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Wild Blue Yonder 1: 50 Years of Gs & Jets
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Wild Blue Yonder - Episode 1 - 50 Years of Gs and Jets (Digital Ranch) (Spectrum Holobyte)(1-107-40-101)(1994).iso
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00052_Field_52.txt
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1994-08-29
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A Bomber Grows Up
In February of 1951, Boeing got a production contract for 13
B-52As. These planes differed from the prototypes primarily in
the cockpit, which now featured side-by-side seating. In rapid
succession, the Air Force ordered 50 B-52Bs, 35 Cs, 170 Ds, 100
Es, 89 Fs, 193 Gs, and 102 Hs. In each successive version the
gross weight increased, as did the drag.
The B-52G was designed as a missile platform for the supersonic
AGM-28B Hound Dog missile. It featured a new structural design
for the wing, which included integral fuel tanks, a reduction in
the height of the vertical fin and elimination of the aileron
system. Control was now maintained entirely through the spoilers.
The last change required some accommodation by the pilots, for it
altered the B-52's response characteristics. The tail gunner was
brought into the forward compartment, where he fired his four .50
caliber machine guns by remote control.
For better performance, the B-52H was equipped with a sensational
new engine -- the TF33-P-3 -- which not only had 30% more power
on takeoff, but also had much better specific fuel consumption.
In the B-52H, the tail machine guns were replaced by a
six-barrel, 20mm Gatling gun.