Boeing B-52 Stratofortress vs Tupolev Tu-95
Side-by-side spec comparison with neutral percentage deltas.
Spec table
| Spec | Boeing B-52 Stratofortress | Tupolev Tu-95 |
|---|---|---|
| Max speed (mph) (mph) | 650 | 575 |
| Max speed (Mach) (Mach) | 0.86 | 0.82 |
| Combat radius / range (mi) | 8,800 | 9,320 |
| Service ceiling (ft) | 50,000 | 39,370 |
| MTOW (lb) | 488,000 | 414,469 |
| Empty weight (lb) | 185,000 | 198,416 |
| Payload (lb) | 70,000 | 33,069 |
| Endurance (hr) | 16 | 15 |
| Length (ft) | 159.4 | 154 |
| Wingspan (ft) | 185 | 164.6 |
| Thrust-to-weight ratio (MTOW) | 0.03 | 0.14 |
Green = leader on that dimension. Higher is treated as better for all rows shown.
On-paper verdict
- Max speed (mph): Boeing B-52 Stratofortress (+13%)
- Max speed (Mach): Boeing B-52 Stratofortress (+5%)
- Combat radius / range: Tupolev Tu-95 (+6%)
- Service ceiling: Boeing B-52 Stratofortress (+27%)
- MTOW: Boeing B-52 Stratofortress (+18%)
- Empty weight: Tupolev Tu-95 (+7%)
- Payload: Boeing B-52 Stratofortress (+112%)
- Endurance: Boeing B-52 Stratofortress (+7%)
- Length: Boeing B-52 Stratofortress (+4%)
- Wingspan: Boeing B-52 Stratofortress (+12%)
- Thrust-to-weight ratio (MTOW): Tupolev Tu-95 (+316%)
Performance
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress tops out at 650 mph and a service ceiling of 50000 ft. Tupolev Tu-95 is rated at 575 mph with a service ceiling of 39370 ft.
Range & payload
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress carries up to 70000 lb over 8800 mi. Tupolev Tu-95 carries 33069 lb over 9320 mi. Numbers above are the headline manufacturer figures — real-world performance trades payload against range against fuel reserves.
Engines
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress: 8x Pratt & Whitney TF33-PW-103 turbofans (17,000 lbf each).
Tupolev Tu-95: 4x Kuznetsov NK-12MV turboprops (60,000 shp total).
Frequently asked questions
Which is faster, Boeing B-52 Stratofortress or Tupolev Tu-95?
650 mph (Boeing B-52 Stratofortress) vs 575 mph (Tupolev Tu-95).
Which has the longer range?
8800 mi (Boeing B-52 Stratofortress) vs 9320 mi (Tupolev Tu-95).
What's the payload difference?
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress: 70000 lb · Tupolev Tu-95: 33069 lb.
Are these specs current?
Specs come from each aircraft's manufacturer-published or Wikipedia-aggregated figures, current as of the page's last regeneration. Variants and block upgrades may carry different numbers — check the linked reference pages for the latest.
Which one was built first?
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress: service entry 1955. Tupolev Tu-95: service entry 1956.
Sources
Spec values pulled from each aircraft's reference page in the gallery, which aggregates manufacturer-published figures with Wikipedia-cited sources:
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