Commentary
With the original Cold War long faded in the rear-view mirror, there are terms of art that have been forgotten. Two key terms drove the dialogue on the American–Soviet nuclear standoff of the Cold War: “bomber gap” and “missile gap.” They were powerful terms that the average American citizen or average politician could understand.
The ”Bomber Gap” term was used in politics to justify American bomber programs beyond the iconic B-52. The B-52 is still flying today and is about to be totally updated with new engines, avionics, and other components to keep the 76 operational B-52s flying for several more decades. Bombers forgotten in American Cold War history were the B-47, the B-58, the FB-111, the B-70, and others. America had no shortage of bomber programs during the Cold War….