Years In Service: 1955-Present
Initial Flight: April 15, 1952
The B-52 was intended as a high-altitude, intercontinental, strategic bomber capable of nuclear attacks against targets deep inside the Soviet Union, during the early years of the Cold War. On January 18, 1957, three B-52Bs completed the first non-stop round-the-world flight by jet aircraft, lasting 45 hours and 19 minutes and requiring only three aerial refuelings. It was also a B-52 that made the first airborne hydrogen bomb drop over Bikini Atoll on May 21, 1956. The B-52 was for a time the largest, heaviest aircraft ever flown. Relying on speed and electronic counter-measures systems for its primary defense.
Aircraft Specifications
Height: 48′ 4″ Wingspan: 185′ Length: 156′ 6″ Crew: 6 Armament: Four .50 Caliber machine guns Payload: Up to 60,000 lbs. of conventional or nuclear bombs No. of Engines: 8 Thrust: 12,100 lbs. Cruise speed: 526 mph Max Speed: 628 mph Ceiling: 49,400 ft.