From the Heritage Foundation, I'm Michelle Cordero, and this is Heritage Explains.

Thank you. The Air Force announced this fall that its oldest bomber, the B-52, will be getting some major upgrades,

which isn't surprising since most aircrafts in the Air Force have a lifespan of 20 to 30 years, and the B-52,

also known as the Big Ugly Fat Fellow, or Buff, has the longest lifespan lasting 58 years.

Designed by Boeing in 1948 and delivered for military service in 1955. The B-52 was originally designed as a nuclear deterrent,

assigned to strategic air command during the Cold War in the 50s and 60s.

It would fly out loaded with nuclear weapons,

hold at a point in space, and wait for a recall message to come home.

At Castle Air Force Base, California, the B-52, America's biggest and newest jet bomber goes into squadron service with the Strategic Air Command.

A wingspan of 185 feet, length of over 150 feet and intercontinental range.

Over 6,000 miles without refueling.

Combat ceiling of 50,000 feet and the speed estimated at over 600 miles an hour.

Over the years, our B-52s have been taken off that nuclear alert posture.

First, they were taken out of the air and put on ground alert.

Now they serve in air support missions for our troops on the ground.

At one point in time, we had over 700 B-52 bombers.

Right now, we're down to just 76.

On this week's episode, we'll explain what our B-52 bombers look like today, what type of

modifications they need and why it's important.

Our expert is John Venable, a 25-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force, who served in three

combat operations.

Venable is currently a senior research fellow for defense policy and Heritage's Center for National

...