12. The B-52 was in production for just ten years
Boeing began delivering the B-52 in 1954, with three of the huge bombers delivered that fiscal year. Through the ensuing decade, Boeing built a total of 742 B-52 variants, with peak production in fiscal 1958, when 187 of the bombers were delivered. The majority of the airplanes were built in Boeing’s main production facility near Seattle, Washington. A second manufacturing facility in Wichita produced B-52D aircraft. In the late 1950s, Boeing decided to use the Seattle facility to produce commercial aircraft, including the Boeing 707, which entered commercial service with Pan American World Airways in 1958. Production of the B-52 was shifted in its entirety to Wichita, allowing the Seattle facilities to produce the lucrative commercial airliners. Wichita built and delivered the last of the B-52 variants (B-52H) in fiscal year 1963. The B-52 was thus out of production before it flew in Vietnam.
Boeing was far from the only commercial entity required to produce the B-52. Its plants assembled the aircraft with the support of over 5,000 subcontractors. Over 40% of the massive airframe was built by subcontractors at facilities across the United States. Pratt and Whitney built the engines, themselves supported by a slew of subcontractors contributing parts. General ElectBric built the tail gun, four Vulcan cannons, operated by remote control. Over the years various tire manufacturers provided the massive tires equipping the bomber, with Michelin holding the contract at this writing. Though only in production for ten years, maintenance and modernization contracts continue to make the B-52 a major portion of the US Air Force operating budget nearly 60 years after the assembly line in Wichita shut down.