In April 1945 the USAF’s predecessor, the USAAF, had issued its specification for a B-35/B-36 replacement with turbine propulsion. The Convair submission to the 1945 requirement was the Convair YB-36G, which was in essence the B-36 recast with flying surfaces swept at 35 degrees and with a powerplant of eight Pratt & Whitney J57-P-3 turbojets. The type was redesignated YB-60 before two prototypes were ordered on 15 March 1951. They retained the basic fuselage of the B-36 with a modified nose and generally similar wing centre-section and landing gear offering a 75 per cent structural commonality with the B-36. The first was flown on 18 April 1952, but the type failed to gain a production contract, the USAF ordering instead the Boeing B-52. In addition to its new wings and tail, the YB-60 had a revised landing gear arrangement and a considerably larger fuel capacity. Maximum speed was 550 mph (885 km/h) at 55,000 ft (16765 m), but in all operational aspects the competing Boeing aeroplane was superior, as well as offering far greater development potential.
Engines: 8 x 4080kg J57-P-3 Max take-off weight: 300000 kg / 661390 lb Empty weight: 150000 kg / 330695 lb Wingspan: 206 m / 675 ft 10 in Length: 171 m / 561 ft 0 in Height: 50 m / 164 ft 1 in Max. speed: 520 km/h / 323 mph Ceiling: 45000 m / 147650 ft Range: 8000 km / 4971 miles Crew: 10
The first intercontinental bomber, the Convair B-36 originated from a US Army Air Force specification issued on 11 April 1941 which called for an aircraft with ability to carry a maximum bombload of 72,000 lb / 32659kg and to deliver 10,000-lb / 4536kg of bombs on European targets from bases in the United States. A radius of 5000 miles / 8047 km. An unrefuelled range of 16093km was a prime requirement, with a maximum speed of 386-483km/h and ceiling of 35000 ft / 10670m.
A number of designs were submitted and the winner was selected in November 1941 the month before the USAs entry into World War II. It was the Consolidated Model 37, which was ordered in prototype term as the XB-36, becoming the developmental YB-36 trials model, finally built by Convair, as Consolidated became known after its merger with Vultee.
The design was basically conventional by the standards of the time, but with a span of 230 ft (74.10 m) the aeroplane was exceptionally large weighing 102 tonnes (100 tons). The tyres on the prototypes main landing gear were 2.74 m (9 ft) in diameter (they also concentrated too much weight on the run¬ways of the day, and were replaced on production aircraft by four wheel bogie units). The type did introduce some novel features, however, including a slightly swept wing, a fuselage whose two main pressurized compartments were connected by an 80-ft (24.4m) tunnel containing a wheeled cart, and propulsion by six pusher propellers driven by radial engines buried in the thick wings. The wings had a root thickness of 1.83m to permit in-flight access to the six pusher engines. The B 36 used the “wet fuel tankage” pioneered by Consolidated with their B~24 liberator no fuel tanks as such, just big areas of the wing structure sealed and filled with fuel.There were leakage problems. The aircraft was designed originally with twin fins and rudders, but by the time the XB-36 prototype was ready to be rolled out at Fort Worth, on 8 September 1945, single vertical tail surfaces had been substituted. The aircraft’s tailfin was so tall that the nosewheel had to be jacked up to lower the rear and clear the top of the doors.
B-36 Peacemaker required a crew of 11 personnel to maintain all systems and weaponry on the aircraft with 4 ‘relief’ personnel flying along as well. There were high maintenance costs. Every flight up to 40 hours aloft cost thousands of man hours on the ground. For instance, every flight began with a new set of spark-plugs in the engines: 336 of them in 168 cylinder heads on six engines.
Defensive armament consisted of sixteen 20mm cannon emplacements in the nose, tail and throughout the fuselage in barbettes – though this defensive armament was not added till the B-36B models.
The prototype programme was initially slowed by World War II’s demands for current aircraft, but then placed at the highest priority in 1943 when the USA realized that strategic blows against Japan could only be struck by long-range strategic bombers.
First flown on 8 August 1946, the XB-36 had single 2.79m diameter main wheels, also a feature of the YB-36 second prototype on which they were replaced later by the four-wheeled bogies adopted for production aircraft. The original single wheel main undercarriages smashed up run way surfaces. In this form the aircraft was designated YB-36A and also differed from the first aircraft by introducing a raised cockpit roof. On 23 July 1943 100 aircraft were ordered but it was more than four years before the first of the 22 unarmed crew-trainer B-36A models took off on its maiden flight, on 28 August 1947. The Convair B-36 Peacemaker entered service with the United States Air Force’s 7th Bombardment Wing (Heavy) on 2 June 1948.
