15 April 1952 – First flight of the Boeing B-52 official name Stratofortress rarely used; informally, commonly referred to as BUFF (Big Ugly Fat Fucker/Fella). 72 aircraft in inventory as of 2022; 58 operated by active forces 18 by reserve and about 12 in long-term storage
@CcibChris I think you mean ‘rarely used’ as in the nick names as B52s flew a lot of missions in Vietnam. more bombs dropped than in all of WW2
@CcibChris I did a short thread because of a tweet @OnDisasters did - about the time the USAF lost 5 of these aircraft in the first 4 months of the year (1961). Dunno what it would have been like if it happened a year later..
@CcibChris Last one was built in 1962 so the newest B52 is 62 years old😳
@CcibChris Pretty cool watching them do a high speed low level pass (airshow)