Den Boeing B-52 Stratofortress är ett långdistans, underljuds, jetdrivet strategiskt bombplan. B-52 designades och byggdes av Boeing, som har fortsatt att tillhandahålla support och uppgraderingar. Det har drivits av USA:s flygvapen (USAF) sedan 1950-talet. Bombplanet bär upp till 32 000 kg vapen.
B-52B/RB-52B : The B-52B was the first version to enter service with the USAF on 29 June 1955 with the 93rd Bombardment Wing at Castle AFB in California. This version included minor changes to engines and avionics, enabling an extra 12,000 pounds of thrust to be produced using water injection. Temporary grounding of the aircraft after a crash in February 1956 and again the following July caused training delays, and at mid-year there were still no combat-ready B-52 crews.
Of the 50 B-52Bs built, 27 were capable of carrying a reconnaissance pod as RB-52Bs (the crew was increased to eight in these aircraft). The 300 pound (136 kg) pod contained radio receivers, a combination of K-36, K-38, and T-11 cameras, and two operators on downward-firing ejection seats. The pod required only four hours to install.
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