Hi,
Just wondering if all B-52's in service are B-52H or is there a mix between the older models like G,E,F etc?

Thanks,
ZKNCL

All remaining in service are H-models.

I believe all the "E" models have been scrapped, only 1 or 2 "F" models are still around in museums. There are several "D" and "G" models as gate guards or museum peices. There are also several B-52Gs in flyable storage, I don't know how many, then there are about 100 "Gs" in various conditions of cut up for parts hulks for the "Hs". Only the B-52G can supply parts to the B-52H as the other models are just to different from the "H". Then there are the B-52Gs that are cut up and awaiting scrapping. I believe they still must stay that way due to the START-1 treaty, for about 10 more years.

There are two B-52B models still around, one at the SAC museum (actually it is a RB-52B) and the old NASA 52-007 airplane. There is also one or 2 B-52C models somewhere, one flown by P&W (I think it is grounded by now) and one that used to be flown by GE but is now grounded.

The 3 B-52As that were built were accepted by the USAF, but never palced in service. Boeing leased them back for early jet airplane testing, along with the YB-52 and XB-52. All 5 of these airplanes were scrapped in the 1960s.

Quoting KC135TopBoom (Reply 2): The 3 B-52As that were built were accepted by the USAF, but never palced in service. Boeing leased them back for early jet airplane testing, along with the YB-52 and XB-52. All 5 of these airplanes were scrapped in the 1960s.

Wasn't one of the B-52A aircraft a mother ship for the X-15 and didn't it fly well into the 60's and perhaps beyond?

Quoting ebj1248650 (Reply 3): Wasn't one of the B-52A aircraft a mother ship for the X-15 and didn't it fly well into the 60's and perhaps beyond?

Is this the plane you're thinking of?

[Edited 2011-05-03 19:32:30]

Quoting legs (Reply 4): Quoting ebj1248650 (Reply 3): Wasn't one of the B-52A aircraft a mother ship for the X-15 and didn't it fly well into the 60's and perhaps beyond? Is this the plane you're thinking of?

No, Balls 8 (52-008) was the NB-52B. Balls 3 (52-003), the first X-15 carrier, was the last of the three A* model B-52s built, and was retired to Pima in 1968. Balls 8 joined the X-15 program with the fifth or sixth X-15 flight.

*The three B-52As were never operational, but served as test aircraft for a while. The B-52Bs were the first operational variant. Ten of the Bs were originally ordered as As, but the order was converted and they were delivered in full B form.

Quoting legs (Reply 4): Is this the plane you're thinking of?

Well it was that one (or another just like it) that I saw on display outdoors at the Pima Air and Space Museum a few years back...

Quoting KC135TopBoom (Reply 2): There are two B-52B models still around, one at the SAC museum (actually it is a RB-52B) and the old NASA 52-007 airplane. There is also one or 2 B-52C models somewhere, one flown by P&W (I think it is grounded by now) and one that used to be flown by GE but is now grounded.

A number of years ago I visited the air museum at Travis AFB in northern California. They had a B-52(?) on display. Don't know what model it was. What struck me was how small it seemed. They had the bomb bay doors open and you could stand in the opening. Have no idea if that museum is still open or not. Recently on the Top 5 on a.net there was an aeriel view of Victorville looking down at dozens of B52's headed for the scrap heap. Had no idea there were that many left. Very old aircraft. Read something a while back where a grandson of a former B52 pilot was now piloting one! Amazing.

It'd be Davis-Monthan in Arizona, not Victorville.

I was picking up my boss at MCO last week and was I bit early. I went and check out the one they have on the north side of the airport. Tons of hornets nests under the wings and in the landing gear.

Quoting B737900 (Reply 7): A number of years ago I visited the air museum at Travis AFB in northern California. They had a B-52(?) on display. Don't know what model it was. What struck me was how small it seemed. They had the bomb bay doors open and you could stand in the opening. Have no idea if that museum is still open or not

That would be B-52D Tail # 56-0696 at SUU.

