A B-52 bomber has crashed near Edwards Air Force Base in California.
Horrific footage of the scene showed a charred runway at the military base in Kern County with smoke still billowing.
Edwards Air Force Base, known for flight testing, announced on social media that a B-52 Stratofortress had crashed shortly after takeoff at 11:20 a.m. local time.
“Emergency crews immediately responded to the scene and the situation is ongoing,” the military base wrote.
The Edwards airfield, where the jet crashed, was closed Monday afternoon with all inbound aircraft diverted, the air base said in a Monday afternoon update.
“All non-commercial visitor passes have been suspended until further notice to allow the installation to focus entirely on emergency response operations,” according to the military base.
The B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, heavy bomber that can fly at “high subsonic speeds” up to 50,000 feet in the air, according to the Air Force.
The bomber can carry nuclear or precision-guided weapons.
“For more than 60 years, B-52s have been the backbone of the strategic bomber force for the United States,” the Aire Force wrote on its website.
B-52 bombers delivered 40 percent of all weapons dropped by coalition forces during Desert Storm, the combat phase of the U.S.-led Gulf War against Iraq in the early 1990s.
Representative Vince Fong, who serves the community affected by Monday’s crash, wrote on X, “Please join me in praying for the B-52 crew at Edwards Air Force Base and the entire Edwards community.”
This is a developing story…
