First flown in 1952, the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress became the ultimate expression of Cold War very heavy bomber design. The last of the famous ‘Fortress’ series of aircraft produced by the legendary Seattle-based company, the B-52 was created over a weekend in a hotel suite in Ohio, resulting in a design that gave America’s post-war Strategic Air Command, led by General Curtis Le May, an additional nuclear-capable edge.
The B-52 was almost as big as Convair’s B-36 Peacemaker, the largest serial-produced piston-powered aircraft ever built. The B-52 could carry a very similar bomb load, but flew it further, higher and faster. The turbojet-powered B-52 utilized techniques Boeing had learned from the Model 450 B-47 Stratojet and was designed to meet the Strategic Air Command’s ever-changing needs in the nuclear age.
Like its predecessors, Boeing’s B-52 proved to be a highly flexible aircraft, capable of carrying increasing payloads, meaning it has remained in service well beyond its expected lifespan. Over the decades the B-52 gradually become a strategic and tactical airborne platform capable of delivering evermore deadly attacks against targets in various environments, from jungle to arid mountains. The B-52 had become the universal tool for commanders on the ground and a symbol of American military power, capable of striking a target anywhere in the world – as evidenced by its deployment in, for example, the Vietnam War and the Gulf War. Such was its potency, that the USAF and Boeing had developed an aeroplane of such importance that it now seems impossible to discuss conventional air power without including the B-52.
Covers: Introduction, Design & development, B-52 production models, In service and in action, stratofortress variants, camouflage and markings, modelling the B-52, showcase models.
First up, this is a great read, short, but full of information. For such an iconic aircraft that started its service life almost two full decades before I did, and been in constant use since, there is a lot to cover. Ben Skipper does a great job summarizing this into a concise and readable format that still makes sense. There is nothing too in-depth here, there is no space, plus too much to cover, rather the information is near bullet point in fashion, with the major developments in the life of the B-52 identified.
Highlights include the short explanation of Northern Chrome dome 1964, which involved having a B-52 in the air 24hrs and doing circuits of North America at the height of the Cold War, page 45. The logistics of that are mind bending. Also, the constant effort to improve service life, payload, and performance of an aircraft that will be the first, and most likely only, aircraft to serve a full century. Think about that.
Something missing is any mention of the crews of this incredible aircraft, the training and rigors of flying this behemoth and first-person testimonials, but these are available elsewhere. I would also like to have seen a bit more nose art in the profiles, but thats not a deal breaker.
I did like the comment in the modelling section, 'Modelcollect efforts give the modeller a decent base kit ripe for additional detailing.' Code for "its lacking a lot..." And, Minicraft... This is a challenging kit, but not demanding to the experienced modeller or the beginner with patience.
Easily recommended, a great read on the single aircraft that has done so much for so long with no end in sight.
