Convair B-58 Hustler Usaf Sac Mach 2 Cold War Strategic Bomber Design Details Op

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CONVAIR B-58 HUSTLER USAF SAC MACH 2 COLD WAR STRATEGIC BOMBER DESIGN DETAILS OP. The Convair B-58 Hustler was the first operational supersonic jet bomber capable of Mach 2 flight. It used a delta wing, which was also employed by Convair fighters such as the F-102, with four General Electric J79 engines in pods under the wing. CONVAIR B-58 HUSTLER USAF SAC MACH 2 COLD WAR STRATEGIC BOMBER DESIGN DETAILS OP CONVAIR B-58 HUSTLER USAF SAC MACH 2 COLD WAR STRATEGIC BOMBER DESIGN DEVELOPMENT OPERATIONS RETIREMENT SCHIFFER LEGENDS OF WARFARE AVIATION HARDBOUND BOOK in ENGLISH by DAVID DOYLE --------------------------------------------------------------- Additional Information from Internet Encyclopedia B-58A / TB-58A TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION, SPECIFICATIONS AND PERFORMANCE (CREW STATION DETAILED PHOTOGRAPHS, ENCAPSULATED EJECTION SEAT, LANDING GEAR DETAILS) POWERPLANTS, FUEL SYSTEMS AND FUELS (GENERAL ELECTRIC J79) B-58 DESIGN CONFIGURATIONS 1950-1953 B-58 STRUCTURAL ARRANGEMENT CREW STATIONS / ESCAPE CAPSULES TB-58A TRAINER VARIANT 20mm VULCAN STINGER TAIL SELF-DEFENSE ARMAMENT FLYING THE LEAD SLED BRAKING PARACHUTE AIR-TO-AIR REFUELING 43rd BOMB WING CARSWELL AFB (63RD BOMB SQUADRON, 64TH BOMB SQUADRON, 65TH BOMB SQUADRON, 70TH AIR REFUELING SQUADRON KC-135 STRATOTANKER) 305TH BW BUNKER HILL AFB (364TH BS, 365TH BS, 366TH BS, 305TH COMBAT SUPPORT GROUP, 827TH MEDICAL GROUP) 825TH STRATEGIC AEROSPACE DIVISION LITTLE ROCK AFB / 2ND AIR FORCE BARKSDALE LA CONVAIR TB-58 HUSTLER CARSWELL AFB OPERATIONAL SERVICE (305TH BW FORBES AFB, 43RD BW, BERGSTROM AFB, LITTLE ROCK AFB, GRISSOM AFB) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Additional Information from Internet Encyclopedia The Convair B-58 Hustler was the first operational supersonic jet bomber capable of Mach 2 flight. The aircraft was designed by Convair engineer Robert H. Widmer and developed for the United States Air Force for service in the Strategic Air Command (SAC) during the 1960s. It used a delta wing, which was also employed by Convair fighters such as the F-102, with four General Electric J79 engines in pods under the wing. It carried a nuclear weapon and fuel in a large pod under the fuselage rather than in an internal bomb bay. Replacing the Boeing B-47 Stratojet medium bomber, it was originally intended to fly at high altitudes and supersonic speeds to avoid Soviet fighters. The B-58 received a great deal of notoriety due to its sonic boom, which was often heard by the public as it passed overhead in supersonic flight. The introduction of highly accurate Soviet surface-to-air missiles forced the B-58 into a low-level penetration role that severely limited its range and strategic value, and it was never employed to deliver conventional bombs. This led to a brief operational career between 1960 and 1970. The B-58 design was the first "true" USAF supersonic bomber program. The Convair design was based on a delta wing with a leading-edge sweep of 60° with four General Electric J79-GE-1 turbojet engines, capable of flying at twice the speed of sound. Although its large wing made for relatively low wing loading, it proved to be surprisingly well suited for low-altitude, high-speed flight. It seated three (pilot, bombardier/navigator, and defensive systems operator) in separated tandem cockpits. Later versions gave each crew member a novel ejection capsule that made it possible to eject at an altitude of 70,000 ft (21,000 m) at speeds up to Mach 2 (1,320 mph/2,450 km/h). Unlike standard ejection seats of the period, a protective clamshell would enclose the seat and the control stick with an attached oxygen cylinder, allowing the pilot to continue to fly even "turtled up" and ready for immediate egress. The capsule would float, and the crewmember could open the clamshell, using it as a life raft. Because of heat generated at Mach 2 cruise, not only the crew compartment, but the wheel wells and electronics bay were pressurized and air conditioned. The B-58 utilized one of the first extensive applications of aluminum