Here is a wikipedia list of the surviving B-52s, not counting the operational B-52Hs, or the B-52G/Hs in storage;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...rviving_Boeing_B-52_Stratofortress

AustraliaOn display
B-52G 59-2596, "2596 Darwin's Pride" at the Australian Aviation Heritage Centre in Darwin, Australia.[5][6]
[edit] South Korea
55-0105 at the War Memorial of KoreaOn display
B-52D 55-0105 at the War Memorial of Korea, Seoul, was operated by the 4258 SW at U-Tapao RTAFB in Thailand and the 96 BW at Dyess AFB, Texas.[7][8]
[edit] United KingdomOn display
B-52D 56-689 at the Imperial War Museum Duxford, Duxford, England, was operated by the 28th BW and 7th BW at Carswell AFB.
[edit] United StatesOn display

B-52B-5BO 52-005 at Wings Over The Rockies MuseumNB-52A 52-0003 a converted B-52A that was used by the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, California as the X-15 Launch Aircraft; now on display at the Pima Air & Space Museum adjacent to Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, Arizona and marked as 0003 The High and the Mighty One[9][10][11]
B-52B 52-0005 at the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum (former Lowry AFB), Denver, Colorado as " 005 ". ,was accepted on 3 March 1955, and operated by the 6515th Maintenance Group (Air Research & Development Command) at Edwards AFB, 93rd BW / 330th BS at Castle AFB, 3415th MSG (ATC) at Lowry AFB, then redesignated as a GB-25B training airframe at the Lowry Technical Training Center, withdrawn from service April 1982.[12][13](N39 43' 12.22" W104 53' 44.73")
NB-52B 52-0008 at the Edwards AFB Museum, California as " 0008 ", originally a B-52B then modified as a RB-52B then NB-52B. Assigned to NASA as Balls 8 for use as a mothership for the X-15, X-38, and X-43A, withdrawn from service on 17 December 2004.[14]
RB-52B 52-0013 at the National Atomic Museum adjacent to Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was originally a B-52B. One of the few B-52s to have actually dropped a nuclear weapon when it was assigned on 21 May 1956 to the Air Force Special Weapons Center for Operation Redwing (Cherokee) / TX-15-X1 Hydrogen Bomb test - Fred Island AFB.[15][16][17] (N35 03' 02.21" W106 33' 03.22")
RB-52B 52-8711 at the Strategic Air & Space Museum adjacent to Offutt AFB in Ashland, Nebraska, originally a B-52B.[18][19][20]

B-52B-10BO 52-008 at Edwards AFB Museum, Edwards AFB, California
55-0068 at the USAF History & Traditions Museum, Lackland AFB, Texas
55-0083 at the US Air Force Academy, in Colorado Springs, Colorado
56-612 at the former Castle AFB, CaliforniaB-52D 55-0068 at the History and Traditions Museum, Lackland AFB Texas[21] (N29 23' 01.37" W98 38' 00.75")
B-52D 55-0071 at the USS Alabama (BB-60) Battleship Memorial Park, Mobile, Alabama as 0071 "Calamity Jane ".[22][23][24] (N30 40' 58.99" W88 00' 59.19")
B-52D 55-0083 at the USAF Academy, Colorado as 083 "Diamond Lil". Was operated by the 7th BW, and in the Vietnam War participated in Linebacker II (also known as the Christmas Bombings), Tail gunner A1C Albert E. Moore credited with a MiG-21 Kill on 24 December 1972. Also based with the 96th BW at Dyess AFB [25][26][27](N39 01' 16.44" W104 51' 01.82")
B-52D 55-0085 at the Museum of Aviation, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, was operated by the 99th BW at Andersen AFB, Guam and the 7th BW at Carswell AFB, Texas.[28][29]
B-52D 55-0094 Kansas Aviation Museum near McConnell AFB in Wichita, Kansas, accepted by the USAF on 30 April 1957 and participated in Arclight.[30]
B-52D 56-0585 at the Air Force Flight Test Center Museum at Edwards AFB, California.
B-52D 56-0586 at the Arc Light Memorial, Andersen AFB, Guam painted as " 55-0100 ".
B-52D 56-0589 converted to GB-52D at Sheppard AFB, Texas.
B-52D 56-0612 at the Castle Air Museum (former Castle AFB), Atwater, California, was operated by the 93d BW at Castle AFB.[31]
B-52D 56-0629 at the Eighth Air Force Museum, Barksdale AFB, Louisiana as " 0629 ", was accepted by the USAF in October 1957 and was operated by the 4258SW at U-Tapao.(N32 30' 54.61" W93 41' 03.05")
B-52D 55-0057 at Maxwell AFB, Alabama, was operated by the 306th BW at McCoy AFB, Florida and the 7th BW at Carswell AFB, Texas.[32][33]
B-52D 55-0062 at the K.I. Sawyer Heritage Air Museum on the former K.I. Sawyer AFB, Michigan, accepted by the USAF in February 1957.[34][35]
B-52D 55-0067 at the Pima Air & Space Museum, adjacent to Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, Arizona as " 067 The Lone Star Lady ", was operated by the 7th BW at Carswell AFB and withdrawn from service on 5 November 1982.[36][37][38]
B-52D 55-0677 at the Yankee Air Museum, Willow Run Airport, Ypsilanti, Michigan as " 677 ", was operated by the 43rd BW at Andersen AFB, Guam and participated in Linebacker II aspart of the 96th BW at Dyess AFB, Texas.[39]
B-52D 55-0679 at the March Field Air Museum, March Air Reserve Base (former March AFB) in Riverside, California as " 679 ". Was accepted by the USAF on 5 June 1957 and operated by the 92nd BW at [[Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota; 494th BW at Sheppard AFB, Texas; 509th BW at Pease AFB, New Hampshire and Andersen AFB, Guam; 454th BW at March AFB, California; 22nd BW at Andersen AFB, Guam; 99th BW at Andersen AFB and U-Tapao RTAFB, Thailand;, 43rd SW at U-Tapao RTAFB;, 7th BW at Carswell AFB, Texas; 99th BW at Andersen AFB and U-Tapao; 22nd BW at March AFB; 43rd SW at Andersen AFB and participated in Linebacker II;, 7th BW at Carswell AFB; 22nd BW at March AFB, 175 combat missions, became a training airframe as a GB-52D and withdrawn from service in 1992.[40]
B-52D 55-0657 at the South Dakota Air & Space Museum; also based with the 96th BW at Dyess AFB, Texas. Ellsworth AFB, Rapid City, South Dakota (N44 07' 59.81" W103 04' 25.52")
B-52D 55-0659 at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona; also based with the 96th BW at Dyess AFB, Texas.
B-52D 56-0665 at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio, was operated by the 97th BW at Blytheville AFB, Arkansas.[41][42]
B-52D 56-0676 at the Armed Forces & Aerospace Museum, Fairchild AFB, Washington as, operated in the Vietnam War and participated in Operation Linebacker II (aka Christmas Bombings), credited as a MiG Killer on 18 December 1972 when Tail gunner SSgt Samuel O. Turner downed a MiG-21. Also based with the 96th BW at Dyess AFB, Texas.[25] (18 December 1972)[43][44]
B-52D 56-0683 at Whiteman AFB, Missouri (N38 44'21.95" W93 33' 31.70"W)
B-52D 56-0685 at Dyess Linear Air Park, Dyess AFB, Texas (N32 25' 59.92" W99 48' 54.26")

