North American B-45
North American B-45 tornado | |
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North American B-45C tornado |
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Type: | bomber |
Design country: | |
Manufacturer: | |
First flight: |
March 17, 1947 |
Commissioning: |
1948 |
Production time: |
1948 to 1950 |
Number of pieces: |
143 |
The B-45 Tornado was a jet-powered light bomber made by the US manufacturer North American Aviation . It was the USAF's first four- engine aircraft and the first jet bomber to be refueled in the air . In the early 1950s, B-45s formed an important part of American nuclear deterrence . However, the model was soon replaced by the B-47 Stratojet .
history
Development of the B-45 began towards the end of World War II in the fall of 1944, when the Americans noticed the development of German jet-powered bombers such as the Arado Ar 234 and Junkers Ju 287 . On September 8, 1944, North American Aviation won the tender with the NA-130 design and immediately began producing three prototypes.
At the end of the war, many weapons projects were stopped. In 1946 the Cold War against the Soviet Union began and the US Army Air Forces decided to accelerate the development of jet bombers. In mid-1946 the XB-45 and Convair XB-46 were almost finished, but the Boeing XB-47 and Martin XB-48 projects still needed around two years of development. The Air Force chose the XB-45 instead of the XB-46. On January 2, 1947, immediate production of the B-45A was ordered.
Of the 3 prototypes, one machine crashed before handover, killing two crew members. The remaining two aircraft were handed over to the US Air Force on July 30, 1948 and August 1948 . A second prototype was damaged in another accident. The last XB-45 was transferred to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in 1949 . Because it was difficult to maintain, it was used for floor exercises.
Versions
B-45A
The B-45A differed from the XB-45 in a number of details. It had improved ejection seats , better radio equipment , an E-4 autopilot and a bomb navigation radar.
The first B-45A bomber flew in February 1948 and was delivered to the USAF on April 22, 1948. However, it only had weak J35 engines and was considered unsuitable for use. So it was only used for training purposes. The next machines received J47 engines. In November 1948, the first B-45A were used by the 47th Bombardment Group . The first order was for 96 machines.
However, in 1950 the costs forced a 190 machine order to be cut to 139 machines. The B-45A had no bomb-guidance system and suffered from gyrocompass interferences at high speeds. Engine fires, difficulty dropping bombs and poor operating instructions were added. The AN / APQ-24 bomb navigation system was difficult to maintain and the maximum flight altitude was not reached due to poor compressed air supply.
It was planned to move 47 B-45A to the Far East , but no suitable route could be found. With the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, the B-45A was converted into a tactical nuclear bomber . However, smaller atomic bombs first had to be constructed, and various modifications to the aircraft were necessary.
In 1952 55 nuclear-capable B-45s were relocated to the 3rd US Air Force in Great Britain . They had modified 1,200 gallon kerosene tanks behind the bomb bays. Despite various technical problems, they became the first atomic bombs in Europe.
B-45B
The B-45B was a B-45A variant with better radar and fire control system . However, this version never went into production.
B-45C
The B-45C was the first jet aircraft that could be refueled in the air. The receptacle for the tank boom was located on the top approximately in the middle of the fuselage. In addition to the introduction of tip tanks , the first-time use of J47-GE-13/15 engines with water injection was a further improvement. This increased the maximum thrust to 26.7 kN, with the water being carried in two 810 liter drop tanks under the engine nacelles. In their place, two Aerojet XLR13-AJ-1 JATO missiles could also be hung below. These together delivered a thrust of 35.6 kN for 60 seconds.
Although the development of this variant had already started in September 1947, the first flight was only on May 3, 1949. Only ten machines were built, the remaining 33 machines under construction were converted into the type RB-45C. In addition, many copies of the B-45A were brought to this standard in order to extend their service life.
RB-45C
It was the last variant of the B-45 and was used for photo reconnaissance. It had two external 214-gallon tanks, two JATO rocket launchers, and twelve cameras. The first RB-45C flew in April 1950 and was delivered from June 1950 to October 1951.
