The B-58 was the first supersonic bomber. this aircraft was born March 1958 and was retired in 1967. This aircraft made the longest early test flight of 11 hours and 15 minutes.
General history:
Originally evolving from a 1949 USAF design competition for a supersonic bomber, the B-58 Hustler is a medium supersonic nuclear or conventional bomber that was manufactured by the Convair Fort Worth, Texas division of General Dynamics. The B-58 1st flew in 1956 and served with the USAF Strategic Air Command from August 1960 to November 1969. 30 test and 86 production aircraft, for a total of 116 examples of the Convair “Model 4”, were produced at an average cost of $12,442,000 each. Some test aircraft were later modified back to production standards. The last airframe rolled out in 1962. The type complemented the Boeing B-52 to present a complete front line bombing force.
As the worlds 1st supersonic bomber, this aircraft originally equipped the 43rd Bomb Wing of Little Rock, Arkansas and the 305th Bomb Wing at Grissom AFB, Indiana . At the peak in 1964, there were 94 operational B-58s . The B-58 was crewed by a pilot, navigator-bombardier, and defense systems operator in a somewhat unique tandem cockpit, each crew member had their own self contained escape/ejection capsule. With the exception of a chaff dispensing system and tail mounted rotary Vulcan cannon, weapon systems were externally wing mounted or contained within an external belly pod.
The B-58 was of the delta-wing design with engines pod mounted underneath the wings. Because of high-speed heating issues, the aircraft structure made extensive use of heat-resistant aluminum/stainless steel/aluminum honey-comb sandwich skin panels in the wings and fuselage.
The B-58 set 19 world speed and altitude records and won 6 aviation trophies (Bleriot, Harmon, Bendix, McKay, Thompson, & Saunders). It was also the 1st aircraft to drop bombs from both MACH 1 and MACH 2.[2,5]
Specific History:
This B-58 was built as YB-58A-CF on April 1959 and retained for use as a test and evaluation aircraft as YRB-58A. From November 1962 it was assigned to the 6510th Operational Maintenance Squadron. In May 1964 it was assigned to the 3345th Maintenance and Support Group at Chanute AFB, IL. as GRB-58A. In 1967 it was transferred to museum status.
Personal Accounts:
The B-58 was not particularly well by liked due to comparatively short range. Also, the small numbers of aircraft required a disproportionate share of SAC support and resources, making it expensive to operate. General LeMay, after flying the aircraft, reportedly declared it was too small …”it didn’t fit my ‘arse’.”
Specifications
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