This site hosts publications and materials related to the Nuclear-capable B-52 Stratofortress Project, coordinated by Richard Tanter.

Nuclear-capable B-52H Stratofortress strategic bombers: a visual guide to identification

The first publication in the project is by Vince Scappatura and Richard Tanter, Nuclear-capable B-52H Stratofortress strategic bombers: a visual guide to identification, Nautilus Institute Special Report, 5 August 2024.

The web-based Introduction to the Nuclear-capable B-52H Stratofortress strategic bombers Special Report is available here.

The full version of the Special Report is available here (11.3MB PDF).

Related materials in this project:

• Press Information Kit
• B-52H Fleet Structure and Armament Capability Changes, 2008 – 2024
• Image gallery – unpublished selected primary source images provided courtesy of the photographers.
• Vince Scappatura and Richard Tanter, They will tell me.’ Malcolm Fraser’s Cold War nuclear heterodoxy and Labor’s willed ignorance today, Pearls & Irritations, 31 August 2024.
• Vince Scappatura and Richard Tanter, ‘Nuclear-capable B-52H Stratofortress bombers: a visual guide to identification’ [extract], Pearls & Irritations, 1 September 2024.

Which B-52s are nuclear-capable?
Complete list of armament classification of all extant B-52H aircraft, with armament classification confidence level, main operating base, and unit (2024)

* Notes a. Confidence levels apply only to the armament classification assigned to active aircraft. b. AMARG – Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group; GITA – ground instructional training aircraft; OG – Operating Group. c. Although best efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of unit designations as of mid-2024, difficulties arising from changes in some unit designations over time may have resulted in some errors.