In 1949 cargo carriers were developed by Convair for carriage in the B-36 bomb-bay. One B-36 could carry six containers, each of about 100 cu.ft and maximum load of 14,000 lb. As a tanker, the B-36 could carry four 3000 USG tanks.
From 1950 the over target height and speed were boosted by adding four 2360 kg (5200 lb) thrust J47 jet engines in under slung pods to boost performance; with the six piston engines also uprated to 3800 hp each. Missions could last up to 50 hours without using the inflight refuelling capability. Complete wings were based in the UK, Morocco, Guam and other areas, as well as in the USA until February 1959. No missions were flown ‘in anger’.
In its final production version the B 36 had a combat overload weight of 208 tonnes (205 tons), more than double that of the prototype, and a maximum flight duration of 42 hours. An arsenal of 16 guns was carried, and crews numbered between 13 and 22 men, depending on the model and type of mission, some of which involved high altitude over-flights of the Soviet Union.
The B 36 was used as an extreme range spy plane (the version carried a photographic work shop instead of the usual bombload). A small number of ‘featherweight’ B-36s – aircraft without their usual armament and other non-essential equipment – with a small crew could fly at extreme altitudes, so keeping out of range of the MiG-15 interceptors. The regular B-36s, equipped with 14 cameras and electronic eavesdropping equipment, could reach 50,000 ft / 15,000 m while the ‘featherweight’ could cruise above the Soviet Union and China at more than 58,000 ft.
The last B-36J was delivered in September 1953 and the ultimate operational B-36 was retired in August 1959.
The GRB-36 operated as an airborne aircraft carrier. When the Convair B 36 Peacemaker bomber went into service with the United States Air Force’s Strategic Air Command, plans were laid for two hook on projects. The first of these was a fighter called the McDonnell XF 85 Goblin, which was 4.57 m (15 ft) long. The Goblin was to have been carried in the B 36’s bomb bay ready for launching in the event of fighter attack. Having won the ensuing dogfight it would then rejoin the mother ship for it did not give it any landing gear of its own.
Convair B-36J Peacemaker
The second attempt to use the B 36 as an aircraft carrier took place in 1955 and 1956. Seeking a reconnaissance aircraft with suffi¬cient range to reach the Soviet Union, the USAF came up with FICON, which stood for Fighter In CONvair.
By hitching a Repub¬lic RF 84 Thunderflash to a B 36, the photo-¬reconnaissance jet’s range could be extended from 3220 km (2000 miles) to 19,310 km (12,000 miles).
The parasite’s pilot could transfer to the bomber’s interior, fly in the pressurised cabin until the area to be photographed was approached (because the B-36 had a range of at least 9300 miles / 15,000 km and this could take many hours), then go down to his own cockpit to be released above enemy territory.
SAC had a number of Peacemakers modified to GRB-36 mother aircraft and ordered 25 Republic RF-84K Thunderflash to hitch a ride. During 1955-56 several operational missions were flown from Fairchild and Larson airbases in Washington State.
Some thought was also given to a nuclear bomb equipped Thunderstreak substituting for the Thunderflash, but the arrival of the U-2 and RB-57D ended the project.
GRB-36J
Twenty five RF 84Fs were modified for parasite duty. On a typical mission the mother ship B 36 would depart from Fairchild Air Force Base, Spokane, Washington to be joined in the air by an RF 84K (as the parasite Thunderflashes were designated) from Moses Lake Air Force Base. The fighter would be hoisted into the B 36’s bomb bay.
GRB-36J
In April 1945 the USAF’s predecessor, the USAAF, had issued its specification for a B-35/B-36 replacement with turbine propulsion, and the USAF pushed this programme with considerable vigour. The failing submission to the 1945 requirement was the Convair YB-36G, which was redesignated YB-60 before two prototypes were ordered in March 1951,
Two Convair X-6s were ordered to evaluate the operational practicality of airborne nuclear propulsion systems prior to committing to building a prototype of a dedicated military design. The specific areas to be tested included crew shielding, propulsion, radiobiology, and the effects of radiation on various aircraft systems. In addition to the X-6s, a single NB-36H was ordered to serve as an early flyable testbed. In the NB-36H, the nuclear reactor was functioning but provided no power to the aircraft itself. The X-6s would have been powered by a prototype airborne nuclear propulsion system installed in the aft bomb bays.
