Update
A B-52 Stratofortress bomber crashed in the United States shortly after takeoff. Edwards Air Force Base reported this in a message on social media.
Journalist at HLN
Source: ANP, Belga, LA Times
A message on X states that emergency teams responded immediately. It is still unclear whether there were any casualties and where exactly the aircraft landed.
The base is closed and all incoming flights are being diverted, it said. All non-commercial visitor passes have been suspended until further notice to allow the base to fully concentrate on emergency response operations.
The ‘Los Angeles Times’ newspaper writes that there is “enormous smoke development” that can be seen for miles around.
Edwards Air Force Base is located in the state of California, north of the metropolis of Los Angeles.
B-52 Stratofortress
The B-52 Stratofortress is described by the military as a “long-range heavy bomber capable of performing a variety of missions,” and is known as the “backbone of the U.S. manned strategic bomber force.”
According to the U.S. Air Force, a crew typically consists of five people: an aircraft commander, pilot, radar navigator, navigator and electronic warfare officer.