B-52 Stratofortress - Retired


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Old B-52 Stratofortresses, like other United States military aircraft, go to Davis-Monthan AFB near Tucson, Arizona to be retired, to the facility once known as the Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center (MASDC), and now known as the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center (AMARC) .

Boeing B-52 Stratofortress tail turret at MASDC on November 12, 1973.

The SAC Badge adorning Boeing B-52E Stratofortress 57-0120 at MASDC on November 12, 1973.

Boeing B-52E Stratofortress 57-0105 at MASDC on November 12, 1973

Boeing NB-52A Stratofortress 52-0003 at MASDC on November 12, 1973

Close-up of the X-15 pylon on the Boeing NB-52A Stratofortress 52-0003 at MASDC on November 12, 1973

Boeing NB-52A Stratofortress 52-0003 at MASDC on November 12, 1973

Although the NB-52A had been retired four years earlier, the liquid oxygen system had been kept pressurized with nitrogen gas to prevent corrosion and allow for its return to service if the NB-52B needed replacing.

B-52E Stratofortresses in the contractors' area of MASDC on April 27, 1975. 57-0710, 56-0711 and 57-0127 and a host of others have had many of the more easily removable companents salvaged already. Photographer: Brian Lockett.

The SAC badge on B-52E, 56-0709 had seen better days by April 27, 1975. Photographer: Brian Lockett.

By December 30, 1981, B-52F, Serial 57-0177, was retired, along with all other B-52E and B-52F model Stratofortresses. This Stratofortress had been painted aluminum over gloss white by the end of its career. Photographer: Brian Lockett.

Parts of over two dozen B-52E and B-52F Stratofortresses can be seen in this picture of the reclamation area of the Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center (MASDC) on December 30, 1981. Photographer: Brian Lockett.

By December 30, 1981, the supply of spare B-52 main landing gear was augmented by removing a diagonal pair of main gear bogies from 57-0105 and many other Stratofortresses. 57-0105 wears Strategic Integrated Operational Plan (SIOP) camouflage over anti-flash white. Photographer: Brian Lockett.

Windows and radomes of B-52E, 57-0115 have been coated with spray latex, or "spraylat". It is applied with a black layer underneath to opaque the windows for protection from sunlight, and a white outer layer to reflect sunlight and keep temperatures down inside the airplane. Photographer: Brian Lockett.

B-52E, 57-0108 is still relatively intact on December 30, 1981. The old Navy gooney birds in the foreground have not fared as well. Photographer: Brian Lockett.

B-52E, 56-0651 is wearing patched and fading SIOP camouflage on a cloudy December 19, 1984. Photographer: Brian Lockett.

B-52F, Serial 57-0039, is seen here in November 24, 1986. It had been joined by the black-tailed B-52D fleet, which had also been relegated to AMARC at that time. Photographer: Brian Lockett.

I couldn't quite read the last digit of the serial number of this B-52C wearing SIOP camouflage, but it starts 54-040. It shares the field with Lockheed P-2 Neptunes on November 24, 1986. Photographer: Brian Lockett.

B-52E 57-0132 and over a dozen Stratofortesses in storage in AMARC on November 24, 1986.

NB-52D 56-0620 was the only D model not camouflaged. It was sitting on "celebrity row" at AMARC on September 9, 1989. Photographer: Brian Lockett.

NB-52DNB-52D 56-0620 spent its whole operational life at the AFSWC at Kirtland dropping dummy nukes. Photographer: Brian Lockett.

Aubrey Grey, a former B-52 crewman, has kindly provided this photograph of NB-52D, 56-0620 at El Centro NAS circa 1968. The plane was stationed at Kirtland AFB at the time.

B-52E, 56-0636 sat next to the Boeing 367-8790 prototype of the 707 on celebrity row on September 9, 1989. It lacked the right inboard engine nacelle becuse it had been used as the testbed for the Pratt & Whitney JT-9D engine for the 747. The two J57s were replaced by a single engine with more thrust than the four engines on the other side of the airplane put together. Photographer: Brian Lockett.

