A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber crashed shortly after taking off from Edwards Air Force Base in California on Monday, prompting an emergency response as officials began investigating the cause of the incident.

"A United States Air Force B-52 Stratofortress crashed shortly after takeoff on the Edwards airfield at 11:20 a.m.," the base said on US social media platform X.

"Emergency crews immediately responded to the scene and the situation is ongoing."

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.

Edwards, the vast desert base where Chuck Yeager broke the speed of sound in 1947, is about 100 miles (161 km) north of Los Angeles.

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 midair collision with a military B-52 bomber that was in its flight path.