B-21

[childs56]

I am NO expert but I think the airframe may have been overengineered - built a bit more robustly than other aircraft. When the B 52 was designed I THINK (just my thought here) the standard was for this thing to fly for extended hours and fly very far. Thus you have to have a tough airframe.

But like you said we need an aircraft maintenance type to weigh in

Was built in modules/sections, can be repaired, overhauled in sections. Has been repaired and overhauled properly over the years. It is not a composite nightmare like many aircraft are nowadays.
Rivets and bolts hold the parts together.

 

[lenaitch]

Different flying and mission profile but there are still a couple hundred DC-3/C-47?/Dakotas in the air, some converted to turbine. I thing the last one built rolled off in 1945.