A Brief History
On August 8, 1946, the Convair B-36 Peacemaker nuclear bomber made its first flight. Later referred to as the “Billion Dollar Boondoggle” by the program’s opponents, the B-36 competed with the US Navy’s super carrier program for limited tax dollars.
Digging Deeper
The first bomber in the world able to carry a nuclear payload right from the start, the massive bomber also had the widest wingspan (230 feet) of any bomber in history and the most (10) engines of any mass produced airplane. When the 6 mighty 3800 horsepower (apiece!) piston powered radial engines proved inadequate for such a giant airplane, engineers added 4 jet engines to the mix giving the plane 10 engines.
Design started when World War II was in a phase that could well lead to the loss of Great Britain as a base from which to bomb Germany, and a giant bomber that could fly across continents was deemed necessary. With the lofty goal of a bomber that could carry a 100,000 lb payload for 10,000 miles, the B-36 did not quite live up to its aspirations, but still was impressive for its day with a payload of 86,000 lbs (normal bomb load for a B-17 was around 6000 lbs, 15,000 lbs max, and 20,000 lbs for the B-29) and a long combat range of almost 8000 miles (10,000 miles in ferry mode) compared to a combat range of 3650 miles for the B-29 (and a ferry range of 5600 miles).
With a top speed of 418 mph and a ceiling of over 43,000 feet, the B-36 would be difficult for piston engine fighters to intercept, especially with remote controlled computer operated 6 X twin 20mm cannon turrets and a twin cannon in the nose and tail (later reduced to just the tail position). Unfortunately, by the time the bomber went into service in 1949 it was already obsolete, as Soviet MiG-15 jet fighters would be able to intercept them even at top speed and highest altitude. Jet only bombers were now a necessity, and the B-36 had an active duty lifespan of only 10 years, being retired in 1959.
Costing an enormous (for that time) $4.1 million apiece, the B-36 had a crew of 15 (compared to 10 for a B-17 or B-29), the wing was over 7 feet thick and the tires (over 9 feet tall and 3 feet wide) were the biggest ever put on an airplane at the time. In fact, tires were such a challenge that a caterpillar track landing gear was tried! The only plane in the world (at the time) capable of carrying a 42.000 lb Hydrogen bomb (thermonuclear or fusion type), the massive prop-jet hybrid was the only US plane able to carry the T-12 Cloudmaker conventional “earthquake” type bomb, weighing a massive 43,600 lbs.
Critics say the B-36 was a waste of money, as it was never used in combat. Wiser heads point out that it was not used because it lived up to its name, and kept the peace as America’s big stick for 10 years at a volatile time in history. During its time in service it was the largest, heaviest airplane in the world that could intimidate with its mere appearance.
Question for students (and subscribers): Was the B-36 program worth the expense? Please let us know in the comments section below this article. (Note: The author’s father was a crew chief on B-36’s at Fairchild AFB before going to Korea as an F-80 crew chief.)
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Doyle, David. Consolidated B-36: A Visual History of the Convair B-36 “Peacemaker” (Visual History Series). The Ampersand Group, 2015.
Greer, Don, Meyers K. Jacobsen, and Ray Wagner (Author). B-36 Peacemaker in action – Aircraft No. 42. Squadron/Signal Publications, 1980.
Jacobsen, Meyers K. Convair B-36 Peacemaker: A Photo Chronicle (Schiffer Military History). Schiffer Pub Ltd, 1999.
The featured image in this article, a photograph of the XB-36 on its first flight, is a work of a U.S. Air Force Airman or employee, taken or made as part of that person’s official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image or file is in the public domain in the United States.
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