Most military aircraft come and go. But some pass into history, stuff like the Spitfire, the B-17 Flying Fortress, and the MiG 15. Well, if any plane deserves to be in that hall of fame, it’s the bomber that has been in service for 60 years and is projected to be around until 2050. It has managed to adapt itself for many different roles as combat has changed and has survived many attempts to replace it. It has earned itself a place in pop culture thanks to Doctor Strangelove, plus the hairstyle and the band bearing its name. Let us see the history of the B-52.
During World War 2, Boeing had dominated the production of big heavy bombers with the B-17 Flying Fortress, nicknamed by Luftwaffe aces as the “Flying Porcupine”, and the B-29 Superfortress, which famously dropped the atomic bombs on Japan. So, in November 1945, when the Air Materiel Command declared it wanted a new bomber that was "capable of carrying out the strategic mission without dependence upon advanced and intermediate bases controlled by other countries", Boeing leaped at the opportunity. The requirements were as follows:
-A Cruise Speed of 300 mph at 34,000 Feet
-A combat radius of 5,000 miles
-The ability to carry 10,000 pounds of bombs
Boeing won the contract with their 462 over rival bids from Martin and Consolidated and got a contract to build a full scale mockup of their “XB-52”. But soon headaches would appear that would almost doom the B-52.
The air force began tacking on many new requirements that were a reflection of rapid advancements of technology. They wanted it to be smaller, then they wanted a 400 mph cruising speed, then a longer range, and then the ability to carry nuclear weapons. It was hopeless and it was clear the bomber would be obsolete before it flew. In June 1947, the project was put on hold. In September, the Air Force asked for a nuclear bomber that could fly 8,000 miles with a top speed of 500 mph, far more than what Boeing could provide. The Air Force looked very interested at Northrop’s Flying Wing bombers.
Boeing’s president managed to salvage the contract, noting the problems with the stability of the flying wing. And in 1948, Boeing presented an aircraft prototype that could meet the new requirements. All that was needed was to replace the turboprop engines with jets, and the ball started to roll.
The YB-52 first flew on April 15, 1952. Testing went well, with the only big change being made to replace the fighter style cockpit where one pilot sat behind the other with a more traditional side by side one. The B-52 would have big shoes to fill as it replaced the Convair B-36 Peacemaker as America’s main nuclear delivery vehicle. If the order came from the White House, the B-52s had to be airborne within 90 seconds to reach their targets within the Soviet Union. The early bombers made use of anti-flash white paint to reflect the intense heat put off by nuclear explosions.
The B-52 Stratofortress officially entered service in June 1955 with the 93rd Heavy Bombardment Wing at Castle Air Force Base in California. In total, 742 were built in 8 different series until 1963.
B52-A: 3
B52-B: 50
B52-C: 35
B52-D: 170
B52-E: 100
B52-F: 89
B52-G: 193
B52-H: 102
The rapid advance in aircraft speed in those days meant it was originally planned to phase out the B-52 by 1965 in favor of an even faster bomber that could break Mach 3, the XB-70 Valkyrie. As planes flew faster and higher, the calculus was that they’d be less likely to be picked up on radar and be out of range of interceptors. But in 1960, everything was turned on its head.
On May 1, 1960, a U-2 Spy Plane flying over the Soviet Union at 70,000 feet was shot down by a surface to air missile. This changed everything. It meant no matter how fast or how high planes flew, once they were detected by enemy radar, a missile could intercept them. Now there was only one way for bombers to stand a chance during attack runs: they had to fly so low to the ground that radars would not detect them due to what’s known as clutter caused by terrain. At such low altitudes, the B-70 was barely faster than the B-52 it was supposed to replace while using much more fuel and carrying a smaller payload. So the B-52 stayed.
There was a great concern during the 60s. It was feared that a Soviet surprise attack could knock out America’s nuclear forces on the ground, preventing a retaliatory strike. The solution was called Operation Chrome Dome. If it was dangerous to have all the bombers be sitting on the ground, why not have a few of them in the air all the time? With in-flight refueling, the bombers could fly indefinitely and be ready around the clock for their doomsday mission. The Operation ran from 1960 to 1968. By the end of the 60s, nuclear missiles such as Polaris, launched from undetectable submarines, provided a nuclear deterrent safe from any decapitating strikes without any risk of dropping nuclear bombs over the North Carolina countryside.
During the Vietnam war, the B-52 would truly earn its stripes. This plane, designed mostly for nuclear roles, proved itself on conventional raids. There were stories of planes that kept flying even after getting hit by Surface to Air missiles. In total, B-52s flew 126,000 sorties with 17 lost in combat.
In the 70s, the B-52 would need to fight for its Queen Bee status once again against a more high tech and faster bomber. This was the Rockwell B-1 Lancer. It had been proposed in the 60s, but Secretary of Defense Robert MacNamara vetoed it. It was revived by Richard Nixon and the reasoning for it was even more precarious. ICBMs were increasing in accuracy and could now be used in more precision missions where before they were reserved for attacks on cities while more accurate bombers would hit military bases. Also, there were now cruise missiles, which were cheaper and much harder to intercept and obviated any speed advantages. The B-52’s giant fuselage could carry more cruise missiles. Upon taking office, President Jimmy Carter cancelled the project. Reagan would however revive a slower version of it. But still, the B-1 could never come close to B-52’s versatility.
A more fearsome challenger came in the form of the B-2. Once again, Boeing would be up against a flying wing from Northrop Grumman. It made use of a new technology called stealth which was designed as such that radar beams would pass over it rather than bounce off of it. But, the B-2 was subject to numerous delays and spiralling costs, it wouldn’t fly until 1989 and wouldn’t enter service until 1997. Meanwhile the B-52 was still proving its worth. Even though it was not a stealth aircraft by any means, the big fuselage could store lots of electronic radar jammers.
With the end of the Cold War, the Air Force was now facing much less sophisticated enemies than the Soviet Union. ISIS and the Taliban simply do not have the ability to shoot down the B-52s raining fire and fury. Also, the B-52’s ability to launch 20 cruise missiles from far outside enemy airspace made it a hearty foe against Iraq and Serbia. Furthermore, it has the advantage over the B-1 and B-2 of being much less expensive to fly. Since they’re 60 years old now, they are practically disposable.
It is through perseverance and luck that the B-52 has stayed with us for so long. It has continually fended off challenges from much more expensive and sophisticated aircraft and will probably continue to do so until the middle of this century. Long live the Big Ugly Fat F*cker.