Golden Key Studio brings the B-52 Stratofortress to Microsoft Flight Simulator

There is a nice surprise for military aviation enthusiasts waiting on the MSFS 2020 Marketplace. Golden Key Studio has launched the Boeing B-52H Stratofortress for Microsoft Flight Simulator, bringing one of the most recognizable strategic bombers in history into the sim.

This is the same team behind the MiG-21Bis and the F-111E, two projects that drew attention in the MSFS military niche for their depth and visual modeling, so expectations were naturally pointed skyward for this one.

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The studio claims a detailed cockpit with interactive systems, a high-fidelity 3D model, realistic flight characteristics tuned to the Stratofortress, and engine sounds sourced to convey the aircraft’s characteristic presence. It also says performance has been tuned so Xbox simmers can join the party. How all of that translates into everyday flying and mission-style operations is something we will only fully understand once the community has taken it around the world a few times.

For now, the trailer offers a taste:

A quick refresher on the real B-52H

This is the long-legged backbone of United States strategic bomber capability. First flown in prototype form in 1952 and entering service in 1955, the B-52H variant has been flying since 1961. It is still operational today and projected to remain so for decades.

Eight engines, a wingspan wider than many regional airports would like to accommodate, and a service ceiling up to 50,000 feet define its physical profile. The aircraft is crewed by five and has carried everything from nuclear payloads during the Cold War alert era to precision-guided weapons in more recent conflicts. Strategic reach, long endurance, and adaptability explain why it remains in service after nearly seventy years.

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If this is something you have been waiting to fly in MSFS, you can now pick it up in the Marketplace. If you decide to take it across continents or down low through mountain valleys, feel free to report back on how the big bomber behaves in modern Microsoft Flight Simulator conditions.

The B-52H landed today through the in-sim Marketplace for MSFS 2020, available for both PC and Xbox. Support for the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 version is planned shortly, according to the developers. So if you are already fully living in 2024 territory, the wait looks short.