WorldA B-52 bomber crashed shortly after takeoff Monday morning at a U.S. Air Force base in California's Mojave Desert, officials said.Boeing B-52 Stratofortress has been used in conflicts for decadesThe Associated Press · Posted: Jun 15, 2026 3:55 PM EDT | Last Updated: 42 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 2 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.Smoke is seen rising from Edwards Air Force Base in California on Monday, in the aftermath of a crash involving a U.S. air force B-52 Stratofortress aircraft. (ALERTCalifornia/Reuters)A B-52 bomber crashed shortly after takeoff Monday morning at a U.S. Air Force base in California's Mojave Desert, officials said.Emergency crews were responding after the aircraft went down around 11:20 a.m. local time at Edwards Air Force Base, the military said on the social platform X. There was no immediate information on whether anyone was hurt.Video from the scene showed a huge plume of black smoke rising from the desert. Shortly before 1 p.m., the airfield was closed and all inbound aircraft were being diverted. Meanwhile all non-commercial visitor passes for the base were suspended "to allow the installation to focus entirely on emergency response operations," officials said in a statement.The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, typically crewed by five people, is a long-range bomber that entered service in 1955. Designed to carry both conventional and nuclear weapons, it has been used in conflicts ranging from the Vietnam War to recent operations in the Middle East. An aviation enthusiast is seen looking up toward a U.S. air force B-52 Stratofortress taking off from Fairford, England, in March. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)Edwards Air Force Base is home to a large portion of the U.S. air force's aircraft test and development efforts and is about 160 kilometres north of Los Angeles. The 412th Test Wing, which runs the base, also conducts developmental testing of all U.S. air force aircraft, weapons systems, software and components before purchase by the service as well as throughout their lifespan.The vast desert base is also where Chuck Yeager broke the speed of sound in 1947.The crash comes almost a year after the pilot of a regional airliner flying over North Dakota last July made an unexpected sharp turn to avoid a possible mid-air collision with a military B-52 bomber that was in its flight path.