Home of two major wings of the U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC), the 5th Bomb Wing and 91st Missile Wing, Minot Air Force Base is a strategically important part of the secure handling of components of America’s nuclear weapons. Tucked in Ward County, North Dakota with an underground missile-control facility and missile silos containing nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), Minot AFB is also one of two remaining bases with B-52s. The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber, commonly referred to as the BUFF (Big Ugly Fat F*cker).
The primary mission of the 5th Bomb Wing is to maintain and operate B-52H bombers assigned to its bomb squadrons, the backbone of the Global Strike Command (AFGSC). The B-52 has been in active service with the U.S. Air Force since 1955, which makes its maintenance and upgrades all the more important. In this video, a crew of Technical Sergeants works on the maintenance of a B-52H at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota.
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