Boeing B-52 Stratofortress
Boeing · In service since 1955 — planned to 2050s
Length48.50 m
Wingspan56.40 m
Height12.40 m
MTOW219,600 kg
What it means
The category, explained
Strategic bombers push airframe design harder than almost anything else: intercontinental range, heavy loads, and — in some eras — extreme speed. Two of them appear on our records board purely by size.
The Tu-160 is the longest and heaviest combat aircraft ever constructed. The B-52 has been flying since 1952 and is planned to serve into the 2050s. And the XB-70 Valkyrie, an experimental Mach 3 bomber, remains the fastest very large aircraft ever flown.
The aircraft
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Every bombers & experimental giant here
Silhouettes are sized by real wingspan — bigger aircraft draw bigger.
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Tupolev Tu-160
Tupolev · In service — production restarted
Length54.10 m
Wingspan (spread)55.70 m
Wingspan (swept)35.60 m
Height13.10 m
Rockwell B-1B Lancer
Boeing · Out of production (1988) — in service
Length44.50 m
Wingspan41.80 m
Height10.36 m
MTOW216,400 kg
North American XB-70 Valkyrie
North American · Preserved — 1 of 2 survives
Length56.62 m
Wingspan32.00 m
Height9.14 m
MTOW246,365 kg
Side by side
Ranked by length
| Aircraft | Length | Wingspan | First flight | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North American XB-70 Valkyrie | 56.62 m | 32.00 m | 1964 | Preserved — 1 of 2 survives |
| Tupolev Tu-160 | 54.10 m | 55.70 m | 1981 | In service — production restarted |
| Boeing B-52 Stratofortress | 48.50 m | 56.40 m | 1952 | In service since 1955 — planned to 2050s |
| Rockwell B-1B Lancer | 44.50 m | 41.80 m | 1974 | Out of production (1988) — in service |