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Posted by Tom Kwiatkowski Sr. - 309C
on 10/25/2009, 6:52 pm
74.44.85.96
Convair B-36 Peacemaker
The Convair B-36 Peacemaker was physically the largest bomber to have ever gone into service with the United States Air Force, and during the late 1940s and early '50s, it was the USAF's long-range strategic bombing deterrent. Although it never saw combat, reconnaissance versions flew near or possibly over the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War in the mid-1950s.
The B-36 was conceived in the early years of World War II, when the US feared that its ally Britain may have been invaded by Germany. The USA knew that if it was drawn into a war in Europe it would need a means of carrying out attacks from the continental USA. In search of an aircraft capable of carrying out bombing raids over unprecedented distances, on 11 April 1941 the US Army Air Force invited designs for a bomber with a 450 mph top speed, a cruising speed of 275 mph, a ceiling of 45,000 feet and a maximum range of 12,000 miles. Consolidated's design, the Model 35, had twin fins and rudders, and four or six engines were suggested. To speed up the intercontinental bomber project, the requirements were scaled-down to a 10,000-mile range, cruising speed between 240-300 mph, and a service ceiling of 40,000 feet.
In late 1941, Consolidated (later Convair) was asked to proceed to prototype stage (two aircraft) using six engines, and the aircraft was designated XB-36. The aircraft proposed by Consolidated was staggering in proportions. the slightly swept-back wing spanned 230 ft. with a wing area of 4,772 sq. ft. At that stage the aircraft was powered by six 28-cylinder Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major air-cooled radials, each driving a 19 ft. three-bladed Curtiss propeller, usually, in pusher configuration. These engines were accessible in flight through the truly enormous 7.5 ft. thick wing root. The four bomb bays could carry 46,000 lb. of bombs, compared with 20,000 lb. of bombs of the B-29. The fuselage of the aircraft was 162 ft. long, and the crew moved from front to rear through a 25 in. diameter, 80 ft. pressurized tunnel using a wheeled trolley.
In early 1943, the USA faced losing its bases in China to the invading Japanese, so the mighty Convair bomber, with its planned global reach, became an even more important project. Therefore, a June 1943 order was placed for 100 examples of the huge bomber, with the prototype to be ready by September 1944 and service deliveries within a year. Development delays with the engines, among other aspects of the project, almost doomed the aircraft, then Allied progress in the Pacific war reduced the project's priority status. Even when Germany surrendered, the B-36 project stayed alive because the USA needed a means of delivering their atom bombs against potential enemies around the world.
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