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It would be the first aircraft capable of delivering any of America’s nuclear weapons in its bomb bays without any major modifications.

The conclusion of the Second World War saw a huge development race in the aviation world. Aircraft manufacturers all over the world were looking to build new, jet powered military aircraft as well as vastly improve their aging fleet of bombers from the Second World War. America had just built the B-29 Superfortress and soon Boeing would come out with the B-47 Stratojet. But amazingly, the Convair aircraft company had something a bit different up its sleeve. Something that nowadays would look very cumbersome.Enter the Convair B-36 Peacemaker. This was a strategic bomber built by Convair that, remarkably, would serve with the United States Air Force for ten years from 1949 to 1959. And at the time of its construction, it was one of the largest aircraft ever built. It would be a significant aircraft, too, as it would be the first aircraft capable of delivering any of America’s nuclear weapons in its bomb bays without any major modifications. Ultimately, though, it would be the final fling for piston-engine bombers, as the jet age would start to come to the forefront soon after the B-36 entered US Air Force service.

The design of the B-36 can be traced right back to 1941, prior to the United States actually entering the Second World War. The motive behind the creation of the B-36 was in response to the potential threat of Britain falling to Germany’s Blitz campaign, and designing an aircraft that had the range to bomb Germany should the need arise. It was similar in concept to that of the German’s long-range Amerikabomber program, Germany’s attempts to build an ultra-long-range bomber that could attack American cities.

Ultimately, the B-36 would not take flight until after the Second World War. The initial desire was for an aircraft that could reach Japan from America’s bases in Hawaii. But the first flight of the B-36 was not until August 8th 1946, and pretty soon its intended purpose was changed. Following the beginning of the Cold War and the testing of the first Soviet atomic bomb in 1949, America knew it needed a long range bomber that could attack targets in the USSR. The B-36 was the only aircraft with the range and payload that could carry out such a task, and thus was selected for this very purpose.

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The B-36 was very much obsolete before it had even entered service. Jet powered bombers and fighters would soon fill the ranks of the United States Air Force. However, the upcoming B-47 Stratojet would not be operational until 1953 and didn’t have the range to strike the Soviet homeland without aerial refueling. As such, the B-36 would become America’s new intercontinental bomber, and a role it would serve up until the introduction of the B-52 in 1955. The B-36 had an impressive payload, four times that of the B-29 Superfortress and even exceeding that of its replacement, the B-52.

The B-36 was powered by six Pratt & Whitney R-4360-53 Wasp Major piston engines. But it also had four General Electric J47 turbojet engines as well, in pylon mounted pods outboard of piston engines. These jet engines were used to greatly improve takeoff performance and dash speed over the aircraft’s intended targets. They would be turned off in normal cruising flight in order to save fuel. The B-36 would have an interesting operational life, and due to its size, the aircraft could not be stored in any hangars. As such, they would spend most of their service life outside in the elements.

The B-36 would never see active service, although it served its role as an intercontinental bomber admirably against the onslaught of jet powered aircraft. Perhaps more notable was the aircraft's use in a range of experiments during its service life. A B-36 would be used in a nuclear propulsion study, with an aircraft modified to carry a MW air-cooled nuclear reactor in the aft bomb bay and with a four-ton lead disc shield installed between the reactor and the cockpit. Other experiments saw the B-36 provided with its own fighter defence with the parasite McDonnell XF-85 Goblin microfighters, an idea that never really proved successful due to docking issues and the ineffectiveness of the Goblin itself.

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The advent of Soviet jet fighters such as the MiG-15 and introduction of the B-52 meant that the B-36’s days were numbered quite quickly. Even its use in the air reconnaissance role wouldn’t save the aircraft. Its slow speed made it vulnerable to Soviet fighters and any eventual surface-to-air missiles. As such, the final flight of the B-36 would be on February 12th 1959 when the last B-36J version to be built, serial number 52-2827, flew from Biggs AFB in Texas to Amon Carter Field in Fort Worth where it was to be put on display. Today, just four of the 384 examples of the B-36 built remain. But they serve as a reminder of when this aircraft was America’s main intercontinental bomber, as a true leviathan of the skies.

Sources: Wikipedia, ThoughtCo, Air Force Museum, Aces Flying High, CNET

Covering anything from JDM cars to classic jets. Contributed to HotCars since the Autumn of 2018. Writes features, news and list articles.