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Draft:In HARM's Way (B-52)

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In HARM's Way at Andersen Air Force Base with her repair crew and flying crew posed in front of the nose art. Date and Author unknown.
Temporary Tail gunner repairs that were mentioned previously. Most likely at Andersen Air Force Base. Steve Longstreet, date unknown.

In HARM's Way was a B-52 with Tail number 58-0248 that, during Operation Desert Storm, was struck by a AGM-88 HARM from an Allied USAF F-4G Wild Weasel during a nighttime raid after the F-4 mistook 58-0248's AN/ASG-15 tail gun targeting radar system which had a Vulcan 20MM Cannon rigged up to it. For an enemy AAA System, as the batteries used for the ASG-15 are similar to those of Iraqi Anti-aircraft systems. The AGM-88s 146-pound warhead detonated behind the B-52, tearing the tail gunner station off completely but damaging no major components. Along with the tail gunner station coming off the landing chute fell out of the plane, instantly tearing as the impact was during the chute's maximum deployment speed. The B-52 returned to Jeddah Airport safely. From Jeddah it was then ferried to Andersen Air Force base in Guam[1] the back of the gun was replaced with fiberglass and metal walls to patch up the hole.Cocooning the damaged area. The crew of the 58-0248 then proceeded to sign their names on the sides of the fiberglass and metal walls. 58-0248 was eventually scrapped and placed in a plane graveyard 2 years after the accident in 1994. Due to this incident concerning 58-0248 all tail gunners on B-52's were ordered to cease operation per concerns of more friendly fire incidents, resulting in the tail gunner being permanently phased out of all modern jet age aircraft being produced by the United States at the time.[2][3]

A young crewmember or serviceman posed in front of the tail number for In HARM's Way, Presumably after she arrived at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam. Steve Longstreet, date unknown.

References

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  1. ^ Rogoway, Tyler (2017-05-16). "That Time A F-4G Wild Weasel's Anti-Radiation Missile Blew Apart A B-52's Tail". The War Zone. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  2. ^ world, Fighter jets (2019-05-25). "That Time an Air Force F-4G Wild Weasel Blew Apart A B-52 Bomber Tail In A Friendly Fire Incident". Fighter Jets World. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  3. ^ Leone, Dario (2020-03-31). "B-52 Maintainer tells the story of 'In HARM's Way', the BUFF that had its tail Blown Apart by an Anti-Radiation Missile fired by an F-4G Wild Weasel". The Aviation Geek Club. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
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