B-52 Stratofortress Units in Combat 1992-2025

An illustrated study of the ongoing career of the iconic B-52, chronicling its frontline service after Operation Desert Storm in 1991. First flown in 1955, the B-52 has become an icon of deterrence and the long reach of American air power. The aircraft was conceived as a long-range nuclear bomber, but its versatility saw it used as a heavy-weight ''bomb truck'' in Vietnam and a launcher of stand-off air-to-ground missiles during Operation Desert Storm . Following the First Gulf War, B-52s have continued to see combat, undertaking close air support missions during patrols above Al-Qaeda insurgents and Taliban forces in Afghanistan from 2001-03 for example, and have upheld their reputation as America''s ''Big Stick'' by acting as a deterrent in situations such as the Chinese friction with Taiwan in 2023. In this illustrated volume, combat aircraft expert Peter E Davies draws on fresh research and first-hand accounts to tell the story of the later career of this iconic and enduring aircraft, examining its service from Operation Desert Storm onwards. Twenty-two newly commissioned profile artworks complement a variety of photographs from both official and private collections, demonstrating the colour schemes, nose art and new weapons that have become features of late-20th and 21st-century B-52 units.

Product details

• Authors: Peter E Davies, Peter E. Davies, Davies Peter E.
• Assisted by: Gareth Hector (Illustration), Hector Gareth (Illustration), Jim Laurier (Illustration), Laurier Jim (Illustration)
• Publisher: Osprey Publishers
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 23.09.2025
• EAN: 9781472865038
• ISBN: 978-1-4728-6503-8
• No. of pages: 96
• Dimensions: 184 mm x 248 mm x 10 mm
• Series: Combat Aircraft
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Contemporary history (1945 to 1989); Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; USA, TRANSPORTATION / Aviation / History, Military vehicles, Air forces & warfare, United States of America, USA, Middle Eastern history, Air forces and warfare, Military history: post-WW2 conflicts, Gulf War, Military aircraft, HISTORY / Military / Aviation & Space, HISTORY / Military / Vehicles / Air, HISTORY / Wars & Conflicts / Persian Gulf War (1991)