Consider Leaving a Diamond, It Really Helps!

The B-52

The B-52 concept originally began life as a four-prop strait-wing turboprop aircraft. However, this idea changed greatly, becoming the eight-engine swept-wing aircraft known today. Designed to carry nuclear ordinance to the Soviet Union, the YB-52 first flew in 1952, under the guidance of test pilot "Tex" Johnston. The aircraft is still in service today, about 67 years later.

Beginning in 1965, B-52s underwent bomb bay modifications to increase proficiency in carpet bombing, which entailed a different set of requirements than dropping a smaller number of larger nuclear weapons. The aircraft was now capable of carrying 84 500 pound bombs internally and weapons on external pylons. As part of operation Linebacker II, U.S. Air Force B-52s dropped over 15,000 bombs into the Vietnam jungle.

B-52s up to the G-model were equipped with quad 50-caliber machine guns in a tail turret, manned by a tail gunner in the aft section. Eventually, this gunner was moved forward to the pressurized crew deck. In the early H-models, the quad 50 calibers were replaced by a single M-61 Vulcan rotary cannon, and in the current B-52 H, the tail gun has been entirely eliminated, with its weight counterbalanced by a two-ton block of concrete, to maintain stability. The last B-52 Aerial Defense Gunner, Chief Master Sergeant Rob Wellbaum, retired on May 12, 2017, marking the end of a 65-year legacy.

The B-52 has since operated in the close air support role in the 1991 Gulf War and in recent operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Build

The build represents a B-52G that would have been used as part of operation Linebacker II over Vietnam in 1972. It features the camouflage scheme used by many such aircraft on night missions over the jungles of Southeast Asia. The black bottom of the aircraft made it more difficult to visually detect in the night sky. The camouflaged upper surfaces broke up the contours of the aircraft, allowing it to evade visual detection from North Vietnamese fighters above. The bottom of the aircraft is constructed entirely from black concrete, with the upper part camouflaged in green concrete, stripped spruce wood, and stripped birch wood. The bomb bay contains several weapons. The under-wing pylons have missiles and fuel drop-tanks, as well as the aircraft's characteristic eight engines.

The build also features a fully-constructed interior, including a cockpit, lower deck (Often known as the battle-station), and navigation positions. The tail features a recreated gunner position, with a radar screen.

The Process

I began the build with the fuselage of the aircraft and worked my way backwards. Once the fuselage patterns were built, I focused on the vertical and horizontal stabilizers. The aircraft is a G-model, so the vertical stabilizer is shorter, but of longer chord. After I completed the fuselage, I constructed the interior sections, beginning with the cockpit, then the battle station, and finally the tail-gunners position. The wings came next. After blocking out the shape, I focused on the engines and weapon pylons. The final step was the weapons bay, which I filled with TNT.

I Hope you like it!

~Skywars Maps

Thanks to Joel__99 for the render :)