Remotely Piloted Vehicles (RPVs)

Page 39

---

B-52 Stratofortress–Bush, George Herbert Walker

B-52 Stratofortress

Nicknamed the Big Ugly Fat Fellow (BUFF), the B-52 played a pivotal role in the saturation bombing phase of the air war over Kuwait and Iraq. Built by Boeing, the B-52 has survived through three generations of warriors and wars. It made its first flight in 1952 and joined the Strategic Air Command (SAC) two years later. During the Vietnam War the craft was a main component in the military’s Operation Arc Light carpet-bombing of North Vietnamese targets.

Due to its long-range capabilities, the B-52D and B-52F models were used during the Vietnam War, flown out of Anderson Air Force Base in Guam. Because the B-52F could carry only 27 500-pound (227 kg) bombs, the B-52D was expanded to accommodate a heavier load. The variants of B-52 used during the Persian Gulf conflict were the B-52G and the B-52H, with only minor differences between the two. During the saturation bombing stage of the Persian Gulf War, the Air Force fully utilized the B-52’s ability to drop some 60,000 pounds (27,216 kg) of bombs on the enemy at one time. Altogether, these two B-52 variants flew a total of 1,741 sorties in the Kuwaiti Theatre of Operations (KTO). With a wingspan of 185 feet (56.4 m) and a length of 160 feet 11 inches (49 m), the B-52 variants currently in use are powered by eight Pratt & Whitney TF33-P-3 turbofan engines, have an unrefueled combat radius of 10,145 miles (8,000 km), and can fly at a ceiling of 55,000 feet (16,768 m). Its armament power is mindboggling: The B-52 can carry 84 500-pound (227 kg) bombs in its internal bomb bay, and an additional 24 can be affixed to the wings with pylons.