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Boeing B-52 Stratofortress
Variants

The B-52 went through several design changes and variants over its 10 years of production.

Model: ProducedEntered Service
XB-522 (1 redesignated YB-52)prototypes
B-52A3  
NB-52A 1 Modified B-52A  
B-52B5029 June 1955
RB-52B27 Modified B-52Bs 
NB-52B1 Modified B-52B  
B-52C35 June 1956
B-52D170 December 1956
B-52E100 December 1957
B-52F89June 1958
B-52G19313 February 1959
B-52H1029 May 1961
Grand total 744 production 

XB-52/YB-52 - First two prototypes, fitted with B-47 type bubble canopies, not used in production versions.


XB-52 prototype. (U.S. Air Force Photo)

B-52A - Only three of first production version, the B-52A, were built, all loaned to Boeing for flight testing. The first production B-52A differed from prototypes in having redesigned forward fuselage. The bubble canopy and tandem seating was replaced by a side-by-side arrangement and a 21 inch (53 cm) nose extension accommodated more avionics and a new 6th crew member. In the rear fuselage a tail turret with four 0.50 inch (12.7 mm) machine guns with a fire-control system, and a water injection system to augment engine power with a 360 US gallon (1,363 L) water tank was added. The aircraft also carried a 1,000 US gallon (3,785 L) external fuel tank under each wing. The tanks acted as dampeners to reduce wing flex and also kept wingtips close to the ground for ease of maintenance.

NB-52A - The last B-52A (serial 52-0003) was modified and redesignated NB-52A in 1959 to carry the North American X-15. A pylon was fitted under the right wing between the fuselage and the inboard engines with a 6 feet x 8 feet (1.8 m x 2.4 m) section removed from the right wing flap to fit the X-15 tail. Liquid oxygen tanks were installed in the bomb bays to refuel the X-15 before launch. First flight with X-15 was on 10 March 1959, and NB-52A carried the X-15 on 59 of the program's 199 flights.


NB-52A Stratofortress/52-0003. (NASA Photo)

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Sources:
Wikipedia: B-52 Stratofortress