Boeing NB-52A Stratofortress "The High and Mighty One"
One of the lessons of World War II was that the United States would not always be able to count on friendly nations to base its bombers in—England had come very close to being overrun, which had been the impetus behind the B-29 Superfortress and the B-36 Peacemaker. In addition to this, the weight of nuclear bombs at the time was such that very large aircraft would be required to carry them. Looking ahead to a replacement of the B-36, a specification was issued for an aircraft that could fly 10,000 pounds of ordnance 5000 miles to a target, and back, at 300 mph. Boeing was awarded the contract in June 1946 with its Model 462, a gigantic six-engined aircraft that would carry two crews; it was designated the XB-52. The USAF soon had second thoughts and asked Boeing for a smaller bomber with the same specifications.
This began an arduous process and the XB-52 went through several different designs, scaling down the design, adding wing sweep, and moving from piston engine to turboprop design. All were rejected by the USAF as being no improvement over the B-36 in speed. After being rejected again on 21 October 1948 by the USAF’s chief of bomber development, a team of Boeing engineers locked themselves in a hotel room for the weekend, only leaving to buy supplies at a hobby shop. By that Monday, the USAF was given the Model 464-49 and a model to go along with it: a swept-wing bomber powered by eight jets. At last, the USAF was satisfied, and objections to the engines were swept aside by Curtis LeMay, head of Strategic Air Command: the engines, he stated, would catch up to the design.
Finally, Boeing rolled out the first XB-52 in April 1952; the USAF had already ordered 13 B-52As by this time, with the only major change to the design a switch from B-47 style tandem seating to a more traditional flight deck. So successful was the test program that only three B-52As were built: the Stratofortress, as Boeing had named it, was ordered into full production as the B-52B.
While teething problems, such as fuel leaks, plagued the B-52 fleet in the 1950s, it was considered very successful, rapidly replacing first the B-36 and then the B-47. It showed its global reach in an around-the-world flight in January 1957, which easily broke the previous record set by B-50s. The B-52’s range and loiter time was proven in Chrome Dome and Giant Lance deployments, where bombers from the continental United States would fly to points around the Soviet Union, wait at “fail-safe” locations in case of nuclear war, and then return to base. Following the Cuban Missile Crisis, it was thought that the B-52 force would not survive against Soviet surface-to-air missiles, and B-52s were switched to low-level penetration duties. There was fear that this would overstress the airframe, but the BUFF (Big Ugly Fat Fellow) soldiered on.
Though built for nuclear war, the B-52 was to instead find its first combat high over the jungles of Vietnam. Because the B-52 flew at such high altitude and was capable of carrying an enormous bombload, it was hoped that B-52 strikes could surprise the Viet Cong and destroy them en masse in their jungle strongholds. Codenamed Operation Arc Light, the first B-52 mission was undertaken by a mix of B-52Es and Fs in June 1965. To increase bombloads even more, the B-52D force was modified under Project Big Belly to carry over a hundred 750-pound bombs, for a total bombload of 60,000 pounds. These were first used operationally during the Battle of Ia Drang Valley in November 1965.
The effects of Arc Light were mixed: because of both operational restrictions and Rules of Engagement, VC and North Vietnamese Army units would often be gone by the time the B-52s arrived, with the bombs doing little but rearranging the South Vietnamese landscape. When a VC/NVA unit was caught in the open, however, as at Khe Sanh, the results were devastating. Several North Vietnamese divisions were destroyed in Operation Niagara, mass B-52 strikes around the besieged Marine base.
While B-52s had been prevented by restrictions from going into North Vietnam, those restrictions were gradually ended by President Richard Nixon, beginning in 1971. Unlike in South Vietnam, B-52s would be facing a much higher antiaircraft threat over North Vietnam, especially from SAMs and MiG fighters. With this in mind, the B-52D force was equipped with the latest in electronic countermeasures under Project Rivet Rambler. The B-52s were sent north during Operation Linebacker (May-October 1972) but on a limited basis; the real test would come during Operation Linebacker II in December 1972, when the B-52 attacked Hanoi itself. The B-52Ds came off better than the later G models also committed to action: due to their Rivet Rambler ECM, SAM fire control radars had a difficult time locking on in the mass of jamming in B-52D cells. Of the 17 B-52s lost during Operation Linebacker II, only two were B-52Ds. As for their effectiveness, by the end of Operation Linebacker II, North Vietnam was effectively rendered defenseless and quickly returned to the negotiation table.
