The B-52’s tale starts in June 1946, when Boeing won the USAF’s contract for a new long-range bomber. Early designs called for straight wings and six turboprops, but engineers soon shifted to swept wings and eight turbojets. The YB-52 prototype took to the skies in April 1952, proving the concept of a subsonic, high-altitude nuclear deterrent. By February 1955 the B-52 entered service with Strategic Air Command, replacing the massive B-36 Peacemaker. Its eight Pratt &amp; Whitney jet engines and 185-foot wingspan let it carry up to 70 000 pounds of bombs over some 8 800 miles without refuelling. Crews came to call it the “BUFF” for its sheer bulk, but beneath that nickname lay an unmatched combination of range, payload and economy for the era. Throughout the Cold War, B-52s stood on constant alert, ready to launch nuclear strikes at a moment’s notice. Beyond deterrence they proved adaptable—dropping conventional ordnance in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, laying mines in harbours and guiding precision strikes with updated avionics. NASA even flew them as launch platforms for experimental aircraft from 1959 to 2007. After SAC disbanded in 1992, B-52s moved to Air Combat Command and today reside in Global Strike Command. A fleet of 76 remains—58 active with the 2nd and 5th Bomb Wings, 18 with reserves, and about a dozen in long-term storage. Mid-2010s upgrades gave them new radar, communications and weapons racks, keeping their electronics and weapons delivery on par with modern needs. Now marked for retirement only in the 2050s, the Stratofortress stands as a testament to flexible design and continuous evolution. From straight-wing concept to jet-powered workhorse, the B-52 has spanned seven decades of airpower—its looming silhouette a reminder that sometimes the biggest, simplest ideas endure longest.

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B-52 Stratofortress