One of the most colorful of the Stratofortresses was the NB-52E Control Configured Vehicle (CCV), Serial 56-0632, which had been operated by the Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory. It was already retired to AMARC on September 9, 1989, when this picture was taken. Photographer: Brian Lockett.


Giant Jet Airplanes

  First Flight Wing Span Length Wing Area (ft2) Gross Weight (lbs) Engines
Boeing 777-9

2018

235ft 5in

251ft 9in

5,025

775,000

2 × 105,000 lb General Electric GE9X-105B1A
Scaled Composites Model 351 Stratolaunch

2018

385ft

238ft

?

1,300,000

6 × 56,750 lb Pratt & Whitney PW4056
Boeing 747-8 Jumbo Jet

2010

224ft,07in

250ft,02in

5,960

975,000

4 x 66,500 GEnx-2B67
Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

2009

197ft, 03in

206ft

3,501

545,000

2 x 71,000 lb General Electric GEnx or Rolls-Royce Trent 1000
Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner

2009

197ft, 03in

186ft

3,501

502,500

2 x 64,000 lb General Electric GEnx or Rolls-Royce Trent 1000
Airbus A380

2005

261ft,10in

239ft,06in

9,100

1,235,000

4 x 84,000 lb RR Trent 900 or Engine Alliance GP-7200
Boeing 777-300ER

2003

212ft,07in

242ft,04in

4,700

775,000

2 x 115,300 lb GE90-115B
Airbus A340-600

2001

208ft,02in

247ft,01in

4,729

811,300

4 x 56,000 lb RR Trent 556
Boeing 777-200

1994

209ft,01in

199ft,11in

4,605

545,000

2 x 74,000 lb PW4074, GE90-75B, or RR Trent 875
Airbus A330-300

1992

197ft,10in

208ft,10in

3,892

507,000

2 x 51,590 lb GE CF6-80E, PW4000, or RR Trent 700
Boeing 747-400 Jumbo Jet

1988

211ft,05in

231ft,10in

5,650

833,000

4 x 45,000 PW4062 or GE CF6-80C2B1F
Antonov An-225 Mryia

1988

290ft,00in

275ft,07in

10,280

1,300,000

6 x 51,590 lb DT-18T
Antonov An-124 Ruslan

1984

240ft,00in

227ft,00in

6,760

890,000

4 x 51,590 lb DT-18T
Tupolev 160 Blackjack 1981 182ft, 09in 177ft, 06in 3,660 606,000 4 x 50,900 lb NK-321
Lockheed C-5A Galaxy

1968

222ft,08in

247ft,10in

6,200

769,000

4 x 50,000 lb GE TF-39
Boeing 747-100 Jumbo Jet

1968

195ft,08in

231ft,04in

5,500

850,000

4 x 50,000 lb P&W JT9D
Antonov An-22 Antheus

1965

211ft,04in

189ft,07in

3,713

550,000

4 x 15,000 shp Kuznetsov NK-12MV
North American XB-70A Valkyrie

1964

105ft,00in

189ft,00in

6,297

530,000

6 x 33,000,lb J-93
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress

1952

185ft,00in

157ft,07in

4,000

450,000

8 x 8,000 lb J-57
Convair YB-60

1952

206ft,05in

175ft,02in

5,239

410,000

8 x 8,000 lb J-57

More B-52 Stratofortress photographs:

Boeing B-52 Stratofortresses displays.



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Boeing B-52 Stratofortress

2020 calendar

You can buy a 2020 calendar featuring my photographs of Boeing B-52 Stratofortresses.

A dozen photos of Boeing B-52 Stratofortresses in flight.

