The B-52 was designed to carry nuclear weapons in the event that the Cold War turned hot. In 1956, at the height of the Cold War, Boeing began working on a design for what would become the B-52. The Air Force wanted a long-range bomber capable of carrying large numbers of nuclear weapons and flying high enough to avoid enemy defenses. Boeing’s chief designer for the project, Ed Wells, said he was inspired by a piece of laminated birch used in airplane construction during World War II.
“I had this little three-inch strip of birch that I’d been given and I took it home and put it on my mantelpiece. You see, I had these two cats [who] liked to knock things off that mantelpiece … one day they knocked this thing off and it hit me—we could do away with all those structural members.”
The first B-52 prototype was first flown on April 15, 1952, by test pilot Alvin M. “Tex” Johnston. The flight of the XB-52 took place at Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington. It was a success and flew over a crowd of 300,000 people who were there to celebrate Armed Forces day.
This plane is a subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber that operated by the U.S. Air Force since 1955. The aircraft was designed and built by Boeing and has been in service with the Air Force since 1955. It is capable of dropping or launching the widest array of weapons in the U.S. inventory, including gravity bombs, cluster bombs, precision-guided missiles (such as cruise missiles or joint direct attack munitions), nuclear weapons, and Joint Standoff Weapons (JSOWs). It has a conventional bomb capacity of about 70,000 pounds (31,500 kg) and can carry up to 20 tons of munitions over 8,800 nautical miles (10,000 mi; 16,000 km) without aerial refueling.
The story of the B-52 begins in 1946, immediately after the end of World War II. The United States sought a supersonic long-range heavy bomber to deliver large quantities of nuclear weapons to targets around the world. This plane would have four engines and be capable of flying at high speeds and altitudes. It would ideally be able to fly faster than the speed of sound, but this feature was not strictly required.
You’ve probably heard the iconic sound of a B-52 bomber plane. The roaring engines and deafening propellers are unmistakable, and they’re not just for dramatic effect. The B-52 is built to take on missions in some pretty intense conditions, including nuclear warfare scenarios. They first hit the scene in 1955, with nearly 750 being built by Boeing over a period of 40 years (despite their name, they’re actually eight-engine planes).
Before long, Boeing’s design was adapted for other uses, including low-level precision bombing and as a missile platform.
Boeing’s design was also well-suited to low-level precision bombing, which led to its use in the Vietnam War. The B-52 was used for both high altitude and low altitude bombing in North Vietnam and Laos between 1965 and 1973. The plane would fly at altitudes as low as 450 feet (137 meters) during these missions. In addition, it has been adapted as a missile platform, firing air-to-air missiles at Soviet bombers during Cold War standoffs. It was also used to launch cruise missiles during the 1991 Gulf War and has seen service in Afghanistan and Iraq since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan.
You might not know this, but in 1960, one of the first B-52s flew 24 hours non-stop with two aerial refuelings to set an endurance record. The Cold War was in full swing when the B-52 was designed to carry nuclear weapons in the event the Cold War turned hot. It became operational in 1955 after a decade of research and development. The United States began looking for a supersonic heavy bomber in 1946 after World War II ended and testing was underway by 1950.
In 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, several B-52s armed with atomic missiles were placed on alert and flown around the clock on airborne alert. This was reportedly a key element in President Kennedy’s negotiation with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, which helped bring about a peaceful resolution to the crisis.
The crew of a B-52H Stratofortress assigned to the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., is pre-flighting an aircraft before takeoff on Aug. 21, 2014. In addition, the aircraft is part of three U.S. bombers that were deployed to RAF Fairford as part of Bomber Task Force Europe, which enhances bomber interoperability training with NATO allies and European partners involved in Operation Atlantic Resolve, a demonstration of continued U.S. commitment to NATO allies and partners in Central and Eastern Europe.
Kennedy was successful in his negotiations with Khrushchev, and the aircraft were returned to their bases soon after. During the Vietnam War, more than 700 B-52D Stratofortresses dropped more than 3 million tons of bombs on North Vietnam and Laos between 1965 and 1973.
The first B-52 bomber to use turbofan engines was the B-52D. It was also the first to be equipped with a tail turret. The B-52D’s defensive armament included four General Electric J79 turbojet engines (capable of producing 15,000 lbf each), four 20 mm M61 Vulcan six-barreled rotary cannons in two remote-controlled tail turrets, AN/ASG30B fire control system, and a Norden AN/APN153 Doppler radar navigation system. This model was used for combat in Southeast Asia from 1968 to 1973.
The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force provides a glimpse into the evolution of airpower through its extensive collection, including five B-52s (with examples from all three major variants). It is clear through examining these aircraft that the B-52 has been instrumental in the U.S.’s Cold War and post-Cold War warfare efforts over the past 65 years, and it is likely to remain a key component force for many years to come.