B-52D-40BW 56-0687 at Orlando International Airport/former McCoy AFBB-52D 56-0687 at the B-52 Memorial Park, Orlando International Airport (former McCoy AFB), Orlando, Florida, was operated by the 7th BW at Carswell AFB, Texas.[45] (N28 26' 58.72" W81 18' 46.07")
B-52D 56-0695 at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma (N35 25' 59.69" W07 24' 18.42")
B-52D 56-0696 at the Travis Air Museum, Travis AFB, California as "Twilight D'Lite".[46][47]
B-52F 57-0038 was at the Oklahoma City State Fairground but is being relocated to Palmdale Airpark, Palmdale, California [48][49]
B-52G 57-6468 at Offutt AFB, Nebraska (N41 08' 05.50" W95 55' 29.83")
B-52G 57-6509 at the Eighth Air Force Museum at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana as " 6509 Nine O Nine II ", was operated by the 2nd BW at Barksdale AFB and the 801st BW(P) at Moron AB, Spain during Operation Desert Storm.[50][51][52](N32 30' 56.38" W93 41' 05.49")
B-52G 58-0183 at the Pima Air & Space Museum adjacent to Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, Arizona as " 0183 Valkyrie ", was operated by the 2nd BW / 596th BS at Barksdale AFB, assigned in January 1991 to Operation Secret Squirrel, withdrawn from service in July 1991.[53][54]
B-52G 58-0185 at the Air Force Armament Museum at Eglin AFB, Florida as " 0185 El Lobo II", first assigned to the 4135th Strategic Wing, Strategic Air Command, Eglin AFB, September 1959; last assigned to the 2nd Bomb Wing, Barksdale AFB, Louisiana.[55]
B-52G 58-0191 at the Hill Aerospace Museum at Hill AFB, Utah as " 0191 Bearin' Arms ", was accepted into service on 16 October 1959 and operated by the 72nd BW at Ramey AFB, Puerto Rico; 456th BW at Beale AFB, California and Andersen AFB, Guam; 17th BW at Andersen AFB, Guam and Robins AFB, Georgia; 2nd BW at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana; 320th BW at Mather AFB, California; 97th BW at Blytheville AFB, Arkansas and Edwards AFB, California; 62nd BW at Fairchild AFB, Washington; 93rd BW at Castle AFB, California; 2nd BW at Barksdale AFB, 93rd BW at Castle AFB, then withdrawn from service in August 1991,[56][57][58]
B-52G 58-0225 at the Griffiss AFB Museum (former Griffiss AFB) in Rome, New York as " 0225 Mohawk Valley ", was operated by the 416th BW.[59]
B-52G 59-2584 at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington [60]
B-52G 59-2577 on display at Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota
B-52G 59-2601 at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia.
B-52H 61-0025 is a maintenance trainer at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas

