A retired B-52H pulled from the boneyard will return to the active fleet this year after its first depot maintenance in more than a decade. “Ghost Rider,” tail number 61-007, was in storage at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., for more than seven years before being tapped for resurrection, according to an Air Force Materiel Command release. The aircraft is replacing an operational Stratofortress that was severely damaged by a cockpit fire in 2014, and will be the first B-52H regenerated back into the fleet. The aircraft last went through depot maintenance at Tinker AFB, Okla., in 2004. “This is more than just a regular PDM,” said Janis Wood, deputy director for the 76th Aircraft Maintenance Group at Tinker, in the release. “After seven years in storage, there are many modifications and inspections that must be done to ensure a safe and reliable aircraft.” The rehab is scheduled to finish in December, and the bomber will re-enter the inventory at Minot AFB, N.D., shortly thereafter.
It is critical that the Air Force move forward on the replacement for its E-4B “Doomsday” aircraft to keep the capability “viable” into the next decade and beyond, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. told lawmakers May 8.