Sunday, April 15, 2012

The B-52: Still Going Strong After 60 Years

A B-52H from Barksdale AFB flying over the desert. Wikiepdia

Sixty Years On, The B-52 Is Still Going Strong -- CNET

The iconic aircraft of the Cold War made its debut flight in 1952. The Air Force says the bomber could easily still be flying in the year 2040.

Along with the ICBM, it was one of the defining pieces of military technology during the Cold War: the B-52 bomber.

Those who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s knew the B-52 Stratofortress as a central figure in the anxiety that flowed from the protracted staring match between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. On the one hand, it was reassuring to know that the Strategic Air Command was ready at a moment's notice to scramble its B-52s to counter any potential nuclear attack. On the other hand, if the bombers were flying that mission, well, things might well have ended badly for everyone.

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My Comment: A great photo gallery on the B-52 is here.

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