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Combat aircraftIn service
Strategic heavy bomber
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a strategic heavy bomber originating in United States. It was built by Boeing. Reported operators include United States Air Force NASA (historical).
United StatesBoeing B-52 Stratofortress
Airman 1st Class Victor J. Caputo · Public domain · Resized · Public domain · Source ↗ · ModifiedStrategic heavy bomber
United States
Boeing
In service
United States Air Force NASA (historical)
744
1952–1962
February 1955
15 April 1952 ( 1952-04-15 )
5 ( pilot , copilot , weapon systems officer , navigator , electronic warfare officer )
159 ft 4 in (48.5 m)
185 ft 0 in (56.4 m)
40 ft 8 in (12.4 m)
4,000 sq ft (370 m 2 )
185,000 lb (83,250 kg)
265,000 lb (120,000 kg)
488,000 lb (221,323 kg)
312,197 lb (141,610 kg), 47,975 US gal (181,610 L; 39,948 imp gal)
8 × Pratt & Whitney TF33 -P-3/103 turbofans , 17,000 lbf (76 kN) thrust each
650 mph (1,050 km/h, 560 kn)
509 mph (819 km/h, 442 kn)
8,800 mi (14,200 km, 7,600 nmi)
10,145 mi (16,327 km, 8,816 nmi)
50,000 ft (15,000 m)
6,270 ft/min (31.85 m/s)
1 × 20 mm (0.787 in) M61 Vulcan cannon originally mounted in a remote-controlled tail turret on the H-model, removed in 1991 from all operational aircraft.
NACA 63A219.3 mod root, NACA 65A209.5 tip
0.0119 (estimated)
47.60 sq ft (4.42 m 2 )
8.56
120 lb/sq ft (586 kg/m 2 )
0.31
21.5 (estimated)
Approximately 70,000 lb (32,000 kg) mixed ordnance; bombs, mines, missiles, in various configurations.
Reference text from Wikipedia contributors, used under CC BY-SA 4.0.
True scale
Sourced dimensions beside a 1.75 m human reference.
Points represent sourced observations, including revisions. Revisions on the same effective date are not separate inventory events. Ranges appear in the table and are not plotted as exact points.
| Observation / report period | Value | Source | Claim state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Sept 2026 | 48.5 m | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress equipment records. Variants, orders and quantities are shown as reported in each inventory source; coverage is incomplete.
United StatesUS Air Force (USAF) exact named equipment holdings: B-52H Stratofortress (46 nuclear capable). Active, operational-reserve and training units excluding equipment in store; November 2025 IISS assessment. Named service only; no parent-force or national total inferred. Source role: AIRCRAFT / BBR. Original estimates, ranges, reporting names, reserve, lease and employment scopes retained; nested included counts are not added. Missile-system quantities mean launchers, not rounds. No readiness, crew, carried weapon, payload, factory-production or future order count inherited.
US Air Force • Global Strike Command exact named equipment holdings: B-52H Stratofortress. Active, operational-reserve and training units excluding equipment in store; November 2025 IISS assessment. Named service only; no parent-force or national total inferred. Source role: AIRCRAFT / BBR. Original estimates, ranges, reporting names, reserve, lease and employment scopes retained; nested included counts are not added. Missile-system quantities mean launchers, not rounds. No readiness, crew, carried weapon, payload, factory-production or future order count inherited.
Air Force Reserve Command 65,450 reservists exact named equipment holdings: B-52H Stratofortress. Active, operational-reserve and training units excluding equipment in store; November 2025 IISS assessment. Named service only; no parent-force or national total inferred. Source role: AIRCRAFT / BBR. Original estimates, ranges, reporting names, reserve, lease and employment scopes retained; nested included counts are not added. Missile-system quantities mean launchers, not rounds. No readiness, crew, carried weapon, payload, factory-production or future order count inherited.
Reported count for B-52H Stratofortress. Service scope: Air Force; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Excludes retired/reserve/on-order rows. Count column(s): inventory: 72. Origin: USA. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.