All 8 victims of B-52 crash identified

The U.S. military on Wednesday identified the eight men killed in a B-52 Stratofortress bomber crash earlier this week during a test flight at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

Col. Gregory Watson, 53; Lt. Col. Gabriel Estrella, 40; Maj. Alexander Davis, 34; Maj. Robert Dee, 40; Maj. Brad Hovey, 35; retired Lt. Col. Miles Middleton, 50; Jeromy Smith, 32; and Christopher Rischar, 41, were killed Monday when the B-52 they were aboard crashed soon after takeoff, according to a statement from the base.

Estrella, Davis, Dee and Hovey were active-duty airmen, Watson was a reservist and Middleton, Smith and Rischar were civilians, the statement said.

“It is with profound sorrow and a heavy heart that I can now share the names of the eight extraordinary Americans we lost during Monday’s B-52 crash,” Col. Thomas Tauer, 412th Test Wing Commander, told workers and families at Edwards. “They were dedicated professionals, beloved family members and irreplaceable teammates.”

The Boeing-made B-52, a long-range bomber which can perform a variety of missions, crashed at 11:20 a.m. local time while on a “routine test mission.”

The airfield at the base, which sits about 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles in the Mojave Desert, remains closed until further notice. The incident is currently under investigation by an Interim Safety Investigation Board.

Introduced in the military in 1955, the B-52 can fly at high subsonic speeds at altitudes of 50,000 feet, carry a payload of up to 70,000 pounds, and provide close-air support, strategic attacks, offensive counter-air and maritime operations. It has been used in such conflicts as the Vietnam War all the way up to the current war in Iran.

At the time of the crash, the Air Force was testing the B-52 as part of a program to keep the aging aircraft in the U.S. fleet for several more decades, The Associated Press reported. The bomber involved in the incident had arrived at Edwards in December after Boeing installed a modernized radar at its San Antonio, Texas facility, according to the outlet.