The RB-45C flew in the 91st Strategic Squadron during the Korean War . The Boeing B-29 could no longer carry out the missions due to technical progress. In early 1952, the RB-45C flew many missions and were then used for night operations. Shortly afterwards they were withdrawn from the front. Two RB-45Cs were lost in Korea: the first one went missing during an operation in December 1950, the second crashed in June 1952 during an operation, but without enemy influence.
In 1952 and 1954 there were RB-45s painted with RAF roundels in Great Britain. Officially, the aircraft flew to evaluate air refueling for the RAF, but the actual purpose of the group was reconnaissance flights with three RB-45C directly over the Soviet Union . On July 29, 1952, the first non-stop transpacific flight was carried out with an RB-45C. It was refueled twice by KB-29 tankers.
In 1959 the last RB-45C were retired and replaced by RB-47E .
Other variants
Some tornadoes were converted into flying engine test stands when the corresponding high-speed wind tunnels were not yet available. This affected the last series B-45A, which was renamed the JB-45A; a B-45C (JB-45C) and an RB-45C (JRB-45C) have also been modified for this. Another use was as a drone control aircraft (DB-45A). 16 B-45Cs were converted into TB-45Cs for a target tug variant. Some early B-45A, which were not considered to be primarily usable, were also converted into TB-45A target tugs, which were then brought up to the standard of the later operational variants.
production
version | 1948 | 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | Total (model) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
XB-45 | 3 | 3 | |||
B-45A | 20th | 45 | 31 | 96 | |
B-45C | 6th | 4th | 10 | ||
RB-45C | 25th | 8th | 33 | ||
Total (years) | 23 | 51 | 60 | 8th | 142 |
Conversion of the B-45 after fiscal years:
version | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | total | Remodeling |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
TB-45A | 11 | 4th | 4th | 1 | 20th | B-45A | |
RB-45C | 1 | 1 | B-45C | ||||
QB-45A | 1 | 1 | B-45A | ||||
QB-45A | 1 | 1 | B-45A | ||||
total | 12 | 0 | 6th | 4th | 1 | 23 |
(FY = Fiscal Year. The FY 1953 ran from July 1, 1952 to June 30, 1953.)
losses
33 B-45s and 2 RB-45s were lost in accidents between 1948 and 1958, a total of 35 aircraft. In the Korean War, the USAF lost 2 RB-45C.
Technical specifications
Parameter | Data of the B-45A |
---|---|
crew | 4th |
length | 22.9 m |
span | 27.1 m |
height | 7.7 m |
Wing area | 105 m² |
drive | 4 × General Electric J47 GE-13 jet engines with 23.1 kN thrust each |
Top speed | 920 km / h |
Range | 1,600 km |
Service ceiling | 14,100 m |
Empty mass | 20,726 kg |
Takeoff mass | 36,980 kg |
Armament | 4 × 12.7 mm M3 MG, 10,000 kg bombs |
Received aircraft
There are three B-45s in museums around the world.
- B-45A with Ser. No. 47-0008 in the Castle Air Museum on the former Castle Air Force Base in Atwater, California .
- B-45C with Ser. No. 48-0010 in the Cold War hangar of the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton , Ohio.
- RB-45C Ser. No. 48-0017 at the Strategic Air and Space Museum in Ashland , Nebraska .
literature
- Guy Martin: Jet Bomber Pioneer - North American B-45 Tornado (Pioneers & Prototypes) . In: International Air Power Review , Volume 23, 2007, pp. 162-173.
Web links
- North American B-45C tornado. In: US Air Force Fact Sheet. National Museum of the United States Air Force , January 25, 2016, accessed April 13, 2020 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Statistical Digest of USAF, 1953, pp. 57 ff.
- ^ Squadron Leader John Crampton , The Telegraph, August 1, 2010
- ↑ Statistical Digest of the USAF 1948, p. 16; 1949, p. 164 f .; 1951, p. 158, Size Knaack, Marcelle: Encyclopedia of US Air Force Aircraft and Missile Systems, Volume 2, Washington DC, 1978, p. 61 ff.
- ↑ Statistical Digest of the USAF 1953–1957 , table "Gains and Losses"
- ↑ Statistical Digest of the USAF 1948–1958 , table “Gains and Losses”.
- ↑ B-45 Tornado / 47-0008
- ↑ RB-45C "Tornado"