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CONVAIR XB-46

1947 COLD WAR WORLD WAR 2 X-PLANE

History

The American authorities did not turn a blind eye to the progress the Germans made in military fighter jets during World War II - especially in their combat use of the Arado Ar 234 "Blitz" jet bomber. Introduced in September 1944, the system was fast enough to fly over ground defenses and aerial interceptors, and was used in the traditional bomber role and for rapid reconnaissance.

210 such examples were produced by the end of the war, but not enough to affect Germany's worsening fortunes during the conflict.

Against this backdrop, the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) proposed a program to provide a state-of-the-art, high-flying, jet-powered medium bomber capable of a range of 1,000 miles and carrying a huge war load. This drew reactions from general industry players, most notably Boeing, Convair, Martin and North America.

These designs became the XB-47, XB-46 (CONVAIR "Model 109"), XB-48, and XB-45, only the XB-45 was mass-produced as the B-45 "Tornado" and the XB-47 were both produced for Guided B-47 "Stratojet".

In January 1945, while World War II was still raging in Europe and the Pacific, CONVAIR approved one model and ordered three prototypes in February. At the same time, the company was promoting another strike platform - the XA-44 (later "XB-53") - which did not perform well with the USAF's plans because of its worldwide postwar defense budget - August (1945) Japan surrenders to military retreat.

While the advanced forward-swept wing XA-44 was preferred over the XB-46, both were allowed to continue their respective development paths, albeit through overhauls of two product lines between CONVAIR and USAAF: for the two proposed The XB-Funded-46 prototype is now funding two XA-44 prototypes. The U.S.

Air Force eventually changed its name to the United States Air Force (USAF) in 1947.

The XB-46 was the conventional design for bombers at the time. The nose section holds the bombardier behind the plexiglass nose cone, the crew - the pilot and co-pilot sit side by side - under an integral teardrop canopy, and small frames are used to provide a good view from the cockpit. The midship main-wing aircraft are straight, high-mounted appendages, each with an engine nacelle below.

The fuselage takes the form of an elegant design and is extremely aerodynamically refined, perfect for the speeds involved. The tail is covered by a vertical tail and low-level horizontal plane. Three-wheeled landing gear completes the look of this advanced bomber.

Powered by 4 Allison J35-A-3 turbojets, each producing 4,000 pounds of thrust, in a hypothetical B-46 production form, this would be supplemented by 4 General Electric J47 turbojets, producing 5,200 pounds of thrust were replaced each for improved performance.

Internally, the aircraft was designed to carry wartime loads of up to 22,000 pounds in the form of conventionally thrown weapons. There are also plans to introduce a twin-gun "Stinger" turret aft, displaying 2 x .50 caliber heavy machine guns through a powered Emerson Electric turret with an APG-27 long-range targeting system.

When complete, the XB-46 has a top speed of 545 mph, a cruise speed of nearly 440 mph, a range of up to 2,870 miles, and a service ceiling of up to 40,000 feet.

The first flight of the XB-46 took place on April 2, 1947, and initial results were largely positive, although not without problems. Testing continued through September of that year, recording 64 flights, although the USAF stopped interest in CONVAIR products in August as the Boeing XB-47 met their expectations.

XA-44/XB-53 production followed throughout 1949, and the arrival of the B-47 also affected overall production of the competing XB-45/B-45.

Overall, the XB-46 proved to be a sound bomber design, and only the only airworthy prototype XB-46 has ever completed. Its airframe was eventually scrapped over the years, but various components were tested under the USAF banner until the late 1950s.