A potential killer under our control - automobile safety

Combat Edge, Dec, 2001 by Dudley C. Riner

The last thing my mother said to me was, "I love hearing the sound of your voice." Now, because of a killer force that we have the ability to control, I will never hear her sweet voice again. Please drive safely.

RELATED ARTICLE: B-52

For more than 40 years Air Combat Command's B-52 Stratofortresses have been the backbone of the manned strategic bomber force for the United States. The B-52 is capable of dropping or launching the widest array of weapons in the U.S. inventory. It can carry gravity bombs, cluster bombs, precision guided missiles, and joint direct attack munitions with worldwide precision navigation capability.

Primary Function: Heavy bomber * Contractor: Boeing Military Airplane Co. * Power Plant: Eight Pratt & Whitney engines TF33-P-3/103 turbofan * Thrust: Each engine up to 17,000 pounds * Length: 159 feet, 4 inches * Height: 40 feet, 8 inches * Wingspan: 185 feet * Speed: 650 miles per hour Ceiling: 50,000 feet * Maximum Takeoff Weight: 488,000 pounds * Range: Unrefueled 8,800 miles * Armament: Approximately 70,000 pounds (mixed ordnance -- bombs, mines, and missiles. (Modified to carry air-launched cruise missiles, Harpoon anti-ship, and Have Nap missiles.) * Crew: Five (aircraft commander pilot, radar navigator, navigator, and electronic warfare officer) * Accommodations: Six ejection seats * Unit Cost: $74 million * Date Deployed: February 1955 * Inventory: Active force, 85; Reserve, 9