Minot Air Force Base is the height of nuclear deterrence, made possible through the hard work of thousands of personnel that maintain the 5th Bomb Wing’s B-52 Stratofortress planes and the 91st Missile Wing’s Minuteman III missiles. At the end of 2023, MACEDC President | CEO Brekka Kramer got a glimpse of the day-to-day life of the B-52 operator’s position necessary to provide global support by flying along with Minot AFB’s airmen during a training exercise.

Being a passenger in one of the world’s most powerful aircrafts requires specific training and preparation. Medical clearance is necessary, along with proper education on the equipment required to fly that includes a flight suit and masks. Parachute training is also important, and all passengers are trained with a special VR module that instructs on ejections from both the top and bottom of the plane, due to the pilot seats location in the top and weapons operators location at the bottom of the aircraft.

The flight began with a takeoff from Minot AFB with a team of 5 that includes an aircraft commander, pilot, radar navigator, navigator, and electronic warfare officer. The B-52 can weigh up to half a million pounds and can carry up to 60,000 pounds of bombs which includes gravity bombs, cluster bombs, precision guided missiles and joint direct attack munitions. Throughout the flight, the crew participated in a refueling exercise mid-air. During air-to-air refueling, masks and parachutes are required as refueling, along with takeoff and landing, is considered a critical flight phase. The B-52 takes on 7,000 pounds of fuel per minute, and due to mid-air refueling, the only thing that limits the plane is aircrew endurance, as it has an unrefueled combat range of over 8,800 miles. The crew trains to stay in the air as long as possible, thus the B-52 can be in the air for over 72 hours at a time.

After almost 7 hours in flight, the crew returned from a successful training mission. We’re grateful for such an amazing partnership with Minot AFB that allowed for this unique experience and are incredibly appreciative of the military personnel that take flight every single day. To learn more about the B-52 Stratofortress, check out the Air Force’s fact sheet here.