Quoting KC135TopBoom (Reply 10): B-52F 57-0038 was at the Oklahoma City State Fairground but is being relocated to Palmdale Airpark, Palmdale, California [48][49]

The BUFF at Palmdale is a mix of airplane parts. Engines 1,2,3,4 are off a D model, 5,6,7,8 are off a F model. The airframe is a F Model. Too bad they can't get the correct engine pods for the left side of the airplane.

David

Are there any issues cropping up in the B-52 fleet that are causes for concern? Corrosion, stress cracks, etc?

Quoting boeing767mech (Reply 11): Quoting KC135TopBoom (Reply 10): B-52F 57-0038 was at the Oklahoma City State Fairground but is being relocated to Palmdale Airpark, Palmdale, California [48][49] The BUFF at Palmdale is a mix of airplane parts. Engines 1,2,3,4 are off a D model, 5,6,7,8 are off a F model. The airframe is a F Model. Too bad they can't get the correct engine pods for the left side of the airplane.

It would seem to me they could get the correct version, or next closest versions of the J-57 engines for that B-52F. Both the B-52F and B-52G used the same J-57-43WB engines, and the KC-135A/Q used the J-57-59W engines. The major difference between the -43WB and -59W engines is the location of the CSD (I believe) and the -59W engine used more stainless steel in its internal burner cans construction. The B-52D used the J-57-P8A engines**.

The easiest way to identify the difference between the J-57-P8A engine and the J-57-43W, -43WB, or -59W engines is the -P8A had the oil cooler in the center of the engine inlet, and both the -43W/WB and -59W engines had a chin inlet below the engine inlet for the oil cooler, and also had the 'doggy dick' in the center of the engine inlet.

** the KC-135A prototype, tail number 55-3112, which later became KC-135A #1, and the next 5 new KC-135As, were originally equipped with 4 of the same J-57-P8A engines used on the B-52D/E, which were the 'inproduction' B-52 models in 1955 and 1956 when the first group of 29 KC-135As entered production (the remaining 23 of these new tankers were built with the J-57-43W engine). These engines were replaced (and recycled back to the B-52D/E line) with the newer, higher thrust J-57-43W engines of the B-52F/G (which actually had the -43WB engines with the exhaust noise baffels), and later again to the more durable (but same thrust level) -59W engines. The -43W engines were 'upgraded to the -43WB configueration and put onto the B-52Gs.

Are their any surviving YB-52? I think their where 6 built and used as test aircraft. If their are any surviving aircraft where could I see one?



http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/...-strat/b52_50th/images/p-13414.jpg

Quoting sonic67 (Reply 14): Are their any surviving YB-52? I think their where 6 built and used as test aircraft. If their are any surviving aircraft where could I see one?

There were really only five B-52s that could be considered test airframes.

There were two preproduction B-52s built, the XB-52 and the YB-52 (one of each). They're easily distinguished by their tandem cockpits. The three B-52As built were never put in service* and functioned as test aircraft, the third of which ultimately ended up as NASA's NB-52A ("Balls Three") made famous by it's role as an X-15 carrier. Of those five aircraft, only the NB-52A survives at the Pima Air & Space Museum.


*the B-52Bs were the fist operational model, and 10 ordered B-52As were completed as B models

I read in Air International today that there is a proposed subvariant of the H model. Apparently USAF needs to get rid of some nuclear launchers for treaty purposes & proposes to convert some H models to a strictly conventional role.

An external modification is neccessary for satellite verification purposes. I wonder if they'll bring back the leading edge wing root fairing?

G Model on the left with the fairing - H Model on the right without it:

View Large View Medium Photo © Henk Schuitemaker

View Large View Medium Photo © Markus Willmann

I believe the original purpose of the fairing was to distinguish cruise missile carrying G models. With the G retired I see no reason the same mod could not be used on conventional only H models.

[Edited 2011-05-31 14:43:51]