Flight Craft 31: Boeing B-52 Stratofortress - Ben Skipper

Descriere Flight Craft 31: Boeing B-52 Stratofortress - Ben Skipper

The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress revolutionized strategic bombing with its versatility and endurance, shaping American military power globally. \n \nFirst flown in 1952, the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress became the ultimate expression of Cold War very heavy bomber design. The last of the famous 'Fortress' series of aircraft produced by the legendary Seattle-based company, the B-52 was created over a weekend in a hotel suite in Ohio, resulting in a design that gave America's post-war Strategic Air Command, led by General Curtis Le May, an additional nuclear-capable edge. \n \nThe B-52 was almost as big as Convair's B-36 Peacemaker, the largest serial-produced piston-powered aircraft ever built. The B-52 could carry a very similar bomb load, but flew it further, higher and faster. The turbojet-powered B-52 utilized techniques Boeing had learned from the Model 450 B-47 Stratojet and was designed to meet the Strategic Air Command's ever-changing needs in the nuclear age. \n \nLike its predecessors, Boeing's B-52 proved to be a highly flexible aircraft, capable of carrying increasing payloads, meaning it has remained in service well beyond its expected lifespan. Over the decades the B-52 gradually become a strategic and tactical airborne platform capable of delivering evermore deadly attacks against targets in various environments, from jungle to arid mountains. The B-52 had become the universal tool for commanders on the ground and a symbol of American military power, capable of striking a target anywhere in the world - as evidenced by its deployment in, for example, the Vietnam War and the Gulf War. Such was its potency, that the USAF and Boeing had developed an aeroplane of such importance that it now seems impossible to discuss conventional air power without including the B-52. \n \nThis Flight Craft title offers the aviation enthusiast, historian and modeller an exciting selection of B-52-related resources through photographs, illustrations and excellent showcase examples to help build their own versions of this fearsome military aircraft. \nSkipper has an open-narrative style and has conducted thorough research on B-52 evolution. His book provides an excellent overview of this aircraft, valuable to aviation enthusiasts, military historians, and general readers interested in the role of strategic airpower in modern conflict. -The Journal of the Air Force Historical Foundation \n \nFirst flown in 1952, the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress became the ultim

Detalii

Brand

PEN SWORD BOOKS LTD

Categorie

ENSTK

EAN / GTIN

9781399080033

Magazine

1

Disponibilitate

in stock