Inside the Cold War

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INSIDE THE COLD WAR in 1950, the KB-29s were fitted with the telescoping “stiff boom” system. The Soviets, equally impressed with the large bomber, built a thousand unauthorized replicas—the TU-4. Some of the B/RB/KB-29s remained in the SAC inventory until 1956; the TU-4 remained in the Soviet inventory well into the 1960s. B-50A Advanced Superfortress. The B-50A was an enhanced version of the B-29, with more reliable Pratt & Whitney R-4360 3500-horsepower engines. The first B-50A aircraft was delivered to SAC on 20 February 1948. Over 250 of the newer bombers, equipped with an engine analyzer to diagnose engine problems and outfitted with a taller vertical stabilizer for improved maneuverability, were built. While the B-50A had a range of 4,900 miles (unrefueled) and an operational altitude of 36,000 feet, it had an air-refueling capability and was also configured as a long-range reconnaissance platform. The last B-50 was phased out of the active inventory on 20 October 1955. B-36 Peacemaker. The B-36 holds perhaps the most unique place in military aviation history. The largest bomber ever built, it could fly in excess of 10,000 miles, unrefueled and carrying a 10,000-pound payload. The Army Air Corps announced the design competition for the bomber on 11 April 1941, eight months before Pearl Harbor and five years before the atomic bomb. In addition to its weight and range capabilities, the Air Corps wanted it to have an airspeed of 300 to 400 MPH and an operating capability from 5,000-foot runways. Convair of San Diego won the contract to build two prototypes to be delivered in 30 months, or about May 1944. Even though the war shifted Convair’s priorities to production of the B-24, work continued on building a mock-up of the XB-36. The partially finished mock-up was eventually shipped by rail to a new assembly plant at Fort Worth, Texas. Convair’s initial design of the huge bomber called for six Pratt & Whitney Wasp major engines, with 19-foot three-bladed pusher propellers mounted on the trailing edge of the wing. Each 28-cylinder, 4-bank, radial engine had two superchargers that could produce three thousand horsepower up to an altitude of 35,000 feet. The huge engines in the “pusher” configuration projected a distinctive and unique sound because it was virtually impossible to synchronize all six propellers at 34
THE WEAPON SYSTEMS the same time with reasonable precision. The result was that the B-36 couldn’t “sneak up” on anyone—it sounded like a flight of bass-throated bumblebees about to attack and projecting its noise miles ahead and behind. My wife used to comment that she could begin hanging her wash on the clothesline when a B-36 could be heard coming from high over the horizon, and finish hanging the clothes by the time its “moan” disappeared in the distance. The initial mock-up design of the B-36 was fitted with a twin tail assembly, which was later changed to a single vertical stabilizer. The vertical tail was deemed more stable, but it measured 46 feet, 10 inches from the ground to the top. This latter feature of its large dimensions required special very heavy bomber (VHB) hangars to be built with a padded circular hole in the hanger doors to permit the tall tail to always remain outside. Each wing section had three rubber-coated self-sealing fuel tanks, for a total of six. Together, the six tanks could hold 21,053 gallons of fuel. Outer panel tanks added 2,770 gallons and auxiliary wing tanks added another 9,577 gallons. A bomb bay tank, added later, held approximately three thousand gallons of fuel. The B-36J, the last major modification, had a fuel capacity of 32,965 gallons or roughly 214,273 lbs, which gave the aircraft a takeoff weight of approximately 410,000 lbs. The wingspan of the bomber from initial design throughout production was maintained at 230 feet, and the fuselage measured 163 feet. An unusual feature was a single wing spar that extended from wing tip to wing tip and supported 90 percent of the engine and wing fuel tank load. The bomber’s electrical system operated on a 208/115-volt, 400-cycle alter nating current system. DC converters were used to operate instruments and other components requiring direct current power. The prototype cockpit in the Peacemaker had a much smaller canopy than the final “green house” version that was adopted for the production models. The cockpit was reasonably “roomy,” with a wide expanse between the two pilots and an equally wide console to house the six throttles, trim controls, and some radios. The flight engineer’s console sat at an angle behind the pilots and contained “all” of the engine operating controls and instruments, electrical power, fuel 35
Page 2 and 3: Inside the Cold War A Cold Warrior
Page 4 and 5: Dedicated to the Cold Warriors I he
Page 6 and 7: Chapter Page Anecdotes . . . . . .
Page 8 and 9: We fought the Cold War with hundred
Page 10 and 11: cancellation of the B-1. President
Page 12 and 13: Adm Paul Tomb, USN, Retired; and Re
Page 14 and 15: personal interviews, and my own exp
Page 16 and 17: INSIDE THE COLD WAR “D-Day” ann
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———. The Rocket’s Red Glare
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Donaldson, Robert H. The Soviet Uni
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Hosbawm, Eric. The Age of Extremes.
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Lee, Asher. The Soviet Air Force. N
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Sulzberger, C. L. A Long Row of Can
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Inside the Cold War

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