Profile
- Type
- Long-range heavy bomber
- Conflict side
- United States
- Origin
- United States
Aircraft & UAVs
B-52 Stratofortress
The B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range U.S. heavy bomber. During the United States-Iran Conflict, Pentagon and CENTCOM releases documented B-52 combat flights and launch preparations for Operation Epic Fury, keeping the aircraft visible as a long-range strike platform in the 2026 escalation.
- Conflict side
- United States
- Built by
- Boeing
- Built in
- United States
Service History
- In service
- Entered U.S. Air Force service in 1955 and remains in front-line long-range strike service.
- Used by
- United States Air Force
- Wars
- United States-Iran Conflict
Production History
- Designer
- Boeing
- Built by
- Boeing
- Built in
- United States
- Variants
- B-52H Stratofortress
Specifications
- Crew
- 5
- Engines
- 8 Pratt & Whitney TF33-P-3/103 turbofan engines
- Payload
- Up to 70,000 pounds (31,751 kilograms)
- Speed
- High subsonic
- Range
- In excess of 8,800 miles (14,080 kilometers)
Conflict Usage
- United States-Iran Conflict
- Side: United StatesRole: Long-range strike bomber
Used by U.S. forces in the United States-Iran Conflict during Operation Epic Fury for overland B-52 missions and combat flights in March 2026.
B-52 Stratofortress Images
Related Weapon Systems
GBU-31(V)3/B Joint Direct Attack Munition2,000-pound GPS/INS-guided hard-target penetrator bombThe GBU-31(V)3/B is the hard-target penetrator variant of the 2,000-pound Joint Direct Attack Munition, pairing a Boeing JDAM GPS/INS tail kit with the BLU-109 penetrator bomb body. In the United States-Iran Conflict, official U.S. reporting described Strategic Command bombers using 2,000-pound GPS penetrating weapons against deeply buried Iranian missile-launcher targets during Operation Epic Fury.
Ohio-class guided-missile submarineGuided-missile submarineThe Ohio-class guided-missile submarine is the U.S. Navy's converted SSGN platform for large Tomahawk strike loads and special-operations support. In the United States-Iran Conflict, DoD said a U.S. submarine launched more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles at Esfahan during Operation Midnight Hammer, demonstrating the class's long-range maritime strike role.
AGM-179A JAGMAir-to-surface precision-guided missileThe AGM-179A Joint Air-to-Ground Missile is a U.S. dual-mode precision munition built to replace Hellfire-family missiles on rotary-wing, unmanned, and compatible fixed-wing platforms. In the United States-Iran Conflict archive it appears as a probable but contested candidate for the January 2020 Soleimani strike, with the munition identification based on defense reporting and fragment analysis rather than official U.S. confirmation.
AH-64 Apache attack helicopterTwin-engine attack helicopterThe AH-64 Apache is a U.S. twin-engine attack helicopter built for armed reconnaissance, close combat, and precision attack missions with a 30 mm chain gun, rockets, and Hellfire missiles. In the United States-Iran Conflict, official Operation Epic Fury material identified Apaches among U.S. assets, and DVIDS imagery documented AH-64E aircraft from the 82nd Airborne Division operating with rockets and Hellfire missiles in the CENTCOM area.
F-15E Strike EagleDual-role strike fighterThe F-15E Strike Eagle is a two-seat U.S. Air Force dual-role fighter built for long-range interdiction, precision attack, and self-escorted air-to-air combat. Its conformal fuel tanks, targeting/navigation pods, radar, and two-person cockpit allow it to strike ground targets day or night while retaining fighter performance, a role documented in Operation Inherent Resolve and later U.S.-Iran combat operations.
GBU-39B Small Diameter Bomb - reported MQ-9 use, lower confidencePrecision-guided glide bombBoeing's GBU-39B is a 250-pound class GPS/INS glide bomb built for precision and low collateral damage. Official U.S. sources show it loaded on MQ-9 Reapers in 2025-2026, so this record treats the United States-Iran Conflict connection cautiously as reported MQ-9 fielding rather than a confirmed strike release.Sources
B-52H StratofortressPublisher: U.S. Air Force | Note: Supports B-52H mission/background and Air Force-published specifications. | Accessed: 2026-06-20B-52Publisher: Boeing | Note: Supports B-52 manufacturer background and published specifications. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Epic Fury Overland B-52 Missions BriefingPublisher: U.S. Department of War | Note: United States-Iran Conflict: used by U.S. forces in Operation Epic Fury for the first overland B-52 missions. | Accessed: 2026-06-20B-52 Bombers Deploy in Support of Operation Epic FuryPublisher: U.S. Central Command | Note: United States-Iran Conflict: used by U.S. forces in Operation Epic Fury as B-52 bombers prepared for takeoff. | Accessed: 2026-06-20B-52 flying over cloudsPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and public-domain licensing for the B-52 flying over clouds file. | Accessed: 2026-06-20B-52 Stratofortress landingPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and public-domain licensing for the B-52 Stratofortress landing file. | Accessed: 2026-06-20B-52 StratofortressPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and public-domain licensing for the B-52 Stratofortress file. | Accessed: 2026-06-20