> On Apr 20, 2016, at 3:24 PM, xxxxxx@gmail.com wrote:
>
> On 20 Apr 2016 at 21:53, Bruce  Johnson wrote:
>> The B52 is more of a black swanicorn than the normal military hardware
>> procurement.:-)
>>
>> It was designed and made at a time when we were just transitioning to
>> jets from prop bombers, and was (iirc) the first design that was meant
>> to be jet propelled from the get-go (iirc the B-36 started life as an
>> internal combustion prop design). Also, Boeing had a LOT of experience
>> building tough, survivable aircraft,
>> <http://www.daveswarbirds.com/b-17/fuselag2.htm> and I think they took
>> that with them to the B52 design.
>>
>> So it was pretty over-engineered to start with.
>
> The same goes for its Soviet counterpart, the Tu-95 'Bear', though it uses turboprops
> rather than jets.

And, per Wikipedia the Bear is ALSO slated to fly for the Russian Air Force until the 2040’s...

Maybe 1952 was just a  very good vintage year for intercontinental strategic bombers based on Boeing designs

(The TU-95 was derived from the TU-4 Tupolev “Not-a-B29 Superfort!"  :-)

--
Bruce Johnson
University of Arizona
College of Pharmacy
Information Technology Group

Institutions do not have opinions, merely customs