Boeing B-52 Stratofortress
Boeing · jet · ICAO B52
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress has the narrowest main gear in Design Group V (23 types). It is the only type with eight engines in the file. Its main gear code, D2, appears on no other type in the file. Its FAA reference approach speed, 141 kt, the input that sets its Approach Category, sits exactly on the 141 kt floor of Category D.
Airport design codes
- V
Design Group V. Set by the wingspan; the tail height alone would give Group III.
- D
Approach Category D. Band: 141 to 165 kt.
Gear and weights
| Cockpit to main gear | 81.4 ft | 24.8 m |
|---|---|---|
| Span-to-length ratio | 1.15 | |
| Max. takeoff weight | 488,000 lb | 221,353 kg |
| Taxiway Design Group | 4 | |
| ICAO wake category | Heavy |
Where it sits
The B-52 also has the 2nd-lowest tail, the 2nd-shortest length, the 2nd-lowest maximum takeoff weight, the 2nd-shortest wheelbase and the 2nd-shortest wingspan in Design Group V (23 types), and the 4th-highest wingspan-to-length ratio among the 176 jets on this site. It also has the 3rd-largest fleet on the US register in Design Group V (23 types, 16 with a registration count). By length it falls between the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III and the Boeing 767-200.
Main gear 16.3 ft wide (5.0 m), 9% of the span; wheelbase 49.2 ft (15.0 m), 31% of the length.
US records: 5,540 US flight-plan operations in FY2024; 80 on the US register.
Closest in size on this site
- Boeing B-52 Stratofortress
- Ilyushin Il-76
- Boeing 707-300
- Douglas DC-8-70
Source: FAA Aircraft Characteristics Database, October 2024 release. How we measure.