@ Atwater, CA
April 2021
An iconic B-52D Stratofortress on display at the Caste Air Museum (formerly Castle AFB). Delivered to the USAF in 1957, this aircraft saw combat in Vietnam before finishing its active duty service with the 93rd Bombardment Wing here at Castle AFB and joining the Museum collection in 1991. Here you can see the the B-52’s landing gear, both the front and rear bogies can swivel 20° to either side for crosswind landings. Under the nose is a M117 750lb bomb, of which the B-52 could carry 42. Flown in 1952, the Stratofortress is expected to serve into the 2050s. Superior performance at high subsonic speeds and relatively low operating costs have kept the B-52 in service despite the advent of newer, more advanced aircraft. As of 2019, 76 of the original 744 B-52 aircraft were operational in the U.S. Air Force.
