Boeing B-52D - “Stratofortress”

Boeing B-52D - “Stratofortress”. . The first prototye B-52 took to the air on 15 April 1952. Nearly 750 B-52’s were eventually built, of which 170 were –Ds. Records set by B-52s included the world’s first non-stop round-the-world flight by a jet aircraft and the first hydrogen bomb drop. B-52s began flying combat missions in Southeast Asia (SEA) in June 1965. By August 1973, they had flown 126,615 combat sorties with 17 B-52s lost to enemy action., The aircraft on display flew combat missions in SEA while assigned to Andersen AFB, Guam. After further assignments to Dyess AFB and Carswell AFB, Texas, it was flight delivered to the museum on 14 Sep 83. Restoration by the Strategic Systems Maintenance Branch. , Specifications , Wing Span: 185 Ft. , Length: 156 ft 6 in. , Height: 48 ft 4 in. , Weight: (empty) 177, 816 lbs. , Maximum Takeoff Weight: 450,000 lbs. , Engines Eight Pratt and Whitney: J57s , Thrust: 12,000 lbs each. , Armament: Four .50-cal machine guns in tail plus 43,000 lbs of conventional or nuclear bombs. , Crew: Six, Performance , Maximum Speed: 546 mph at 19,000 ft. , Cruising Speed: 453 mph. , Maximum Range: 3,110 miles. , Service Ceiling: 47,300 ft. , Takeoff Ground Run: 8,200 ft. , Combat Rate of Climb: 4,760 fpm., This aircraft is on loan from the USAF Museum Program