Way back in the previous century, I used to fly in B-52s. In my 5 years of flying in them, I never once flew in a plane that was younger than me.

I’m getting pretty old, but although I left the Air Force more than twelve years ago, the B-52 is still flying.

How has it managed to continue for so long? Well, the mission of the plane has changed dramatically over the years. As the world has changed, the B-52 adapted to its new role.

It started in design in the 1940s as a high altitude “special weapon” bomber. (We can neither confirm nor deny the presence of nuclear weapons in a B-52.) Hence the name: Stratofortress. But as air defenses got better, flying straight and level at high altitude became a suicide mission. And so the B-52 became a low level bomber.

Then, as the Cold War ended, and we no longer needed the threat of dropping “special weapons” on the Soviet Union, the B-52s came off alert and started flying conventional bombing missions.

So now B-52s are flying high altitude or low altitude bombing based on the air superiority situation of the battlefield. They can carry conventional weapons, “special weapons”, smart bombs, and even Harpoon and Tomahawk missiles. The continue to do whatever is required at the time.

Clearly, the secret to its longevity has been the flexibility of the B-52.

But now there is an opportunity for the B-52 to ensure its continuing existence into the middle of the 21st century with just a small modification to its mission. It now has the opportunity to move into oncology.

Headline Telegraph: ‘Smart bombs’ to wipe out cancer cells

Scientists have developed anti-cancer “smart bombs” that can burrow into tumours and deliver drugs without harming healthy cells.