Convair XB-46
| Convair XB-46 | |
|---|---|
 Convair XB-46 in flight |
|
| Type: | Tactical bomber |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: |
Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation |
| First flight: |
April 2, 1947 |
| Commissioning: |
Flight tests ended in 1947 |
| Production time: |
Was never mass-produced |
| Number of pieces: |
1 |
Convair XB-46 was the name for the project of a four-engine bomber from the US American manufacturer Convair from 1947. Only a prototype was built.
history
The development of the XB-46 began towards the end of the Second World War . In the fall of 1944, the Americans noticed the development of German jet-powered bombers such as the Arado Ar 234 and Junkers Ju 287 . A design competition for a jet-propelled medium US bomber then began. Convair presented its Model 109 , a 41 tonne bomber. The US Army Air Force accepted the design in November 1944. The other competitors were the North American XB-45 , the Boeing XB-47 and the Martin XB-48 .
development
Three prototypes were ordered on February 12, 1945. In the fall of 1945, Convair competed with itself when it was working on an unusual tailless bomber, the XA-44 . Consideration was given to abandoning the XB-46 project in order to promote other projects.
Company officials argued that it would make more sense to build an unarmed prototype XB-46 first. In addition, instead of the two other XB-46 prototypes, two XA-44 aircraft fuselages were to be built. In June 1946 the AAF allowed this division. However, the XA-44 project was discontinued in December 1946. The development of the only XB-46 prototype was carried out without armament just to test the design.
The XB-46 had a long, thin fuselage and wide-span, non-swept wings with great aspect ratio . The high-wing had two J35-A3 - jet engines with 1780 kg thrust under the wings. The pilots sat in a long, fully glazed pressurized cabin and the bombardier in the glazed nose of the aircraft. The machine was later to receive a remote-controlled rear weapon turret with two 12.7 mm machine guns and a remote-controlled APG-27 sighting system.
Test phase
The first 90-minute flight of the XB-46 took place on April 2, 1947 at Convair in San Diego . The pilots praised the good flight behavior. The 64 test flights lasted until September 1947, a total of 127 flight hours were flown by Convair and AAF test pilots. The high flight stability and control obedience contrasted with engine problems and vibrations of the rudder at high speeds. However, the aircraft survived the test series and was delivered on November 12, 1947.
End of program
The B-46 program ended in August 1947, even before the test flights were completed. Instead, the North American B-45 was released for production, but a little later it should lose out against the much more modern production model Boeing B-47 .
The XB-46 was no longer significantly improved, instead, between August 1948 and August 1949, further series of tests were carried out on it at West Palm Beach Air Force Base in Florida. After 44 more flight hours, the machine was decommissioned. After a year off, the aircraft arrived at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida in July 1950 . Tests of the pneumatic system in the cold chamber took place there. After the tests, the aircraft nose was dismantled and handed over to the USAF Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio on January 13, 1951 , and the other part of the machine was scrapped on February 28, 1952.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| Length: | 32.23 m |
| Wingspan: | 34.44 m |
| Wing area: | 119.4 m² |
| Wing extension : | 9.93 |
| Wing loading : |
|
| Height: | 8.51 m |
| Empty weight: | 21,800 kg |
| Normal takeoff weight: | 34,100 kg |
| Maximum take-off weight: | 42,800 kg |
| Top speed: | 877 km / h |
| Service ceiling: | 12,195 m |
| Range: | 4,619 km |
| Crew: | 2 - 3 pilots, a bombardier / navigator |
| Armament: |
|
| Drive: | Four Allison-J35 -A-3 jet engines with 17.46 kN each |
| Thrust-to-weight ratio : |
|
literature
- Andrade, John M. (1979). US Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909 Earl Shilton, Leicester: Midland Counties Publications. ISBN 0-904597-22-9
- Knaack, Marcelle Size (1988). Encyclopedia of US Air Force Aircraft and Missile Systems, Volume II - Post-World War II Bombers 1945-1973 . Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History, USAF. ISBN 0-912799-59-5
- Wagner, Ray. (1968). American Combat Planes (2nd ed.). Garden City: Doubleday and Company. ISBN 0-385-04134-9
