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On Wed, 4/20/16, xxxxxx@gmail.com <xxxxxx@gmail.com> wrote:

 Subject: Re: [TML] Off-topic but incredible!
 To: "xxxxxx@simplelists.com" <xxxxxx@simplelists.com>
 Date: Wednesday, April 20, 2016, 3:24 PM

 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.
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Funny how the 'Bear' wound up far outlasting it's turboprop 'cousin' the Mya-4 'Bison' which was originally assumed to be a superior design.

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