For over 35 years B-52 Stratofortress has been the primary manned strategic bomber force for the United States. The B-52 is capable of dropping or launching a significant array of weapons in U.S. inventory. This includes gravity bombs, cluster bombs and precision guided missiles.
An appreciation of the uniqueness of the B-52 requires a study of more than 35 years of modifications, missions, and changes in national security strategy. One must consider not only the roles and missions, but change profiles, tactics, weapons and upgrades in order to focus on the adaptation process. Certain key features that have made process - without these features, the B-52 have not met the challenges of almost three decades of service.
