A Boeing B-52 Stratofortress banks sharply at high altitude, its eight engines tracing four brilliant contrails across the stratosphere. Capable of cruising far above 40,000 feet, the B-52 gave Strategic Air Command a persistent, high-altitude nuclear deterrent throughout the Cold War, a role the aircraft continues to fulfill in the U.S. Air Force decades after its 1952 first flight. Project: 218475