The Boeing B-52 was developed as a strategic long-range bomber. Originally designed to deliver nuclear weapons from high altitude, it has demonstrated flexibility in a variety of unforeseen roles. During the Vietnam War, the aircraft was adapted to carry up to 84 500-pound conventional bombs. The B-52 is 159 feet long, and many photographers prefer to take photos of the entire aircraft. What’s more, photos of the big bomber flying are usually taken from another aircraft, making In fact, if the Air Force sticks with current plans, the B-52 will operate through 2050, making it the first jet, and maybe the only jet, to stay in continuous operation for a hundred years. With a well-considered upgrade plan, the B-52 can serve to its 100th birthday, acting as the backbone for the bomber force until the LRS-B comes on line, and partnering with that aircraft until The B-52 is capable of dropping or launching the widest array of weapons in the U.S. inventory, including gravity bombs, cluster bombs, precision guided missiles and joint direct attack munitions. Current engineering analyses show the B-52's life span to extend beyond the year 2040. B-52s also assist the Navy in ocean surveillance. Survivors. 6 (all excluding one crew member) On 21 January 1968, an aircraft accident, sometimes known as the Thule affair or Thule accident ( / ˈtuːli /; Danish: Thuleulykken ), involving a United States Air Force (USAF) B-52 bomber occurred near Thule Air Base in the Danish territory of Greenland. The aircraft was carrying four B28FI LhCU5. "The B-52 bomber will remain relevant for decades to come,” said Boeing's Jeff Lupton at the time. Now, the USAF is looking to expand the B-52's weaponry platforms, fitting the 76 B-52s still flying for the USAF with the AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon. And then, after nearly seven hours on board, it's time to return, and we land safely at Barksdale, the yellow drag chute unfurling behind the B-52's giant tail. My 36 hours with the B-52 crews at Aircraft boneyard. Boeing B-52s in storage or awaiting dismantlement at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group in Arizona, United States. An aircraft boneyard or aircraft graveyard is a storage area for aircraft that are retired from service. Most aircraft at boneyards are either kept for storage with some maintenance or have b52. When General Nathan Twining, chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force from 1953 to 1957, called the Boeing B-52 “the long rifle of the air age” shortly after it entered service on June 29, 1955, no one imagined that the eight-engine, 390,000-pound bomber would still be operational 60 years later. Had he a crystal ball, General Twining Overall painted in black with South East Asia Command (SEAC) disruptive pattern in SAC bomber tan, SAC bomber green and SAC bomber dark green camouflage to upper surfaces, the B-52D has 200 mission markings painted in red on port nose, USAF national insignia (1947 black pattern) on fuselage and Radio Call Number painted in red on vertical tail fin.

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