Vietnam was the swan song for the “tall-tail” D models. With the B-52Bs out of service and the B-52E/Fs withdrawn by 1978, the B-52D continued in service until 1982, when it was withdrawn from service, having hit the end of its airframe life. The B-52 was to continue on, but the next wars would be fought by comparatively newer, “short-tail” B-52G/Hs. 28 B-52Ds survive in museums today, including both MiG-killer aircraft.
The grandaddy of them all, this is 52-0003, the third B-52 built, one of only three B-52As produced, and the oldest B-52 in existence. It never entered frontline service, and was kept by Boeing as a JB-52A testbed until 1957, when it was converted to a NB-52A carrier aircraft for the X-15 program. A large pylon was mounted on the right wing, which was modified so the X-15's tail would clear the wing. Named "The High and Mighty One" and given a bald eagle as nose art, it would fly 72 X-15 missions, along with 17 missions with experimental lifting body aircraft, such as the M2-F2 and X-24. All missions were flown from Edwards AFB under the auspices of the USAF Flight Test Center.
In 1969, "The High and Mighty One" was retired, as the lifting body program began to wind down; a slightly younger NB-52B, "Balls 8," was already taking over most of the mothership duties. It was flown to Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona for storage. By 1981, there was fear that this historic aircraft might be scrapped, so it was donated to the Pima Air and Space Museum.
The aircraft was on display for many years in Pima's main display area, but recently it was towed over to the museum's storage corner and stripped of paint, as the intent (as I understand it) is to completely refurbish and repaint it as it appeared during the X-15 missions. It is not accessible to the public per se, but going over to the museum's firefighting aircraft collection gives you a good view of the legendary "High and Mighty One."
Boeing NB-52A Stratofortress "The High and Mighty One"
One of the lessons of World War II was that the United States would not always be able to count on friendly nations to base its bombers in—England had come very close to being overrun, which had been the impetus behind the B-29 Superfortress and the B-36 Peacemaker. In addition to this, the weight of nuclear bombs at the time was such that very large aircraft would be required to carry them. Looking ahead to a replacement of the B-36, a specification was issued for an aircraft that could fly 10,000 pounds of ordnance 5000 miles to a target, and back, at 300 mph. Boeing was awarded the contract in June 1946 with its Model 462, a gigantic six-engined aircraft that would carry two crews; it was designated the XB-52. The USAF soon had second thoughts and asked Boeing for a smaller bomber with the same specifications.
This began an arduous process and the XB-52 went through several different designs, scaling down the design, adding wing sweep, and moving from piston engine to turboprop design. All were rejected by the USAF as being no improvement over the B-36 in speed. After being rejected again on 21 October 1948 by the USAF’s chief of bomber development, a team of Boeing engineers locked themselves in a hotel room for the weekend, only leaving to buy supplies at a hobby shop. By that Monday, the USAF was given the Model 464-49 and a model to go along with it: a swept-wing bomber powered by eight jets. At last, the USAF was satisfied, and objections to the engines were swept aside by Curtis LeMay, head of Strategic Air Command: the engines, he stated, would catch up to the design.
Finally, Boeing rolled out the first XB-52 in April 1952; the USAF had already ordered 13 B-52As by this time, with the only major change to the design a switch from B-47 style tandem seating to a more traditional flight deck. So successful was the test program that only three B-52As were built: the Stratofortress, as Boeing had named it, was ordered into full production as the B-52B.
