The B-52 bomber was used to replace the B-36 bomber for strategic bombing mission. It was developed by Boeing Company of the United States, and the design scheme was put forward in 1948. The first prototype flew in 1952, and the batch production of 1955 began to be put into use, and B-52A, B, C and D were developed successively.
There are 76 B-52 aircraft in active service, which is still the main force of strategic bombing of the US Air Force. The US Air Force budget allows the B-52 to serve all the way to 2050, which makes the service time as high as 90 years. One of the reasons why the US military is willing to let the B-52 continue to serve is that the B-52 is the only model among the US strategic bombers that can launch cruise missiles.
Development background
1June, 945, when the war against Japan was not over, the US Army Air Force (USAAF) instructed the Aviation Equipment Command (AMC) to conduct pre-research on the new generation of bombers after the war. The island battle with the Japanese for the B-29 for the forward base was extremely cruel and bloody. After the war, the long-range strategic bombers must first get rid of their high dependence on the forward base or the transfer base.
If the development of the B-36 is based on the transatlantic strategic bombing, then the experience and lessons of the Pacific battlefield undoubtedly further strengthen the desire for the US military's intercontinental voyage.