The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, a heavy bomber, has been in continuous service since 1955, Development started in 1945 with a turboprop version, with the first prototypes flying in 1951. The B-52 A, B, and C models started being delivered in June 1955.
The B-52D revamped the control system for the remote-controlled quad 50 cal. MGs in the tail. Deliveries began in 1956. Boeing built 101 B-52Ds in Seattle, but switched production to Wichita and completed another 69. In 1964, a rebuilding programme altered the bomb load to allow the carrying of up to 105 'iron bombs' as oppose to nuclear bombs.
The B-52 E and F models introduced more powerful engines, but the G model received a number of significant improvements: wet wing tank for more fuel, shortened fin of increased chord, upgraded bombing and navigation systems, and Quail countermeasure system. It could also carry a pair fo Hound Dog missiles. The B-52G first flew in October 1958, with the first deliveries in February of 1959. The last of 193 B-52G models were built in 1960, although 173 of these were later converted to carry air launched Cruise Missiles.
B-52G Specifications
- Powerplants: eight 13,750 lb Pratt & Whitney J57-P-43W turbojets
Maximum speed: 630mph (at 24,000 ft)
Ceiling: 55,000 ft.
Range: 8500 miles with max load
Bomb Load: 27,000 lb (internal)
Weight (empty): 193,000 lb.
Weight (max): 221,500 lb
Span: 185 ft.
Length: 157 ft. 7 in.
Height: 40 ft. 8 in.
Armament: quad 50 cal MGs in tail turret
Info from: Attack and Interceptor Jets by Michael Sharpe, 1999, ISBN: 1-58663-301-5, page 55-56.
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