26 Facts About B-52 Stratofortress

1.

Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber.

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2.

The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades.

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3.

The B-52's official name Stratofortress is rarely used; informally, the aircraft has become commonly referred to as the BUFF.

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4.

The B-52 Stratofortress completed 60 years of continuous service with its original operator in 2015.

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5.

In July 2013, the USAF began a fleet-wide technological upgrade of its B-52 Stratofortress bombers called Combat Network Communications Technology to modernize electronics, communications technology, computing, and avionics on the flight deck.

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6.

The first phase will allow a B-52 Stratofortress to carry twenty-four GBU-38 500-pound guided bombs or twenty GBU-31 2,000-pound bombs, with later phases accommodating the JASSM and MALD family of missiles.

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7.

B-52 Stratofortress shared many technological similarities with the preceding B-47 Stratojet strategic bomber.

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8.

In September 2006, the B-52 Stratofortress became one of the first US military aircraft to fly using alternative fuel.

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9.

On 15 December 2006, a B-52 Stratofortress took off from Edwards with the synthetic fuel powering all eight engines, the first time a USAF aircraft was entirely powered by the blend.

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10.

The navigational capabilities of the B-52 Stratofortress were later augmented with the addition of GPS in the 1980s.

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11.

The B-52 Stratofortress was to have been modified to utilize Northrop Grumman's AGM-137 TSSAM weapon; however, the missile was canceled due to development costs.

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12.

The B-1 has the internal weapons bay space to carry more GBU-31 JDAMs and JASSMs, but the B-52 Stratofortress upgraded with the conventional rotary launcher can carry more of other JDAM variants.

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13.

Eight engines of the B-52 Stratofortress are paired in pods and suspended by four pylons beneath and forward of the wings' leading edge.

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14.

The training for B-52 Stratofortress crews consisted of five weeks of ground school and four weeks of flying, accumulating 35 to 50 hours in the air.

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15.

On 18 December 1972 tail gunner Staff Sergeant Samuel O Turner's B-52 Stratofortress had just completed a bomb run for Operation Linebacker II and was turning away, when a Vietnam People's Air Force MiG-21 approached.

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16.

The B-1, intended to supplant the B-52 Stratofortress, replaced only the older models and the supersonic FB-111.

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17.

B-52 Stratofortress strikes were an important part of Operation Desert Storm.

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18.

On 24 March 1999, when Operation Allied Force began, B-52 Stratofortress bombers bombarded Serb targets throughout the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, including during the Battle of Kosare.

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19.

B-52 Stratofortress contributed to Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001, providing the ability to loiter high above the battlefield and provide Close Air Support through the use of precision guided munitions, a mission which previously would have been restricted to fighter and ground attack aircraft.

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20.

B-52 Stratofortress can be highly effective for ocean surveillance, and can assist the Navy in anti-ship and mine-laying operations.

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21.

The B-52 Stratofortress fleet has been certified to use Quickstrike family of naval mines using JDAM-ER guided wing kits.

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22.

The B-52 Stratofortress has continued in service because there has been no reliable replacement.

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23.

The B-52 Stratofortress has the capacity to "loiter" for extended periods, and can deliver precision standoff and direct fire munitions from a distance, in addition to direct bombing.

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24.

On 12 November 2015, the B-52 Stratofortress began freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea in response to Chinese man-made islands in the region.

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25.

B-52 Stratofortress went through several design changes and variants over its 10 years of production.

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26.

B-52 Stratofortress carrying nuclear weapons was a key part of Stanley Kubrick's 1964 black comedy film Dr Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.

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