LEGENDARY
B52
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress
The BUFF
“Still flying after 70 years. Still terrifying.”
Boeing · military
Length
159 ft 4 in
Wingspan
185 ft 0 in
Max speed
560 kts
Range
8,800 nmi
Ceiling
50,000 ft
Engines
8x Pratt & Whitney TF33-P-3
Crew
5
Payload
70,000 lbs ordnance
First flight
1952
In service
1955–present
Built
744
The B-52 Stratofortress first flew in 1952 and is expected to serve until 2050 — nearly a century of service. It's been re-engined, re-winged, and re-armed, but that iconic silhouette hasn't changed.
Fun fact
B-52s are being flown by pilots whose grandparents flew the same airframe. Some B-52s are older than the pilots' grandmothers.
How to spot one
Eight engines in four paired pods. Enormous swept wing that flexes visibly. Bicycle landing gear. Flying since the 1950s.
Crews call it
The BUFF
Sounds like
Eight engines create an unmistakable low-frequency roar. On takeoff, the sound is earth-shaking.
One might be overhead right now.
Bogey turns the The BUFF from a dot in the sky into a card in your logbook. Coming to iOS and Android.
Get Bogey