Battle Stations II
Boeing
B-52 Stratofortress
B-52G
Engines 8 x 13,750lb (6,237kg) thrust Pratt & Whitney J57-43W or
J57-43WB turbojets
Dimensions Wingspan (as modified) 160ft
11 in (49.05m), wing area 4,000sq ft
(371.6sq m), height 40ft 8in (12.4m)
Weight (loaded) 505,000lb (229,000kg)
Performance Maximum speed (true airspeed,
clean) 595mph (957kmh), penetration speed at low altitude 405mph
(652 kmh), range (maximum fuel, no external
bombs/missiles, optimum hi-alt cruise) 8,406 miles (13,528km)
Armament 4 x 0.5in guns in remote-control tail turret, ASG-15 system,
plus 8 x nuclear bombs or up to 20 SRAM (8 on internal dispenser and 12 on wing
pylons or 12 AGM-86B ALCMs on wing pylons
A supreme example of the durability and adaptability of the strategic bomber's airframe, the B-52 was planned in 1948 by Boeing as a turboprop and emerged in 1952 as a jet because of the availability of the advanced J57 engine. By 1962, the last of 744 had been delivered in eight main versions The primary production version was the B-52G, 193 of which were built between 1958 and 1961.
One of the principal reasons for the B-52's longevity is its sheer size. Large strategic bombers have the slowest rate of change of any type of combat aircraft, as each one represents a huge financial investment. However, they are capable of absorbing successive engineering changes, new weapons systems and electronic warfare equipment, creating a modern combat aircraft within an ageing airframe.
The B-52 had been designed to deliver free-fall nuclear weapons. From 1972, the B-52Gs and Hs were armed with the nuclear-tipped AGN-69A SRAM (short-range attack missile) intended to enable the B-52 to blast its way through to a target at low altitude, obliterating any radar and missile sites in its path. However, as the B-52's capability as a penetration bomber dwindled, it was adapted as a launch platform for ALCMs (air-launched cruise missiles). The ALCM is a force multiplier, giving the B-52 a multi-target capability, with its missiles able to approach from any direction on a variety of flight profiles.
In the Vietnam War, the B-52s of the Strategic Air Command dropped millions of tons of conventional bombs in a tactical role. For more than seven years, they were used to support friendly ground forces, bomb hostile base areas, blunt enemy offensives and interdict infiltration routes in South Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. It was not until the 11-day 'Linebacker' operation, launched in December 1972, that the B-52s swung into a quasi-strategic role, bringing the air war against North Vietnam to a close.
Nearly 10 years later, they performed a tactical role in the war against Iraq fought by UN coalition forces. Another decade would pass before the B-52s would be given a similar task in the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The secret of the B-52's longevity has been its remarkable robustness and ability to absorb successive generations of weapons and avionics. This ability can be retrospective. During the Vietnam conflict, for instance, the B-52D was structurally rebuilt for high-density bombing with conventional bombs – a role not anticipated in the aircraft's original design.
