Boeing B-52 Stratofortress: Warrior Queen of the USAF

The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress began life at the Boeing Aircraft Corporation in 1946 and was the answer that General Curtis LeMay was looking for: a huge bomber. The B-52 entered service with the USAF in 1955 and is still in active service.

The B-52 had forged a successful career during the Cold War and was on constant alert against a Soviet nuclear threat. The B-52 was bloodied in the Vietnam War of which Operation Rolling Thunder became one of the monumental programmes in USAF history. Also, the B-52 saw action in the Middle East during Operation Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom and Afghanistan.

During her operational career, the B-52 has been refined and revised with a number of improvements to her huge airframe and cockpit. Of a total of 744 that were built, eighty-five of the ‘H’ variant remain in service. Her armament capacity is immense and after sixty years of service and many battle scars later, she remains as the Boeing B-52: Warrior Queen of the USAF.

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