The Pentagon confirms the loss of a heavy strategic bomber. The crash occurred soon after departure, but crew status has not yet been reported.
Monday evening, the Pentagon officially confirmed the loss of a US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber after it crashed shortly after takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The confirmation follows a sequence of reports from multiple outlets that began at 22:18 Jerusalem, when Israeli media first noted the crash, followed by a military source cited by i24NEWS specifying the aircraft type (B-52H) and location. By 22:18, the military confirmed the crash occurred at Edwards Air Force Base. Fox News reported the crash occurred on the runway and later released additional footage from the scene. The status of the crew remains unknown; the cause is under investigation.
The initial reports at 22:18 came from Israeli media and a Telegram source (0404 News) which described an explosion over the Mojave desert. The military source cited by i24NEWS then corroborated the Edwards AFB location and the short-after-takeoff timing. Fox News added runway-specific detail and visual evidence. The Pentagon's confirmation tonight (Monday, 23:33 Jerusalem) upgrades the report from media-sourced to official on-record. The B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range heavy bomber and a key component of the US strategic nuclear deterrent.
What remains open: the exact number of crew on board, their medical status, and the specific cause of the crash — none of which have been disclosed by military or Pentagon officials as of 23:33 Jerusalem.
7 developments
- StrongUS Navy P-8A Poseidon lands in Bahrain after B-52 transponder miscode
- StrongUS B-52 bomber transponder reportedly turned off en route to the Middle East
- StrongEight US strategic bombers land in Middle East from UK and Germany bases overnight
- ConfirmedMultiple B-52 bombers take off from Diego Garcia toward Iran, reports say
Source and signal
- Internal intake