Convair B-36
| Convair B-36 "Peacemaker" | |
|---|---|
 Convair B-36J "Peacemaker" of the US Air Force |
|
| Type: | Strategic bomber |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
August 8, 1946 |
| Commissioning: |
1949 |
| Production time: |
1947 to 1954 |
| Quantity: |
385 |
The Convair B-36 "Peacemaker" was an American long-range bomber with six piston engines , which was equipped with four additional jet engines in later versions . It was the largest bomber ever flown by the US Air Force .
His development at Consolidated began during the Second World War in order to be able to attack targets in Europe from North America after the feared invasion of Great Britain by German troops . The type formed the backbone of the Strategic Air Command in the early phase of the Cold War and was replaced in this role from 1955 by the exclusively jet-powered Boeing B-52 .
story
Development of the machine began in 1941 with a planned range of 16,000 kilometers with a 4.54 tonne bomb load. In the event that Great Britain was lost in the European theater of war, a “superbomber” with a range USA-Europe-USA was necessary. The planes were therefore to take off from the east coast of the United States, drop their bomb load over targets in Europe, and then return to the United States. Iceland should serve as a stopover. From May 1940 this was initially occupied by British troops , which were largely replaced by US troops in July 1941 . Against the backdrop of the looming Cold War, the project continued even after the Axis surrendered. The first flight took place on August 8, 1946 in Fort Worth . The aircraft was built in series from 1947 to 1954. On June 26, 1948, the first B-36s were operational with the 7th Bombardement Group. The last B-36 was decommissioned on February 12, 1959 and replaced by the Boeing B-52 . The last flight of a B-36 was on April 30, 1959, when the B-36J with the serial number 52-2220 was transferred to the National Museum of the United States Air Force . After adjustments in the bomb bay, the B-36 was able to carry two copies of the heaviest conventional bomb, the T-12 " Cloudmaker ", each weighing 20 tons.
The first series of the B-36 had pure propeller drive. The six Pratt & Whitney R-4360 engines with pusher propellers were mounted in the rear of the wings and together initially developed 18,000 hp , later 22,500 hp. This arrangement of the engines prevented turbulence that would have disrupted the air flow over the wings, but at the same time made it difficult to cool the engines. From the B-36D series four were additionally jet engines of the type General Electric J47 installed on the outside of the wings in twin nacelles to be able to increase the starting speed, altitude and airspeed in the target area. During normal flight, the turbines were mostly switched off to save fuel. All existing B-36Bs were also retrofitted with the jet engines. The B-36 was nicknamed "six turnin 'and four burnin'".
The B-36 initially had major problems with engine fires and other malfunctions. The project was particularly criticized by the United States Navy . As a separate project, the Navy designed the aircraft carrier USS United States , which should serve as a mobile base for atomic bombers. Ultimately, the Air Force prevailed and got the B-36. From this developed the admiral uprising .
From 1950 to 1951, Convair developed the eight- engine long-range bomber B-60 from the B-36 as a competitor to the Boeing B-52 . From 1942 onwards, a variant of the transport aircraft designated as the C-99 was developed in parallel to the B-36 , which used the wing including the bomber's engines.
Between 1948 and 1959, the B-36 was in service with a total of six bomber and four reconnaissance squadrons of the Strategic Air Command . These were the 6th, 7th, 11th, 42nd, 92nd and 95th Bombardment Wings (Heavy) and the 5th, 28th, 72nd and 99th Strategic Reconnaissance Wings (Heavy).
production
100 copies of the B-36 were ordered in 1944. The former unit price stood at 2,541,138 USD . For comparison, the B-29 was procured for $ 605,360 in 1944. In addition, the price in series production rose significantly, as the table below shows.
Approval of the B-36 by the USAF:
| version | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | TOTAL | price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XB-36 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| YB-36 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| YB-36A | 1 | 1 | $ 2,541,138 | |||||||
| B-36A | 20th | 1 | 21 | $ 2,541,138 | ||||||
| B-36B | 18th | 41 | 3 | 62 | $ 2,541,138 | |||||
| B-36D | 14th | 12th | 26th | $ 4,138,125 | ||||||
| B-36F | 33 | 1 | 34 | $ 4,138,125 | ||||||
| B-36H | 7th | 49 | 27 | 83 | $ 4,149,446 | |||||
| B-36J | 10 | 23 | 33 | $ 3,640,214 | ||||||
| RB-36D | 14th | 10 | 24 | $ 4,138,125 | ||||||
| RB-36E | (9) | (13) | (22) | (Modification) | ||||||
| RB-36F | 24 | 24 | $ 4,133,876 | |||||||
| RB-36H | 47 | 26th | 73 | $ 4,149,446 | ||||||
| TOTAL | 1 | 39 | 43 | 31 | 86 | 97 | 63 | 23 | 383 | |
| B-36G / YB-60 | 2 | 2 |
In the period from November 1950 to February 1952, 59 of the 62 B-36Bs were converted into B-36Ds. The 22 RB-36E emerged from the 21 B-36A and the YB-36 between July 1950 and July 1951. The conversion of 1 RB-36F into GRB-36F took place in 1951, of 10 RB-36D into GRB-36D in the period December 1953 to March 1955. The XB-36H, converted to a test carrier for a planned “nuclear engine”, flew from 1955 until 1957 under the designation NB-36H . 24 bombers and 7 reconnaissance planes were lost in accidents. The aircraft was taken out of service between 1957 and 1959.
