Boeing B-52 Stratofortress

The B-52 Stratofortress is one of the longest-serving combat aircraft in history. Designed in the early Cold War as a high-altitude strategic bomber, it entered service in the 1950s and has outlived several generations of aircraft originally intended to replace it. Its endurance comes from a combination of range, payload, upgrade space and a role that shifted with changing weapons and strategy.

The B-52’s image is defined by its eight engines, broad swept wings and long-distance presence. From nuclear deterrence to conventional cruise-missile strikes, it has been repeatedly modernised, and the U.S. Air Force has planned to keep upgraded B-52s flying into the middle of the 21st century.