B-52 Stratofortress: The Complete History of the World's Longest Serving and Best Known Bomber - Tapa dura

The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress—it’s an epic aircraft, the longest-serving combat aircraft in the U.S. Air Force. Known as the BUFF (standing for Big Ugly Fat Fellow), it entered operational service in 1955 and is slated to continue as a vital part of the USAF inventory through the middle of the twenty-first century, giving it an unprecedented ninety years of front-line service. From its beginning, the B-52 was a mainstay of America’s Cold War nuclear deterrent, the manned bomber that augmented land-based and submarine-based missile forces. Due to its extreme versatility, dependability, and low operating costs, it has seen combat service in all of America’s hot wars since 1965: Vietnam, both Gulf Wars, and the war in Afghanistan. In B-52 Stratofortress, Bill Yenne covers every aspect of the BUFF’s development, manufacture, modification, and combat service. This six-decade success story is illustrated with over 200 photographs, providing a rich historic overview of this aviation and military icon.