Stratofortresses pictured include:

B-52D 56-0612, March Air Force Base, February 23, 1978;
B-52H 60-0050, Edwards Air Force Base, November 9, 1986, October 9, 1999, September 16, 2009;
B-52G 58-0183, Saline Valley, October 25, 1989;
B-52G 57-6519, Edwards Air Force Base, October 29, 1989;
B-52G 59-2565, Castle Air Force Base, September 17, 1992;
B-52H 60-0008, Nellis Air Force Base, April 25, 1997;
B-52H 61-0023, Nellis Air Force Base, February 1, 2002;
NASA NB-52B 52-0008/X-43A Hyper-X, Edwards Air Force Base, November 16, 2004;
B-52H 60-0026, Naval Air Station Pt Mugu, March 29, 2007;
and Rockwell B-1B Lancer 85-0068, Edwards Air Force Base, October 9, 1999

Put a copy of the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress: 2020 calendar in your Lulu.com shopping cart for $14.95.


Boeing B-52G Stratofortresses
of the 93rd Bomb Wing
at Castle Air Force Base

2020 calendar

You can buy a 2020 calendar featuring my photographs of Boeing B-52G Stratofortresses of the 93rd Bomb Wing at Castle Air Force Base.

A dozen photos of Boeing B-52G Stratofortresses of the 93rd Bomb Wing flying at Castle Air Force Base in 1992 and 1993. Stratofortresses pictured include:

B-52G 57-6473
B-52G 58-0214
B-52G 58-0258
B-52G 59-2565
B-52G 59-5888

Put a copy of the Boeing B-52G Stratofortresses of the 93rd Bomb Wing at Castle Air Force Base: 2020 calendar in your Lulu.com shopping cart for $14.95.


Balls Eight: Boeing NB-52B Stratofortress Mothership

2020 calendar

You can buy a 2020 calendar featuring photographs of the Boeing NB-52B Stratofortress Mothership that launched the X-15s in the 1960s and continued launching research vehicles until 2004.

It has been asserted that the Boeing NB-52B Stratofortress, carrying Air Force serial 52-0008, can lay claim to being the airplane that has seen and participated in more history than any other single airplane. This calendar features a dozen pictures of the NB-52B carrying some of the research vehicles that it launched over the years. Photo sources: Air Force, NASA, Richard Lockett, Brian Lockett:

North American X-15-1, 1960
North American X-15-3, 1963
North American X-15A-2, 1967
Northrop HL-10, 1969
Martin-Mariettta X-24A, 1970
Northrop M2-F3, 1972
Martin-Mariettta X-24B, 1973
Orbital Sciences Pegasus, 1989
Supersonic Supercruise, 1995
X-38 V-131R, 2000
X-43A Hyper-X, 2004

Put a copy of the Balls Eight: Boeing NB-52B Stratofortress Mothership: 2020 calendar in your Lulu.com shopping cart for $14.95.

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Books about B-52 Stratofortresses available from

Boeing B-52 Stratofortress by Tony Thornborough

B-52 Stratofortress : Boeing's Cold War Warrior by Robert F. Dorr, Lindsay Peacock

B-52 Stratofortress in Action by Larry Davis

B-52 Walk Around by Lou Drendel

Boeing B-47, B-52 and the Avro Vulcan by Stewart Wilson (Legends of the Air Series Vol 5)

Boeing B-52 : A Documentary History by Walter J. Boyne

Usaf Plus Fifteen : A Photo History 1947-62 by Menard. Full color photos of Air Force aircraft from 1947 to 1962.


Books about the Strategic Air Command available from

America's Shield : The Story of the Strategic Air Command and Its People

Big Bombers : Strategic Air Command's B-52S, Swingwings, and Stealth by Robert F. Dorr, Jim Benson

Peace Was Their Profession : SAC : A Tribute by Mike Hill, John M. Campbell, Donna Campbell

SAC, the Strategic Air Command by Richard Gibson Hubler


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You can buy a 5-inch by 7-inch photo note cards featuring my photographs of the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress at the Lockett Photography Store.


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