Books about Stratofortresses from Amazon.com

Boeing's mighty B-52 Stratofortress has seen continuous operational service with the United States Air Force since the type was introduced in 1957. The aircraft has been upgraded several times and has assumed many different new roles since it was originally conceived and then provided the key airborne platform for America's strategic nuclear force. It is predicted that it will serve as a front-line aircraft until 2040.

Apart from the formidable threat it provided during the long years of the 'Cold War', the aircraft has played a significant part in all US overseas operations since Vietnam. The more recent include Desert Storm in 1991, the Balkan conflict, Afghanistan and the liberation of Iraq. Over 700 were built and around 80 remain in service.

This book includes chapters on Concept Requirement, Design and Development, Production, Evolution and Variant Models, Operational Tasking, Operational History (with first-hand accounts from crews), Weapons and Equipment Carried, Flying the Aircraft and Current Service Operations.

t will be highly illustrated with many original shots taken aboard B-52s, together with archive material and also color profiles..
Price: $31.49 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Designed to form the backbone of Strategic Air Command’s nuclear deterrent, the B-52 force was brought to higher states of readiness whenever crisis threatened the USA, most notably when Kennedy and Khruschev went eyeball-to-eyeball over Cuba. Soon afterwards, B-52s formed the backbone of the USAF’s bombing campaign in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. This book follows the story of the B-52 from its genesis to its first combat missions in June 1965 and through to the briefly sustained but bloodily fought Linebacker II offensive in late 1972. Even after the withdrawal of US forces in 1973, B-52s remained in-theatre, flying training missions mainly from Guam..
Price: $8.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

In the space of 11 days, B-52 Stratofortresses flew 729 sorties against 34 targets in North Vietnam They expended over 15,000 tons of ordnance in the process. Bomb damage assessment revealed 1,600 military structures damaged or destroyed, 500 railroad interdictions, 372 pieces of rolling stock damaged or destroyed, and three million gallons of petroleum products destroyed (estimated to be one-fourth of North Vietnam's reserves). This is the story of one crew's harrowing escape..
Price: $3.16 [Notify me when price goes down.]

"It is one of the most long-lived combat aircraft, having first flown over 50 years ago. But it is not only longevity that makes the B-52 noteworthy It remains one of the world's largest aircraft; 160 feet long, a wingspan of 185 feet, a height of 48 feet, and a gross weight of nearly 500,000 pounds! INCLUDES: ""B-52 Walkaround"" - 80 Pages - 11"" x 8.25"" FEATURES: **Author: Lou Drendel **Photographs: Both Color and Black and White (includes picture captions) **This plane made the 1st 'round-the-world-nonstop flight of a turbojet-powered aircraft. In 1957 it circled the globe in 45 hours.
Price: $14.98 [Notify me when price goes down.]

The incredible story of the U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress heavy conventional and nuclear bomber is told in words and beautiful photographs in this up-to-date CD-ROM disc. Air Combat Command's B-52 is a long-range, heavy bomber that can perform a variety of missions. The bomber is capable of flying at high subsonic speeds at altitudes up to 50,000 feet (15,166.6 meters). It can carry nuclear or precision guided conventional ordnance with worldwide precision navigation capability. In a conventional conflict, the B-52 can perform strategic attack, air interdiction, offensive counter-air and maritime operations. During Desert Storm, B-52s delivered 40 percent of all the weapons dropped by coalition forces. It is highly effective when used for ocean surveillance, and can assist the U.S. Navy in anti-ship and mine-laying operations. Two B-52s, in two hours, can monitor 140,000 square miles (364,000 square kilometers) of ocean surface. All B-52s are equipped with an electro-optical viewing system that uses platinum silicide forward-looking infrared and high resolution low-light-level television sensors to augment targeting, battle assessment, and flight safety, thus further improving its combat ability and low-level flight capability. Pilots wear night vision goggles (NVG) to enhance their vision during night operations. Night vision goggles provide greater safety during night operations by increasing the pilot's ability to visually clear terrain, avoid enemy radar and see other aircraft in a covert/lights-out environment. Starting in 1989, on-going modifications incorporates the global positioning system, heavy stores adapter beams for carrying 2,000 pound munitions, and a full array of advance weapons currently under development. The use of aerial refueling gives the B-52 a range limited only by crew endurance. It has an unrefueled combat range in excess of 8,800 miles (14,080 kilometers). The aircraft's flexibility was evident in Operation Desert Storm and again during Operations Allied Force. B-52s struck wide-area troop concentrations, fixed installations and bunkers, and decimated the morale of Iraq's Republican Guard. The Gulf War involved the longest strike mission in the history of aerial warfare when B-52s took off from Barksdale Air Force Base, La., launched conventional air launched cruise missiles and returned to Barksdale -- a 35-hour, non-stop combat mission. During Operation Allied Force, B-52s opened the conflict with conventional cruise missile attacks and then transitioned to delivering general purpose bombs and cluster bomb units on Serbian army positions and staging areas. This incredible CD-ROM set is packed with over 26,000 pages reproduced using Adobe Acrobat PDF software - allowing direct viewing on Windows and Macintosh systems. The Acrobat cataloging technology adds enormous value and uncommon functionality to this impressive collection of government documents and material. Our news and educational discs are privately compiled collections of official public domain U.S. government files and documents - they are not produced by the federal government. They are designed to provide a convenient user-friendly reference work, utilizing the benefits of the Adobe Acrobat format to uniformly present thousands of pages that can be rapidly reviewed, searched by finding specific words, or printed without untold hours of tedious research and downloading. Vast archives of important public domain government information that might otherwise remain inaccessible are available for instant review no matter where you are. This book-on-a-disc format makes a great reference work and educational tool. There is no other reference that is as fast, convenient, comprehensive, thoroughly researched, and portable - everything you need to know, from the federal sources you trust..
Price: $25.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

With the ending of the Cold War, the B-52's traditional combat role became redundant, and the USAF looked for new ways to use the machine The invasion of Kuwait by Iraq in August 1990 gave the B-52 the chance to prove its worth in the new world order, and Stratofortress crews flying the B-52G seized the opportunity with both hands. This book explains how, flying from bases in the Indian Ocean, Britain, Spain and Saudi Arabia, the B-52G was at the forefront of the campaign to free Kuwait of Saddam's forces and dropped the first bombs of Operation Desert Storm..
Price: $12.15 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Describes the history, weapons, equipment, and use by the U.S. Air Force of the military aircraft known as the B-52 bomber..
Price: $22.60 [Notify me when price goes down.]

This sixth in DACOs trend-setting "Uncovering the ..." series shows all the inner and outer details of the Boeing B-52H Stratofortress, of which the first of 102 examples was delivered way back in 1961, detailed pictures of cockpit & crew stations, wheel wells, bomb bay and a overview of almost all armament it can carry..
Price: $29.95 [Notify me when price goes down.]