In the end, the X-6 program was cancelled before either of the two aircraft were built. The NB-36H was completed, however, making its first flight in September 1955. After conducting tests for approximately two years, the nuclear reactor was removed and the NB-36H was scrapped at Carswell AFB, Texas.
Production of the B-36 continued for almost seven years, the last of 385 examples being delivered to Strategic Air Command on 14 August 1954, and the type was retired finally on 12 February 1959.
B-36 transporting the XB-58 airframe using eight of ten engines (note both of the inboard propellers have been removed for this flight)
Convair easily transported the XB-58 prototype by air from Ft. Worth TX to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (AFB) in Ohio for testing with the use of a modified Peacemaker bomber.
B-36 and XB-58 airframe mating, note the strut assembly joining the two wings together has been removed from the wing’s inboard engine as well as the prop.
The left and right inboard engines had their propellers removed, along with the bomb bay doors since they did not clear the wings of the XB-58 which was mounted underneath the bomber.
Since the airframe was the subject of testing the XB-58 did not have the engines attached and the vertical fin assembly was left off, as well.
Engines: 6 x P+W R-4360, 2575kW Wingspan: 70.1 m / 229 ft 12 in Length: 49.4 m / 162 ft 1 in Height: 14.3 m / 46 ft 11 in Wing area: 443.3 sq.m / 4771.64 sq ft Max take-off weight: 162162 kg / 357508 lb Empty weight: 72051 kg / 158846 lb Max. speed: 696 km/h / 432 mph Cruise speed: 362 km/h / 225 mph Ceiling: 13700 m / 44950 ft Range w/max.fuel: 16000 km / 9942 miles Armament: 12-16 20mm machine-guns, 32600kg of bombs Crew: 16
Convair B-36D Peacemaker Engines: 6 x 3,500 hp Pratt & Whitney R-4360-41 radials + 4 GE J47-GE-19 turbojet, 5,200 lb. thrust Length: 162.07ft (49.4m) Width: 229.66ft (70.00m) Height: 46.75ft (14.25m) Maximum Speed: 439mph (706kmh; 381kts) Maximum Range: 7,500miles (12,070km) Service Ceiling: 45,197ft (13,776m; 8.6miles) Armament: 12 x 20mm cannons in nose, tail and fuselage barbettes Up to 86,000 lbs of bombs internally. Accommodation: 15 Empty Weight: 171,035lbs (77,580kg) Maximum Take-Off Weight: 418,878lbs (190,000kg)
B 36J Peacemaker Engines: 6 x Pratt & Whitney R 4360 53 Wasp Major 28 cylinder radial, 3,800 hp (2834 kW) and 4 x General Electric J47 GE 19 turbojets, 2359 kg (5.200 lb). Max speed: 661 km/h (411 mph) at 11095 m (36,400 ft). Over target height: up to 12160 m (39,900 ft). Range with 4990 kg (11,000 lb) bombload: 10944 km (6,800 miles). Empty weight: 77581 kg (171,035 lb) Maximum take off weight: 185976 kg (410,000 lb). Wing span 70,10 m (230 ft 0 in). Length 49.40 m (162 ft 1 in). Height 14.23 m (46 ft 8 in). Wing area 443.3 sq.m (4,772.0 sq ft). Armament: 16 x 20 mm cannon in 8 turrets Bombload: up to 39010 kg (86, 000 lb).
GRB-36J Engines: 6 x Pratt & Whitney R-4360-53, 3800 hp & 4 x General Electric J47-GE-19, 5200 lb Wingspan: 230 ft Length: 162 ft 1 in Height: 46 ft 9 in Wing area: 4772 sq.ft Empty weight: 145,000 lb Loaded weight: 408,000 lb Max speed: 436 mph Cruise: P&W eng. Only: 290 mph at 40,000 ft Max range: 10,000 mi
Shortly after starting to develop the B-36 bomber, Convair began the parallel design of a transport late in 1942 (Model 37). The XC-99 used the same wings, empennage, landing gear, and six 3,500hp (2,600kW) Pratt & Whitney Wasp Major engines as in the ‘Peacemaker’, but it had a large pressurized, double-decked fuselage capable of carrying 400 troops or more than 100,000lb (45,350kg) of cargo.
Only a single aircraft was built which flew on 23 November 1947, it subsequently acquired bogie main wheel units and weather radar. By 1955 it had carried 35 million pounds of freight in 4,000 flying hours. It was used successfully by the US Air Force for special transport operations until retired in 1957.
