Osprey Military Aircraft : B-52 Stratofortress : Boeing's Cold War Warrior

An icon of the Cold War, Boeing's mighty B-52 is undoubtedly the most famous jet bomber ever built, having served now for almost 40 years. The last in the line of Boeing 'heavies', the Stratofortress has gone on to break all records for longevity, firstly with Strategic Air Command, and more recently with Air Combat Command. Built to wage war against America's communist foes across a truly global battle field, the B-52, rather ironically, has only seen action in 'isolated' engagements, firstly over the jungles of Vietnam and then two decades later during the brief 'Desert Storm' campaign. Text by Robert F. Dorr with illustrations by Mike Badrocke.

Contents

• Evolution of the Stratofortress
• Submissions and Adoption
• The Doomsday Detonations
• Technical Features
• Building the Force - Introducing the B-52B/C/D Models
• Ground Alert Operations
• Stratofortress Weapons
• 'Buff' into Battle
• The Other Theatres - Laos and Cambodia
• From Chromedome to Linebacker II
• Desert Storm - The 'Buff's' Last War? Low-Level Mission
• Three Decades to Decline
• Appendices
• Index