On May 13, 2019, for the second time in U.S. Air Force history, the service has brought a B-52H Stratofortress bomber out of storage Boneyard and delivered it to an operational unit
The 307th Bomb Wing (BW) brought a previously decommissioned B-52 Stratofortress to Barksdale Air Force Base (AFB), Louisiana.
Col. Robert Burgess, 307th BW Operations Group commander, led the three-man crew bringing the B-52 back from 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) at Davis-Mothan AFB, Arizona — also known as the ‘boneyard.’
The aircraft, with the serial number 60-0034 and nicknamed Wise Guy has been at AMARG since 2008.
AMARG began “Wise Guy” Regeneration Process in April after the bomber has been parked in the long-term storage in Arizona.
Related Article: See How a B-52 Bomber Pilot destroys A Cocky F-16 Fighter Pilot during a booring flight
U.S. Air Force Colonel Robert Burgess, the commander of the 307th Bomb Wing’s 307th Operations Group, flew Wise Guy, with the help of two additional members of the unit, from Arizona to Lousiana on May 14, 2019.
The plane arrived still wearing the “MT” tail code of aircraft assigned to Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, which it was wearing when the 5th Bomb Wing first sent it to the Bone Yard in 2008.
The bomber is also in desperate need of a new coat of paint and the plane is scheduled to go to the depot at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma for a full overhaul in February 2020, though this timeline could be subject to change.
“Wise Guy” was first delivered in the fiscal year 1960 and served with the 5th Bomb Wing out of Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota before the powerful bomber was sent to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, which handles the “boneyard” at Davis-Mothan Air Force Base in Arizona, in 2008.
Related Article: How B-52 TAIL GUNNERS Managed To Shoot Down two MiG-21 Fighter jets during the Vietnam War
When it was retired, someone left a note on an internal panel hinting that “Wise Guy” might one day return to service. The message read: “AMARG, this is 60-034, a Cold Warrior that stood sentinel over America from the darkest days of the Cold War to the global fight against terror. Take good care of her… until we need her again.”
“Wise Guy” is the second B-52 to ever return from the “boneyard.” The other, a bomber nicknamed “Ghost Rider,” was brought back and delivered to the 307th Bomb Wing in 2015.