Engines: 6 x Pratt & Whitney R4360-41 Wasp Major, 3,500hp (2,600kW). Span: 230 ft Length: 182 ft 6 in Height: 57 ft 6 in Empty weight: 132,000 lb Loaded weight: 265,000 lb Max. Speed: over 300 m.p.h. Service ceiling: 30,000 ft Payload: 400 troops or 100,000+lb (45,350kg) of cargo. Maximum range w/10,000 lb: 8100 miles
The Caproni Ca.90 was a heavy bomber biplane built by the Italian company Aeronautica Caproni in the late 1920s; while winning some world records relating to the transport of loads at high altitudes, it was built in a single specimen and remained in the prototype stage.
At the time of its construction, the Ca.90 was the largest land aircraft built up to then, a record it held until 1934, surpassed only by the construction of the Soviet Tupolev ANT-20.
The structure of the Ca.90 was made entirely of steel tubes while the upholstery was in canvas, except in the bow section which was instead covered in corrugated sheet of duralumin. The fuselage, with a rectangular section, housed at the bow end a position for a machine gunner, below which was that of the bomber observer; immediately behind these positions was arranged a first part of the fuel tanks which was followed by the cockpit with dual controls with the two pilots arranged side by side. Other fuel tanks were arranged behind the pilots, followed by the compartments for the bomb launchers and three other positions for the machine gunners (two dorsal and one ventral).
The configuration of the wing planes was of the inverted sesquiplana type, characterized by the significantly greater opening of the lower wing than the upper one (almost 12 metres). The lower wing rested on the upper part of the fuselage and was connected to the upper wing plane by two pairs of uprights integrated by diagonally arranged and crossed metal cables. In the central part of the upper wing plane there was a cockpit position, armed with machine guns. The empennage was of the monoplane and cruciform type.
The landing gear was fixed, with double wheel main elements, of the interrupted axle type; supported by two legs equipped with oil-pneumatic shock absorbers and by two connecting struts with the lower part of the fuselage, it was integrated at the rear by a single-wheel, adjustable, elastically sprung element.
The engines were six Isotta Fraschini Asso 1000: they were liquid-cooled 18-cylinder W engines, each capable of delivering the power of 1,000 HP. They were arranged in groups of two, in tandem, in a push-pull configuration: two groups rested on the lower wings, in correspondence with the undercarriage attachments, while the third group was suspended between the two wing planes, supported by a steel tube frame. The front engines drove a two-bladed propeller, the rear ones a four-bladed type.
Armed with seven machine guns, the Ca.90 was designed to carry up to 8,000 kg of bombs, even if the transportable load could vary according to the flight range required for the type of mission.
Taken in the air on 13 October 1929, although employed by the Regia Aeronautica in the ambit of the 62nd Squadron “Experimental Heavy Bombardment”, it was unable to fully express its potential: despite the conquest of some world records, it was not commercially successful and was built in a single copy. In essence it was the Air Ministry under the leadership of Italo Balbo that rejected the project, as Balbo was not a supporter of large-scale aerial bombing. Later Caproni attempted to commercialize the Ca.90 in the United States by starting a joint venture with the Curtiss Airplane and Motor Company, but this project also failed due to the great depression.
On February 22, 1930, piloted by Domenico Antonini, it won the endurance and climb-to-altitude records with a payload of 10 000 kg flying for 1 h and 31 min and reaching the maximum altitude of 3 231 m (a second, more recent source reports the maximum altitude of 3 256 m).
The operational use of the Ca.90 with the Regia Aeronautica was limited to the 62nd Squadron “Sperimentale Bombardamento Pesante” (also called “Squadriglia Bombardieri Giganti”) with the Italian air force.
From the Ca.90 project, a seaplane version was developed, called Ca.91.
Engines: 6 x Isotta Fraschini Asso 1000, 1000 hp Wingspan Upper: 34,90 m / 114 ft 6 in Wingspan Lower: 46,60 m / 153 ft 2.5 in Length: 26,95 m / 89 ft 9 in Height: 10,80 m Wing area: 496,60 sq.m Empty weight: 15 000 kg MAUW: 30 000 kg / 66,140 lb Max speed: 205 km/h / 130 mph Endurance: 7 h 00 min Range: 2796 mi Ceiling: 4 500 m Bombload: 8 000 kg
Caproni’s Ca.60 had three sets of triplane wings arranged in tandem on top of a hull. Eight 400-hp Liberty engines, four pushing, four pulling, were supposed to make the thing fly, and provision was made for engineers to walk along the extended nacelles to attend the motors in flight.
