The U.S. Nuclear Weapons Cost Study Project was completed in August 1998 and resulted in the book Atomic Audit: The Costs and Consequences of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Since 1940 edited by Stephen I. Schwartz. These project pages should be considered historical.


A B-52H bomber armed with 8 Advanced Cruise Missiles

A B-52H bomber armed with 8 Advanced Cruise Missiles

The B-52 bomber is a remarkably durable aircraft, having remained in service longer than any other combat aircraft. The first of 744 aircraft was deployed in 1955 and some 71 B-52H models are expected to remain in service for the foreseeable future. The Advanced Cruise Missile carries a warhead with a yield of less than 1 to 5 kilotons, or 150 kilotons. Four hundred and sixty missiles were procured in the late 1980s.

Credit: General Dynamics