like there was during the First and Second Gulf Wars.
The president has even spoken of withdrawing from the alliance, although a law would prevent him from doing so. Trump remains frustrated that his airplanes cannot fly over some countries that would normally support the United States during warfare.
A U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress strategic bomber assigned to the 69th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron flies within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Nov. 15, 2024. The B-52H provides strategic options and flexibility to U.S. and coalition senior leaders with the aircraft’s ability to employ a wide range of weapons with precision and deliver a decisive response to adversaries who threaten peace and security across the region. (U.S. Air Force photo)
Despite the difficulties, the use of B-52s is a good sign of American aerial supremacy.
They must target those underground ballistic missile sites. That could require many more sorties, and fully eliminating the Iranian missile program remains an important objective. Expect the BUFF to reappear within the next 14 to 21 days. The 70-year-old airframe is not obsolete yet.
About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood
Author of now over 3,500 articles on defense issues, Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: A Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare, plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that used artificial intelligence to predict world events. He served as a legislative fellow for US Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former US Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
