A B-52H lands at Edwards Air Force Base in California on Dec. 8, 2025. (U.S. Air Force)
An Air Force B-52 Stratofortress carrying eight people on a radar test mission crashed and exploded shortly after takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base in California on Monday morning.
“Edwards Air Force Base experienced a horrible tragedy, and we lost eight great Americans,” deputy base commander Col. James Hayes said at a press conference Monday evening. “This crash is deemed to be unsurvivable, and right now our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those that lost their loved ones.”
Hayes said the flight crew was a mix of uniformed Air Force personnel, government civilian employees and contractors who were working on radar upgrades for the 60-plus year-old B-52s. None of the identities of those killed will be released until 24 hours after next of kin are notified.
Boeing, which built the B-52 Stratofortress and remains heavily involved in its modernization program, said late Monday that two of its employees were killed in the crash.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the loved ones of the eight crew members who lost their lives in the B-52 crash at Edwards Air Force Base, California,” the company said in a statement. “It is with great sadness that we confirm two Boeing employees were among those on board. We are in contact with their families and are offering support.”
Hayes said the B-52 was on initial takeoff for a local test flight in support of modernizing the bomber’s radar.
“It took off and immediately after crashed and burst into flames,” Hayes said. “Our team of first responders snapped into action and immediately cordoned off the area and took the appropriate action to start putting out the flames.”
The cause of the accident is under investigation, Hayes said. An initial investigation has been launched and will involve teams of experts from throughout the Air Force.
The crash on an Edwards runway would require the base to close for air operations at least through Tuesday. All other operations resumed Monday afternoon.
Edwards is the Air Force’s largest airfield, at more than 481 square miles in the Mojave Desert, with more than 10,000 military, federal civilian and contract personnel assigned to the base.
The 412th Test Wing at Edwards conducts developmental testing of all U.S. Air Force aircraft, weapons systems, software and components prior to their operational acceptance and throughout their life cycle, according to the Air Force.
Edwards is also the testing center for the new B-21 Raider stealth bomber.
The Air Force recently announced the base would host the modernization of the B-52H bombers.
The B-52 first flew in April 1952 from Boeing Field in Seattle. The Air Force bought 744 of the bombers between 1952 and when production ended with the H variant in 1962.
The Air Force currently flies 76 B-52H models, which it plans to update with upgraded engines, avionics and other features. Once completed, the modernized bombers will be designated as B-52J.
The updates will “enable the B-52J to remain in the fight for future generations,” the Air Force said.
The Air Force has announced a long-range plan to cut its current bomber force to just two types: the B-21 and the upgraded B-52J Stratofortress. As new B-21s are delivered by manufacturer Northrop Grumman, the Air Force will retire its B-1B Lancer and B-2 Spirit bombers.
Edwards was established as Muroc Field in 1933 and became the Air Force’s leading test center during the secret development of the Bell XP 59A Airacomet, the first experimental American jet fighter. It flew in 1942, a year after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought the U.S. into World War II.
In the Cold War era, it’s where Col. Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in 1947 flying the Bell X-1.
In 1948, Air Force Capt. Glen Edwards was killed in a crash while testing the experimental Northrop YB 49 Flying Wing. The base was renamed in his honor in 1950. The base was the center of high-speed research during the X-15 rocket plane program of the 1950s and 1960s. Rogers Dry Lake, about 65 square miles adjacent to the base runways, allows for safe landing of aircraft when brake or engine failures require a quick landing.
The lake bed was also a NASA landing site for the Space Shuttle.
Modern jet aircraft that have had their first flight or initial testing flight at Edwards include the B-1B, B-2, F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-22 Raptor, and F-35 Lightning II.
The B-52Hs currently in use by the Air Force have a five-member crew: pilot, co-pilot, navigator, bombardier and an electronic warfare officer who controls the defensive countermeasures on the plane.
Hayes declined to say what roles the people on the B-52 that crashed performed in the modernization program.
Hayes said all the Air Force personnel at the base were thinking of the families of those who died Monday.
“This is a tragedy, and this is going to be the worst days of their lives,” Hayes said. “We understand that, and we want to keep them in our thoughts and prayers.”
