Boeing B52D "Stratofortress" - Display

The Boeing B-52 D model tail number 55-0062 was received in the SAC inventory in February, 1957.  It was initially assigned to a Bomb Wing at Carswell AFB, Texas.

This aircraft flew numerous missions over North Vietnam for 19 months while stationed in Guam and flew a total of 14,984 hours over a 26 year period.  On September 15, 1983, the B52D 55-0062 flew into KI Sawyer for it's final landing.

Beginning with the successful contract bid in June 1946, the B-52 design evolved from a straight wing aircraft powered by six turboprop engines to the final prototype YB-52 with eight turbojet engines and swept wings. The B-52 took its maiden flight in April 1952. Built to carry nuclear weapons for Cold War-era deterrence missions, the B-52 Stratofortress replaced the Convair B-36. A veteran of several wars, the B-52 has dropped only conventional munitions in combat. The B-52's official name Stratofortress is rarely used; informally, the aircraft has become commonly referred to as the BUFF (Big Ugly Fat Fella).

The B-52 has been in active service with the USAF since 1955. As of June 2019, 58 are in active service, 18 in reserves, and approximately 12 more aircraft in long term storage. The bombers flew under the Strategic Air Command (SAC) until it was disestablished in 1992 and its aircraft absorbed into the Air Combat Command (ACC); in 2010, all B-52 Stratofortresses were transferred from the ACC to the newly created Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). Superior performance at high subsonic speeds and relatively low operating costs have kept the B-52 in service despite the advent of later, more advanced aircraft, including the Mach 2+ B-58 Hustler, the canceled Mach 3 B-70 Valkyrie, the variable-geometry B-1 Lancer, and the stealth B-2 Spirit. The B-52 completed sixty years of continuous service with its original operator in 2015. After being upgraded between 2013 and 2015, it is expected to serve into the 2050s.