Boeing B-52G “Stratofortress”

Boeing B-52G “Stratofortress”. USAFM 1994-254. Since it became operational in 1955, the B-52 has been the main long-range heavy bomber of the Strategic Air Command. It first flew on Apr. 15, 1952. Nearly 750 B-52s were built when production ended in Oct. 1963, of which 193 were-Gs. The B-52G was designed to reduce the overall aircraft weight in an effort to improve performance. The most obvious change was the redesigned tail. About eight feet of the vertical stabilizer was removed, and the chord (width) was increased. The wing was extensively modified as well. The self-sealing bladder-type fuel cells were removed, and the wing itself was sealed for fuel (wet wing). The tail gunner's position was moved from the tail turret to a remote firing station in the forward crew compartment. Other additions included the Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) and the Steerable Low Light TV systems (STV) mounted under the nose, which were electro-optical systems used for navigation., Boeing (Wichita) built all 193 B-52Gs with the first aircraft rolling out of the production plant in the summer of 1958. The G model was capable of carrying two AGM-28 “Hound Dog” missiles like the F model, but it was also equipped to carry the GAM-87 “Skybolt” and later the Air Launched Cruise Missile and the Short Range Attack Missile., The B-52G was used extensively in the 1991 during Operation Desert Storm before being phased out of operational service in 1994. This B-52G on display, tail# 57-6509, flew 35 missions including the first three low level missions during Desert Storm from Jan-Feb 1991, and accumulated 100+ missions over Southeast Asia. Its paint scheme is the same as it was during Desert Storm. Aircraft 57-6509 was retired from service in Nov 1992 and was transferred to the 8th AF Museum., Specifications , Span: 185' . Length: 160' 11" . Height: 40' 8" . Weight: 480,000 lbs max . Crew: Six (6) . Armament: Four .50-cal. M-3 machine guns in tail and more than 50,000 lbs of bombs/missiles . Cost: $30,000,000 approx, Perfromance , Max speed: 634 mph . Cruising: 526 mph . Range: 7,300 miles max . Service ceiling: 47,000 ft . Engine: Eight Pratt and Whitney J57s of 11,200 lbs thrust