The U.S. Air Force recently said that in order to improve the probability of victory in a large-scale war with China in the western Pacific in the future, it plans to improve the wing Pailongs of all B-52H bombers so that they can be equipped with more hypersonic missiles.
As the U.S. Air Force continues to develop hypersonic ramjet missiles, the U.S. Air Force has recently formed a development team with Raytheon and Lothrop Grumman to develop an improved version of the Wing Parade for Air Force Global Stike Command's (AFGSC) B-52H strategic bomber fleet.
The U.S. Air Force pointed out that due to the new missile under development, the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile, the range will exceed 1,000 kilometers, and the range of such a long polar sonic ** is relatively heavy, and if it were to be mounted by the B-52H, the existing SUU-67 A Pyron would not be able to carry the ideal bomb load.
Currently, the B-52H uses the SUU-67 A Pailong, which can carry six AGM-86 air-launched cruise missiles capable of nuclear and conventional warheads, and eight more are mounted in the nacelle-mounted rotary launchers.
Although the U.S. Air Force has not released any information about the HACM's specifications, it is bound to be heavier than the AGM-86, so in order for the B-52H to carry enough HACM, the weight of the Pyron must be increased.
After the AGM-183A gliding missile program was shelved, the U.S. Air Force is currently betting resources on HACM, and the B-52H fleet will be the main launch platform for HACM, so strengthening the payload capacity of the Payron is just as important as developing the missile itself.
The U.S. Air Force also said that in order to improve the chances of victory in the event of a future war with China in the western Pacific, the more HACM the B-52H can launch will be one of the key points that will determine the outcome of the war.
Header image**: us. air force photo by tech. sgt. robert j. horstman, public domain, via wikimedia commons）