By admin 
A B-52 bomber crashed Monday shortly after taking off from Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California, Air Force officials said.
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The nuclear-capable aircraft, considered the “backbone” of the Air Force’s strategic bomber force,“ crashed on the Edwards airfield soon after taking off at 11:20 a.m., officials from the Kern County base reported through a social media post. Emergency crews immediately responded to the scene, though no further details were immediately available.
In video footage from Los Angeles TV stations including KTLA, smoke could be seen from a debris-strewn area just off the runway, with few remnants of the aircraft visible from the station’s vantage point.
Built by Boeing, the eight-engine B-52 Stratofortress can carry a crew of up to five people. The number of occupants aboard the flight was not immediately known. Officials said the airfield, which includes the world’s longest runway, was closed.
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The long-range bomber, which was has flown regularly since 1955, is capable carrying up to of 35 tons of munitions and can fly more than 8,000 miles without aerial refueling.
Edwards Air Force Base — about 70 miles east of Bakersfield and 60 miles northeast of Los Angeles — is a major testing and training site for developmental U.S. Air Force aircraft and NASA flight-testing operations.
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This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
This story was originally published June 15, 2026 at 1:35 PM.