While teething problems, such as fuel leaks, plagued the B-52 fleet in the 1950s, it was considered very successful, rapidly replacing first the B-36 and then the B-47. It showed its global reach in an around-the-world flight in January 1957, which easily broke the previous record set by B-50s. The B-52’s range and loiter time was proven in Chrome Dome and Giant Lance deployments, where bombers from the continental United States would fly to points around the Soviet Union, wait at “fail-safe” locations in case of nuclear war, and then return to base. Following the Cuban Missile Crisis, it was thought that the B-52 force would not survive against Soviet surface-to-air missiles, and B-52s were switched to low-level penetration duties. There was fear that this would overstress the airframe, but the BUFF (Big Ugly Fat Fellow) soldiered on.
Though built for nuclear war, the B-52 was to instead find its first combat high over the jungles of Vietnam. Because the B-52 flew at such high altitude and was capable of carrying an enormous bombload, it was hoped that B-52 strikes could surprise the Viet Cong and destroy them en masse in their jungle strongholds. Codenamed Operation Arc Light, the first B-52 mission was undertaken by a mix of B-52Es and Fs in June 1965. To increase bombloads even more, the B-52D force was modified under Project Big Belly to carry over a hundred 750-pound bombs, for a total bombload of 60,000 pounds. These were first used operationally during the Battle of Ia Drang Valley in November 1965.
The effects of Arc Light were mixed: because of both operational restrictions and Rules of Engagement, VC and North Vietnamese Army units would often be gone by the time the B-52s arrived, with the bombs doing little but rearranging the South Vietnamese landscape. When a VC/NVA unit was caught in the open, however, as at Khe Sanh, the results were devastating. Several North Vietnamese divisions were destroyed in Operation Niagara, mass B-52 strikes around the besieged Marine base.
While B-52s had been prevented by restrictions from going into North Vietnam, those restrictions were gradually ended by President Richard Nixon, beginning in 1971. Unlike in South Vietnam, B-52s would be facing a much higher antiaircraft threat over North Vietnam, especially from SAMs and MiG fighters. With this in mind, the B-52D force was equipped with the latest in electronic countermeasures under Project Rivet Rambler. The B-52s were sent north during Operation Linebacker (May-October 1972) but on a limited basis; the real test would come during Operation Linebacker II in December 1972, when the B-52 attacked Hanoi itself. The B-52Ds came off better than the later G models also committed to action: due to their Rivet Rambler ECM, SAM fire control radars had a difficult time locking on in the mass of jamming in B-52D cells. Of the 17 B-52s lost during Operation Linebacker II, only two were B-52Ds. As for their effectiveness, by the end of Operation Linebacker II, North Vietnam was effectively rendered defenseless and quickly returned to the negotiation table.
Vietnam was the swan song for the “tall-tail” D models. With the B-52Bs out of service and the B-52E/Fs withdrawn by 1978, the B-52D continued in service until 1982, when it was withdrawn from service, having hit the end of its airframe life. The B-52 was to continue on, but the next wars would be fought by comparatively newer, “short-tail” B-52G/Hs. 28 B-52Ds survive in museums today, including both MiG-killer aircraft.
The grandaddy of them all, this is 52-0003, the third B-52 built, one of only three B-52As produced, and the oldest B-52 in existence. It never entered frontline service, and was kept by Boeing as a JB-52A testbed until 1957, when it was converted to a NB-52A carrier aircraft for the X-15 program. A large pylon was mounted on the right wing, which was modified so the X-15's tail would clear the wing. Named "The High and Mighty One" and given a bald eagle as nose art, it would fly 72 X-15 missions, along with 17 missions with experimental lifting body aircraft, such as the M2-F2 and X-24. All missions were flown from Edwards AFB under the auspices of the USAF Flight Test Center.
In 1969, "The High and Mighty One" was retired, as the lifting body program began to wind down; a slightly younger NB-52B, "Balls 8," was already taking over most of the mothership duties. It was flown to Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona for storage. By 1981, there was fear that this historic aircraft might be scrapped, so it was donated to the Pima Air and Space Museum.
The aircraft was on display for many years in Pima's main display area, but recently it was towed over to the museum's storage corner and stripped of paint, as the intent (as I understand it) is to completely refurbish and repaint it as it appeared during the X-15 missions. It is not accessible to the public per se, but going over to the museum's firefighting aircraft collection gives you a good view of the legendary "High and Mighty One."