(Pixabay)
(19 FORTY FIVE) – It is hard to put an expiration date on military hardware, and some platforms remain in service decades after first entering service. The United States Air Force continues to operate around 48 B-52 Stratofortress bombers that date back to the 1950s and early 1960s, while the United States Navy returned its four Iowa-class battleships to service in the 1980s, only to retire them nearly a decade later.
In late 2020, the United States Navy also marked the 50th anniversary of the USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19), one of two amphibious command ships in the U.S. Navy, and the oldest warship in operational service with the U.S. military. Then there is the USS Constitution, the three-masted wooden-hulled heavy frigate that is the oldest warship in the world. While still technically in “active service,” the frigate is preserved as a museum ship.
However, what is truly impressive is that the self-ruling island nation of Taiwan continues to operate two World War II-era submarines, and each is likely to remain in service likely until the end of the decade.
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