B-52H Stratofortress

The B-52 Stratofortress is the longest serving aircraft in USAF history at well over 50 years on the job, and it will continue to serve the Air Force until at least 2045. The B-52H is the only remaining variant available with 92 aircraft of this type, and the last B-52 built was in 1962. It has gone through a plethora of performance upgrades throughout its service history, with the latest one being an Advanced Weapons Integration system which allows it to independently drop modern GPS-guided JDAMS and LGB's. It can hold up to 51 conventional Mk.82 GBU's and is projected to carry up to 180 of the new GBU-39 small-diameter bombs. It also has the ability to air-drop cruise missiles from stand-off distances with pinpoint accuracy. All variants of the B-52 up to the B-52G were armed with four .50 caliber machine guns in the tail to defend against hostile fighters, with the B-52H being armed with a 20mm M61 Vulcan cannon until the mid-1990's when the cannon was removed due to changes in technology and Air Force doctrine rendering such defensive armaments obsolete due to long range missiles. Its eight TF33-P-3/103 turbofan engines can carry a maximum payload up to a range of 8,800 miles, but in-flight refueling can extend its range infinitely with the only limitations being the endurance of the crew. It is supposed to be eventually replaced by the. Except from the H-Variant, which had no cannons, all the variants had either 1 or 4 cannons/guns, all in the same turret spot.

Notable Pilots/Units

 * Viking Squadron (OADF/AC5)
 * Otto Squadron (BAF/ACZ)
 * Dusky Shark (REAF/AC6)
 * Hammerhead (REAF/AC6)
 * Hound Shark (REAF/AC6)
 * Mother (UAD/ACA)

Comparable Aircraft

 * Tu-95 Bear
 * Avro Vulcan
 * BM-335

Source

 * Global Security - http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/systems/b-52.htm