honeycomb panels, which bonded outer and inner aluminum skins to a honeycomb of aluminum and fiberglass. The pilot's cockpit was fairly conventional for a large multiengine aircraft. The electronic controls were ambitious and advanced for the day. The navigator and DSO's cockpits featured wrap around dashboards with warning lights and buttons, and automatic voice messages and warnings from a tape system were audible through the helmet sets. Research during the era of all-male combat aircraft assignments revealed that a woman's voice was more likely to gain the attention of young men in distracting situations. Nortronics Division of Northrop Corporation selected actress and singer Joan Elms to record the automated voice warnings. To the men flying the B-58, the voice was known as "Sexy Sally." The Sperry AN/ASQ-42 bombing/navigation system combined sophisticated inertial navigation with the KS-39 astro-tracker to provide heading reference, the AN/APN-113 Doppler radar to provide ground velocity and windspeed data, a search radar to provide range data for bomb release and trajectory, and a radio altimeter. The AN/ASQ-42 was estimated to be 10 times more accurate than any previous bombing/navigation system. Defensive armament consisted of a single 20 mm (0.79 in) T-171E-3 rotary cannon with 1,200 rounds of ammunition. It was remotely controlled by the DSO through the Emerson MD-7 fire control radar system. Offensive armament typically consisted of a single nuclear weapon, along with fuel tanks, in a streamlined MB-1C pod under the fuselage. Incurable difficulties with fuel leakage resulted in the replacement of the MB-1C with the TCP (Two Component Pod), which placed the nuclear weapon in an upper section while the lower fuel component could be independently jettisoned. This had the added benefit of allowing the pilot to "clean up" the aircraft for fuel efficiency or in case of emergency, while still retaining the (somewhat) more slim weapon. Two SAC bomb wings operated the B-58 during its operational service: the 43d Bombardment Wing, based at Carswell AFB, Texas from 1960 to 1964, and Little Rock AFB, Arkansas from 1964 to 1970; and the 305th Bombardment Wing, based at Bunker Hill AFB (later Grissom AFB), Indiana from 1961 to 1970. The 305th also operated the B-58 combat crew training school (CCTS), the predecessor of USAF's current formal training units (FTUs). By the time the early problems had largely been resolved and SAC interest in the bomber had solidified, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara decided that the B-58 was not going to be a viable weapon system. It was during the B-58's introduction that the surface-to-air missile (SAM) became a viable threat, especially the SA-2 Guideline, a SAM system the Soviet Union extensively deployed. The "solution" to this problem was to fly at low altitudes, minimizing the radar line-of-sight and minimizing exposure time. Because of the denser air at low altitudes, the B-58 could not fly at supersonic speeds and its moderate range was reduced further, thereby negating the high performance the design paid so dearly for. In late 1965, Secretary McNamara ordered the B-58's retirement by 1970. Despite efforts of the Air Force to earn a reprieve, the phaseout proceeded on schedule. The last B-58s were retired in January 1970 and placed in storage in AMARC at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. The fleet survived until 1977, when nearly all remaining aircraft were sold to Southwestern Alloys for disposal. The B-58 as a weapons system was replaced by the FB-111A, designed for low-altitude attack, more flexible with the carriage of conventional weapons, and less expensive to produce and maintain. A total of 116 B-58s were produced: 30 trial aircraft and 86 production B-58A models. Most of the trial aircraft were later upgraded to operational standard. Eight were equipped as TB-58A training aircraft. FREE scheduling, supersized images and templates. Get Vendio Sales Manager. Make your listings stand out with FREE Vendio custom templates! FREE scheduling, supersized images and templates. Get Vendio Sales Manager. Over 100,000,000 served. Get FREE counters from Vendio today!