This craft was launched on Lake Maggiore on 21 January 1921 in the presence of the American Ambassador to Italy, his country having supplied its engines. The first trial hop in March confirmed that the craft was unstable longitudinally. Test pilot Semprini, with sandbags representing a load of 60 passengers, managed to coax the aircraft to 20 m (66 ft) before its nose dipped and dived into the lake and broke up. Semprini was fished out and the wreck was salvaged for rebuilding. A fire conveniently destroyed its remains before the work was completed, whereupon Count Caproni decided that enough was enough.
In the late 1950s the Bristol aircraft design team, under the leadership of Dr Archibald E. Russell, was awarded important MoS contracts for design and feasibility studies in the development of a supersonic transport. After an outline design for a thin delta wing with pencil fuselage had been accepted, the Bristol Type 198 was projected. This would have been a trans Atlantic range delta aircraft powered by six Bristol Olympus engines. The government decided that this 380,000 lb machine was too heavy and asked for a smaller design, capable of carrying 100 passengers across the Atlantic, with a maximum weight of 250,0001b. This resulted in the Type 223 which formed the basis for the British contribution to the collaborative venture with France which was agreed in November 1962 and resulted in Concorde. Concorde 002, G BSST, made its inaugural flight from Filton on 9 April 1969
The Brabazon was a large trans Atlantic airliner project, designed to meet one of the postwar requirements formulated by the Inter-Departmental Committee under the chairmanship of Lord Brabazon of Tara. This committee was set up in 1943 to decide on the types of aircraft likely to be needed after the end of the war, able to carry 100 passengers non-stop from London to New York. Filton’s submission for an eight engined, 160 ton aeroplane drew extensively upon design studies that had been made in 1942 for a long range bomber. The Bristol Aeroplane Company was given leave to proceed with two fully pressurised prototypes, the name Brabazon chosen for the type. In 1945 construction of the prototype commenced in October. Many problems were encountered during the next four years leading up to the first flight on 4 September 1949. There was extensive testing of design innovations both on the ground and in the air. The huge Brabazon Hangar was built at Filton to accommodate the assembly of the two prototypes and a new runway was laid, involving the demolition of a village and closure of a dual carriageway. Six and a half years later, in 1949, the first Brabazon was ready at Filton. The only aircraft to be completed, G AGPW, had flown only 400hr when it was decided to abandon the project in 1953. Structural and flight control problems associated with gust alleviation were behind the political and financial decision to scrap the giant.
With a 70 m (230 ft) wing span and 15.25 m (50 ft) high to the tip of its fin, eight 2500 hp Bristol Cen-taurus piston engines driving contra rotating propellers were mounted in pairs within its wing. The maiden flight took place on 4 September 1949. The second aircraft would have been powered by Bristol Proteus turboprops in coupled pairs. It was expected that the Mk 1 would be retained for experimental flight research into the problems associated with very large aircraft, while the Mk 2 would be furnished to carry 100 passengers by day or night, plus a flight crew of seven and eight stewards. However, although the Mk 1 flew well and BEA wanted to use it between London and Nice, France, fatigue cracks in the propeller mounting and other problems ended the project.
The Brabazon was flown to the Farnborough Air Show with only three hours’ total flying time, before touring seaside resorts to give taxpayers a sight of the aircraft their money had paid for. Its thick wing was designed to lift at low airspeeds (160 kph/100 mph) at take-off, but was hopelessly inefficient for high speed flight. The Brabazon was too slow, and American airliners then reaching the market offered better performance at much lower cost. Late in 1952 the British government reported that ‘neither the civil airlines nor fighting services could foresee any economic use for it’ and ordered the prototype, with 400 hours of flight time, and a second unfinished Brabazon to be broken up. The two machines and all the jigs were sold for £10,000, though they cost £12,500,000.
Bristol 167 Brabazon Engines: 8 x Bristol Centaurus 20, 1863kW, 2466 hp Max Take-off weight: 131542 kg / 290002 lb Empty weight: 65816 kg / 145100 lb Wingspan: 70.1 m / 229 ft 12 in Wing load : 54.53 lb/sq.ft / 266.00 kg/sq.m Length: 53.95 m / 177 ft 0 in Height: 15.24 m / 50 ft 0 in Wing area: 493.95 sq.m / 5316.83 sq ft Max. speed: 483 km/h / 300 mph Cruise speed: 402 km/h / 250 mph Cruising altitude : 24934 ft / 7600 m Ceiling: 7620 m / 25000 ft Range: 8850 km / 5499 miles Passengers: 50-180 Crew: 3
All Aero 