The importance of the B-52’s hypersonic warfare capabilities cannot be overstated in the current geopolitical moment.
Though Texas isn’t the biggest state in the United States of America in terms of geographic area—it’s second overall to Alaska in that regard—the Lone Star State is still big enough to inspire slogans such as “Everything is bigger in Texas” and “Don’t mess with Texas.”
If there’s a U.S. military aviation equivalent to Texas, it would have to be the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. Though not the biggest American bomber ever built—that distinction went to the Convair B-36 Peacemaker—she’s still big enough to have earned the affectionate nickname of “BUFF” (“Big Ugly Fat Fellow,” if you’re in polite company). Moreover, as I have asserted on multiple occasions, “Nothing says ‘Don’t Mess With The US of A’ quite like a B-52 carpet-bombing raid does.”
So then, one would think that the Lone Star State and the B-52 would be a natural pairing. However, to my knowledge, B-52s have never been permanently stationed at any Air Force bases in Texas (though Dyess Air Force Base (AFB), roughly seven miles southwest of Abilene, is host to another strategic U.S. bomber, the B-1 Lancer).
So naturally it was a bit of an attention-getter when a B-52 was recently spotted in the skies over Texas—and apparently toting hypersonic missiles to boot.
The B-52 Stratofortress
The story comes to us courtesy of Stefano D’Urso of The Aviationist, in an article republished on MSN on or about March 11, 2025, titled “B-52 Spotted Over Texas Apparently Carrying Hypersonic Missile During Test.“ To wit:
“A U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress bomber was spotted flying over Amarillo, Texas, on Mar. 5, 2025, while carrying two loads under its wings, with one apparently being the hypersonic AGM-183 Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW). Notably, the B-52 is the airframe 61-0028 which has recently received an amazing retro orange color scheme … As the aircraft was flying at an altitude of 27,000 ft when it passed over Amarillo, the photos are not clear enough to confirm with 100% accuracy the presence of the AGM-183 ARRW under the B-52’s right wing. However, the size and the shape of the object in the photo match the ones of the hypersonic weapon.”
That funky orange B-52 belongs to the 53rd Wing’s 49th Test and Evaluation Squadron at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, which is one of two active B-52 bases along with Minot AFB, North Dakota (which, on a personal side note, is where I spent the enlisted portion of my career as a U.S. Air Force Security Forces troop). Barksdale AFB is 565 miles from Amarillo as the crow flies.
The Importance of the B-52
Though, as already noted, the presence of the ARRW missile on that March 5 B-52 flight could not be confirmed with complete certainty, it’s a known fact that the AGM-183A, built by Lockheed Martin, did in fact achieve its first successful launch from a B-52 in May 2022. It’s yet another testament to the adaptability and versatility of the B-52, which helps explain why this mighty warbird still keeps on flying seventy-three years after she made her maiden flight.
The Airforce Technology website states that the ARRW has a speed of up to Mach 20 and a range of approximately 575 miles. Given the ever-increasing threat posed to the United States and its allies by the hypersonic missiles of Russia and China, the importance of the ability to keep pace with these adversaries in the hypersonic warfare realm cannot be overstated.
About the Author: Christian D. Orr
Christian D. Orr was previously a Senior Defense Editor for National Security Journal (NSJ) and 19FortyFive. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU). He has also been published in The Daily Torch, The Journal of Intelligence and Cyber Security, and Simple Flying. Last but not least, he is a Companion of the Order of the Naval Order of the United States (NOUS). If you’d like to pick his brain further, you can ofttimes find him at the Old Virginia Tobacco Company (OVTC) lounge in Manassas, Virginia, partaking of fine stogies and good quality human camaraderie.
Image: DVIDS.