Versions
- XB-36
- Prototype, powered by six R-4360-25 engines with 3000 hp each, 1 copy built, later tested with a crawler track (with a circulating belt, no caterpillar ).
- YB-36
- Prototype with modified front section and raised cockpit, 1 copy built, later converted to the YB-36A.
- YB-36A
- Original YB-36 with four-wheeled main landing gear, later converted to the RB-36E.
- B-36A
- Series variant, unarmed for training purposes, 22 built, 21 converted to RB-36E.
- B-36B
- Armed series variant with six R-4360-41 engines with 3500 HP each, 73 built, later converted to RB-36D and B-36D.
- RB-36B
- Designation for 39 B-36B, which were temporarily equipped with cameras as reconnaissance aircraft.
- YB-36C
- Project for a version with six 4300 hp R-4360-51 engines with front propellers, not built.
- B-36C
- Planned production variant of the YB-36C, order converted to B-36B
- B-36D
- Like B-36B, with an additional four J47-GE-19 engines, 22 built and 64 conversions from B-36B.
- RB-36D
- Strategic reconnaissance variant of the B-36D with camera installation in the bomb bays, 17 built and 7 conversions from B-36B.
- RB-36E
- The YB-36A and 21 B-36As converted to the standard of the RB-36D.
- B-36F
- Like B-36D but with six 3800 hp R-4360-53 engines and four J47-GE-19 engines, 34 built.
- RB-36F
- Strategic reconnaissance variant of the B-36F with additional fuel capacity, 24 built.
- GRB-36F
- An RB-36F converted into a carrier aircraft for a GRF-84F Thunderstreak as part of the FICON program .
- YB-36G
- Project of a pure jet variant with swept wings, realized under the designation YB-60 .
- B-36H
- Like B-36F with improved cockpit and equipment, 83 built.
- NB-36H
- A B-36H with an experimental nuclear reactor installation , modified cockpit and front area.
- RB-36H
- Strategic reconnaissance variant of the B-36H, 73 built.
- B-36J
- Height variant with reinforced landing gear, increased fuel capacity, reduced defensive armament and reduced crew on rear cannons, 33 built.
pictures
XB-36, prototype
B-36B in flight
XB-36 with crawler chassis
RB-36D
RB-36H
NB-36H, test carrier for nuclear reactor
B-36H (photo from the 1940s)
GRB-36F as a carrier aircraft for YRF-84F fighters
Incidents
From the first flight in 1946 to the end of operations in 1959, there were 32 total aircraft losses with the Convair B-36. 173 people were killed in 16 of them. Examples:
- On February 14, 1950, a B-36 of the 436th Bomb Wing ( 8th Air Force ) lost a Mk IV atomic bomb near Vancouver Island in Canada. The bomb fell into the sea, but did not detonate. Allegedly, the atomic bomb was only a dummy.
- On May 22, 1957, near Kirtland Air Force Base , New Mexico , a B-36 dropped a Mk. 17 hydrogen bomb without a detonator from a height of 520 meters. Only the conventional explosive charge required for the initial detonation exploded, the explosion left a crater 3.6 meters deep. The weapons system officer had accidentally activated the trigger mechanism.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data of the B-36J |
|---|---|
| crew | 15th |
| length | 49.40 m |
| span | 70.10 m |
| Wing area | 443.32 m² |
| Wing extension | 11.1 |
| height | 14.22 m |
| Empty mass | 77,580 kg |
| max | 185,973 kg |
| drive |
|
| Top speed | 661 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 12,160 m |
| Range | 10,944 km |
| Armament |
|
literature
- Don Pyeatt, Dennis Jenkins: Cold War Peacemaker. The Story of Cowtown and Convair B-36. Specialty Press, North Branch MN 2010, ISBN 978-1-58007-127-7 (English).
Web links
- Convair B-36 Crash Reports and Wreck Sites. Goleta Air and Space Museum
- Convair B-36 in an excerpt from the film In a Secret Command Matter (in the original Strategic Air Command) on YouTube
Individual evidence
- ↑ Dennis R. Jenkins: Magnesium Overcast - The Story of the Convair B-36 , Specialty Press, 3rd Edition 2005, p. 234
- ↑ Bill Yenne: Convair B-36 Peacemaker (Warplane Classic). In: International Air Power Review. Volume 13, 2004, p. 150 f.
- ↑ Statistical Digest of the USAF 1947. p. 115; 1948II, p. 16; 1949, p. 164, 1951, p. 158, 1952, p. 158; 1953, p. 185; 1954, p. 70; 1955, p. 89; 1958, pp. 83 f., Size Knaack, Marcelle: Encyclopedia of US Air Force Aircraft and Missile Systems. Volume 2, Washington DC, 1978, p. 3 ff.
- ↑ Statistical Digest of the USAF 1950 to 1960, table "USAF Aircraft Gains and Losses"; Jacobsen, Meyers K .: Convair B-36. A Comprehensive History of America's "Big Stick", Atglen, PA 1997, p. 98, p. 344 ff., P. 384
- ↑ List of accidents with Convair B-36 , Aviation Safety Network WikiBase , accessed on July 26, 2018.
- ↑ US Nuclear Weapons in Canada. Dundom Group, 1999, ISBN 1-55002-329-2 , p. 111.
- ↑ spiegel.de
- ↑ Convair B-36J Peacemaker. In: US Air Force Fact Sheet. National Museum of the USAF, May 28, 2015, accessed March 13, 2021 .