Wanted: New Planes
The U.S. Air Force celebrates the 50th birthday of its youngest B-52 Stratofortress this year. This historic warrior and its counterparts predate the Cuban missile crisis, Vietnam War and Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon. The fathers and grandfathers of today’s pilots flew the exact same airframes in decades past. Emblematic of air power’s flexibility, the B-52 has evolved consistently to give leaders an effective set of national-security options. Though it was develo
