Designed to be the United States Air Force’s carrier of nuclear weapons for Cold War-era deterrence missions, the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is the USAF’s largest bomber. In service since 1955, the B-52 is the most frequently used long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber.

Boeing won the contract to build the B-52 on June 5, 1946 but the first flight was not until April 15, 1952 with “Tex” Johnston due to multiple structure and propulsion problems. The USAF wanted a bomber that could carry a very large payload while being able to remain in the air for extended periods of time. The B-52 went through several variations and numerous modifications such as wing position and proper engines. Another issue the B-52 had was once several of these issues were resolved. The plane was destroying runways due to its excessive weight and size. Boeing was finally able to refine the B-52 in 1955 to the plane we see today, an angled-winged, eight turbojet engine powered bomber with the ability to carry 60,000 pounds of various payloads. Between 1952 and 1962 there were 744 B-52’s built at the cost of $14.43 million per plane. This would be around $53.4 million per plane in today’s market.

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