THE EVOLUTION OF A LEGEND
1946
A request for proposals goes out to Convair, Boeing, and Martin Aircraft Co.
1950
The B-52 has been through many updates during its lifetime: (top row, from left) copilots in the 1953 XB-52 sit tandem; the model YB-52 looks almost identical to its predecessor, the XB-52; the B-52A takes off on its maiden flight in 1954, with a side-by-side cockpit; (bottom row, from left) the B-52D drops bombs in 1966; the B-52G participates in exercise Global Shield in 1979; and the B-52H undergoes testing in the 1960s.
and reduces the fi re hazard, so that if an engine catches fi re, it doesn’t burn the wing off .” Warden liked the model and specs and, in 1950, work began on the fi rst prototypes, designated XB-52 and YB-52. With a wing- span of 185 feet and a length of 152 feet, 8 inches, they were the largest jet bombers the Air Force had ever commissioned — and still are. One of the fi rst original design elements to go was the plane’s tandem seating and bubble canopy. According to Yenne, this was due to none other than head of the Strategic Air Command Gen. Curtis LeMay, USAF. When Boeing president William M. Allen asked LeMay after his fi rst test fl ight how he liked the plane, the general respond- ed: “You have a hell of an airplane here, Allen. As soon as you put a side- by-side cockpit on it, I’ll buy some.” The B-52A began production
Dec. 16, 1952, with the pilot and copilot seats now side-by-side, as LeMay had directed. The pilots and electronic countermeasures offi cer
PHOTOS THIS SPREAD: USAF QA See page 66 &
for an exclusive Q&A with former pilot Lt. Gen.
David Deptula, USAF (Ret).
occupied the upper level of the fl ight deck, with two bombardier-naviga- tors down in the lower level and the tail gunner in the back of the plane. In case of an emergency, the upper- deck crew ejected upward, while those in the lower deck ejected straight down. The gunner had to manually release a tail turret assembly from the aircraft and bail out
through the opening. The fi rst operational version of the plane, the B-52B, had a combat radius
of 3,590 miles with a 10,000-pound bomb load.
BdǕijÉ ƀádƀƟdzǕĩƟȄijȑ The B-52 quickly advanced through
a series of evolutionary upgrades and revisions. By 1958, the latest model of the big bomber was the F series. Some of the changes included large external fuel tanks, improved bombing and navigation systems, and upgraded avionics. But the changes introduced in the G model were revolutionary. The most visible diff erence was the tail, which was
Work begins on the first prototypes: the XB-52 and the YB-52.
1954 The B-52A has its first flight.
1955 The B-52B enters service.
1958 The B-52F debuts.
1959 The B-52G enters service.
1961
The B-52H replaces the B-52G.
1962
The final B-52H is delivered to the Air Force.
USE IN MODERN WARFARE
1996: Operation Desert Strike Two B-52Hs strike power stations and communica- tions facilities in Baghdad with 13 conventional air- launched cruise missiles (CALCMs). At that time, it is the longest distance flown for a combat mission, involv- ing a 34-hour, 16,000-stat- ute-mile round-trip flight from Barksdale AFB, La.
2001: Operation Enduring Freedom The B-52 provides close-air support with precision- guided munitions.
2003: Operation Iraqi Freedom The B-52 launches approxi- mately 100 CALCMs during a single night mission.
Today
The H model still is in the Air Force inventory and assigned to the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot AFB, N.D., and the 2nd Bomb Wing and Air Force Reserve Command’s 307th Bomb Wing, both at Barksdale AFB, La.
SOURCE: USAF APRIL 2017 MILITARY OFFICER 65
2 10s 201 s
2 00
2000s
1990s 99 s
1980s 98 s
1 70s97
1960s
96 s
1950s
95 s
1940s
94 s
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