![]() ![]() It would be too easy to dismiss it as a scaled up B-47, as it actually featured a wing design that was significantly different in section and in construction. It was redesigned in 1948 as a swept-wing heavy bomber. Instead of being a merely evolutionary design that built on the bombers of World War II – notably the B-29 Superfortress – the Stratofortress was a revolutionary leap forward. ![]() That’s in no small part due to the efforts of Pratt & Whitney, which went on develop the highly efficient turbojet engine, the two-shaft J57. Interestingly, both the Tu-95 and the B-52 remain in service seven decades later, but the B-52 is clearly the more capable and versatile aircraft. The Soviet Union faced a similar problem, and instead of looking for a solution, developed the Tu-95 – an aircraft that would become the largest turboprop bomber ever built. The reason was that at the time no jet engine existed capable of propelling an intercontinental bomber, because the fuel consumption was too hit. What would go on to become the biggest, heaviest and most powerful bomber ever to be built had been planned just a year after the Second World War ended – but as a straight-winged turboprop. Seventy years later, the bomber is still in service with the United States Air Force. ![]() It was also that year, on April 15 that the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress first took flight. Jo Stafford’s “You Belong to Me Jo” topped the Billboard charts and I Love Lucy was the most popular TV show with a 67.3 rating share. The Buick Roadmaster was the top-selling automobile that year, with a base price of $3,453. The B-52 First Took Flight Seventy Years Ago – The year was 1952. ![]()
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