Designed in 1941 to bomb targets in Europe from North
America when it seemed Britain might fall to Germany.
Development was slowed by shortages of critical materials
and the need to devote effort to wartime production. The
XB-36, the largest aircraft in the world, did not fly until
almost five years after the development contract was let.
The prototypes used a large single-wheel main landing gear,
but the wheel broke up concrete runways. The B-36, with its
intercontinental range and ability to carry nuclear weapons
(primarily the Mk. 17 hydrogen bomb), served as the US's
airborne nuclear deterrent through the 1950s. The type
entered service in 1948, was politically controversial, and
was partially responsible for the "Revolt of the Admirals"
in 1949. Three separate projects were tried to provide the
B-36s with long-range fighter escort in the early 1950s. The
XF-85 parasite fighter was designed to fit in the bomb bay
(which was never actually accomplished), while the YRF-84
FICON (Fighter-Conveyor) used a nose-mounted hook to latch
on to a trapeze. Project Tom-Tom used wingtip-mounted
hookups to carry two RF-84Fs. Aerial refueling of fighters
proved much more practical. The NB-36 was a specially
modified test-bed that carried an operating nuclear reactor
in an effort to develop an atomic-powered aircraft. The lone
XC-99 was the transport version of the B- 36, and the XB-60
was the sweptwing, jet-powered experimental version. The
last B-36 was retired on February 12, 1959, leaving the Air
Force with an all-jet bomber force. The last flight came on
April 30, 1959, when a B-36J was flown to the US Air Force
Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, where it is now on
display.
| Contractors: |
Consolidated-Vultee Aircraft
Corp. (Convair) |
| Locations Built: |
Fort Worth, Tex. |
| Number Built: (USAF) |
385 (385) |
| First Flight: |
August 8, 1946 |
| First Flight Model: |
XB-36 |
| First Flight Location: |
Fort Worth, Tex. |
| First Flight Pilot: |
Beryl A. Erickson and G. S.
"Gus" Green |
| Models/Variants: |
B-36A, B, C, D, F, H, J. RB-36D,
E, F, H |
| Powerplant: |
Six Pratt & Whitney
R-4360-53 Wasp Major four-row radials of 3,800 hp
each in a pusher arrangement and four General
Electric J47-GE-19 turbojets of 5,010 lb static
thrust each |
| Wingspan: |
230 ft 0 in. |
| Length: |
162 ft 1 in. |
| Height: |
46 ft 8 in. |
| Weight: |
410,000 lb gross |
| Armament: |
16 M24A1 20-mm cannon in eight
remotely controlled nose, tail, and retractable
fuselage turrets and 72,000 lb of nuclear and/or
conventional bombs |
| Accommodation: |
16 (pilot, copilot, radar
bombardier, navigator, two flight engineers, two
radio operators, and three gunners in the forward
pressurized compartment and five gunners in the aft
pressurized compartment) |
| Cost: |
$1.4 billion for the entire
program (R&D, prototypes, and production);
approx $3.6 million per aircraft. $639,000 |
| Max. Speed: |
411 mph |
| Range: |
8,800 mi. |
| Ceiling: |
33,000 ft. |
|
