11 photos of the legendary B-52 Stratofortress bomber, which just returned home from Iraq and Afghanistan
Developed by Boeing, the B-52 made its maiden flight in 1952, and costs about $84 million each.
The bomber can conduct attack, close-air support, air interdiction, offensive counter-air, and maritime missions.
Source: US Air Force
It's powered by eight Pratt & Whitney TF33-P-3/103 turbofan engines, each providing the bomber with 17,000 pounds of thrust.
Source: US Air Force
It has a maximum speed of 650 miles per hour, a maximum range of 8,800 miles, and a maximum altitude of 50,000 feet.
Source: US Air Force
The B-52 has a payload of about 70,000 pounds. It's able to carry a variety of bombs, mines, and missiles. It can even carry air-launched cruise missiles.
Source: US Air Force
It's able to drop and launch the widest variety of weapons of any US aircraft, including gravity bombs, cluster bombs, precision guided missiles, and joint direct attack munitions.
Source: US Air Force
In February, the B-52 dropped a record number of smart bombs on the Taliban in Afghanistan, unloading 24 precision-guided munitions in a 96-hour period.
The US announced in November 2017 that it would begin targeting the Taliban's revenue sources, much of which is opium and heroin, with airstrikes. But the new strategy has been criticized by some as a game of "whack-a-mole" since the Taliban can reportedly rebuild their drug labs in just a few days.
Source: Business Insider
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