Why the Air Force sometimes uses explosives to get B-52 bomber engines running
“We decrease the aircraft's startup time from more than an hour to less than 10 minutes."
BY DAVID ROZA | PUBLISHED NOV 14, 2022 8:49 AM
Sometimes you need a shot of espresso or Rip It to start the day, but when you’re a 93-ton strategic bomber, you may need something a little more explosive. That is why maintenance crews for the Air Force B-52 Stratofortress practice jumpstarting the lumbering aircraft’s engines with a small controlled explosive cartridge that can significantly cut down on launch time.
“The charges basically jumpstart the engines, removing the need to bring out the aerospace ground equipment used on normal launches,” Tech. Sgt. Andrew Poole, a crew chief with the 36th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, said in a 2008 press release. “By removing these steps we decrease the aircraft’s startup time from more than an hour to less than 10 minutes.”
While it may sound crazy to start an engine by blowing it up, gearheads have used shotgun-like shells to get tank and aircraft engines going for generations. The technique was first introduced in the 1930s and became a helpful alternative to electric starters “in remote areas where electricity or backup battery power was unavailable,” Hemmings Motor News reported in 2018.
https://taskandpurpose.com/tech-tactics/air-force-b-52-cart-start/
