This airplane is one of the most significant in modern aviation history on several levels. It was created in 1948 as a strategic nuclear bomber, and first flew in the early 1950s. The B-52 fought its first war, under the code name of "Arc Light" in Vietnam from 1965 through 1973. The B-52 is a direct ancestor of many of the airliners which have made Boeing Aircraft, one of the most successful privately owned aerospace company in the world. The B-52 will stay in military service until around 2040. It is not clear what will replace it as the United States Air Force's main strategic bomber.