Equipped with unparalleled payload capacity, variety and flexibility, the B-52 Stratofortress is the US Air Force (USAF)'s stalwart subsonic heavy bomber for all-range, all-weather missions across the globe.

While the inaugural B-52A model first flew in 1954 and subsequent models carried out US operations in Vietnam, the B-52 reached greater international prominence in 1991 during Operation Desert Storm in the US Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility (AOR).

During Desert Storm, B-52s delivered 40% of all weapons dropped by coalition forces. The bombers struck military installations and bunkers, decimating the capacity of Iraq's Republican Guard to occupy Kuwait.

In 1996, as a part of Operation Desert Strike, two B-52H aircraft struck communication facilities and power stations in Baghdad with 13 AGM-86C air-launched cruise missiles, flying the longest distance ever for a combat mission.

The round trip amounted to 25,800km and took 34 hours. The B-52's unfueled combat range of 14,200km can be extended through its ability to carry tens of thousands of kilograms of fuel.

For the first time in a decade, the B-52 returned to the CENTCOM AOR in 2016 to support Operation Inherent Resolve’s fight against "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS).

Flying more than 1,800 sorties, B-52s within several squadrons flew hundreds of consecutive missions without any delays.

B-52s also flew numerous sorties targeting the Taliban in Afghanistan from 2017-2018.

Employing the B-52's updated rotary launcher -- which upgraded the number of munitions in the aircraft's bomb bay by 50% -- and other aircraft, the USAF destroyed 70 Taliban drug labs.

Payload capacity

The B-52 can transport 32,000kg of ordnance, including nuclear and conventional bombs alike, mines, precision-guided missiles and joint direct attack munitions (JDAMs).

It can deliver the full array of weapons in the USAF arsenal, making it one of the most lethal and flexible aircraft ever fielded.

The B-52 is also suited to support naval operations, capable of transporting and launching AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles as well as the stealthy, 450kg AGM-158 Joint Air to Surface Standoff Munitions (JASSMs).

It can accompany the US Navy on mine-laying operations and surveil vast swathes of ocean. In just two hours, two B-52s can monitor 364,000 square km of ocean, the USAF says.

A single B-52 can carry 20 JASSMs, 20 GBU-31 907.2kg JDAM bombs internally, or 32 small-diameter bombs.

In early November, Air and Space Forces Magazine reported that 15% of the USAF B-52 fleet is currently deployed across Europe and the Middle East, bolstering US and allied deterrence posture worldwide.