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However, by October 1946, the USAF began to express concern about the sheer size of the new aircraft and its inability to meet the specified design requirements. On 28 June 1946, Boeing was issued a letter of contract for US$1.7 million to build a full-scale mockup of the new XB-52 and do preliminary engineering and testing. On 5 June 1946, Boeing's Model 462, a straight-wing aircraft powered by six Wright T35 turboprops with a gross weight of 360,000 pounds (160,000 kg) and a combat radius of 3,110 miles (2,700 nmi, 5,010 km), was declared the winner. On 13 February 1946, the USAF issued bid invitations for these specifications, with Boeing, Consolidated Aircraft, and Glenn L. The armament was to consist of an unspecified number of 20 mm cannon and 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg) of bombs. The aircraft was to have a crew of five or more turret gunners, and a six-man relief crew. On 23 November 1945, Air Materiel Command (AMC) issued desired performance characteristics for a new strategic bomber "capable of carrying out the strategic mission without dependence upon advanced and intermediate bases controlled by other countries". After being upgraded between 20, the last airplanes are expected to serve into the 2050s. The B-52 completed 60 years of continuous service with its original operator in 2015. Superior performance at high subsonic speeds and relatively low operating costs have kept them in service despite the advent of later, more advanced strategic bombers, including the Mach 2+ B-58 Hustler, the canceled Mach 3 B-70 Valkyrie, the variable-geometry B-1 Lancer, and the stealth B-2 Spirit. The bombers flew under the Strategic Air Command (SAC) until it was disestablished in 1992 and its aircraft absorbed into the Air Combat Command (ACC) in 2010, all B-52 Stratofortresses were transferred from the ACC to the new Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). As of June 2019, there are 76 aircraft in inventory 58 operated by active forces ( 2nd Bomb Wing and 5th Bomb Wing), 18 by reserve forces ( 307th Bomb Wing), and about 12 in long-term storage at the Davis-Monthan AFB Boneyard. The B-52 has been in service with the USAF since 1955.
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The B-52's official name Stratofortress is rarely used informally, the aircraft has become commonly referred to as the BUFF (Big Ugly Fat Fucker/Fella). A veteran of several wars, the B-52 has dropped only conventional munitions in combat. Built to carry nuclear weapons for Cold War-era deterrence missions, the B-52 Stratofortress replaced the Convair B-36 Peacemaker. The B-52 took its maiden flight in April 1952. īeginning with the successful contract bid in June 1946, the B-52 design evolved from a straight wing aircraft powered by six turboprop engines to the final prototype YB-52 with eight turbojet engines and swept wings. The bomber is capable of carrying up to 70,000 pounds (32,000 kg) of weapons, and has a typical combat range of more than 8,800 miles (14,080 km) without aerial refueling. It has been operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) since the 1950s. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. For other uses, see B-52 (disambiguation) and BUFF (disambiguation).Ī B-52H from Barksdale AFB flying over Texas It was dark and, at 17-power, that 6-foot plate at 4,100 yards was very small."B-52" and "BUFF" redirect here. At that point, I could barely see anything. Luckily, Steve Ream and Rusty Newton worked together to spot for me, and brought me onto the plate to make a fourth-round impact. I had also dialed 6 mils of right wind, the max my scope allowed, and had to hold an extra 1.2 mils more into no-man’s land for the 7.2 mil windage correction. I had to zoom out to about 17x in order to do that, putting the 11-mil mark on my Mil-C reticle right at the bottom of the image. Even so, I was holding 10 mils over the target, for a total of 78 mils of elevation. I had dialed all the elevation in my scope, 33 mils above my zero, and had an extra 35 mils thanks to the prism. The sun had just set and it was pretty dark looking through my Nightforce ATACR scope fitted with a Charlie Tarac Macro Charlie optical prism. “About 30 minutes later, after the other shooters had cycled through, I was able to get back on my gun and try for the long plate.