North American B-45 Tornado
B-45 Tornado | |
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Static display of RB-45C, AF Ser. No. 48-037 | |
Role | Strategic bomber |
National origin | United States |
Manufacturer | North American Aviation |
First flight | 17 March 1947 |
Introduction | 22 April 1948 |
Retired | 1959 |
Status | Retired |
Primary users | United States Air Force Royal Air Force |
Number built | 143 |
The North American B-45 Tornado was an early American jet bomber designed and manufactured by aircraft company North American Aviation. It has the distinction of being the first operational jet bomber to enter service with the United States Air Force (USAF), as well as the first multiengine jet bomber to be refueled in midair.[1]
The B-45 originated from a wartime initiative launched by the U.S. War Department, which sought a company to develop a jet-propelled bomber to equal those being fielded by Nazi Germany, such as the Arado Ar 234. Following a competitive review of the submissions, the War Department issued a contract to North American to develop its NA-130 proposal; on 8 September 1944, work commenced on the assembly of three prototypes. Progress on the program was stalled by post-war cutbacks in defense expenditure, but regained importance due to growing tensions between America and the Soviet Union. On 2 January 1947, North American received a production contract for the bomber designated B-45A, from the USAF. On 24 February 1947, the prototype performed its maiden flight.
Soon after its entry to service on 22 April 1948, B-45 operations were troubled by technical problems, in particular poor engine reliability. The USAF found the plane to be useful during the Korean War performing both conventional bombing and aerial reconnaissance missions. On 4 December 1950, the first successful interception of a jet bomber by a jet fighter occurred when a B-45 was shot down by a Soviet-built MiG-15 inside Chinese airspace. During the early 1950s, forty B-45s were extensively modified so that they could be equipped with nuclear weapons. Improvements were made to their defensive systems and the fuel tankage was expanded to increase their survivability and range.
In its heyday, the B-45 was important to United States defense strategy, performing the strategically critical
Development
Background
Development of what would become the B-45 was initiated by a request from the
The requirements involved more than just jet propulsion; the desired aircraft would have a gross weight of between 80,000 lb (36,287 kg) and 200,000 lb (90,718 kg), which would make it a light bomber for that era.[2] Aircraft manufacturer North American Aviation chose to submit their own design, internally designated NA-130. This bid, along with three rival proposals from other firms, would be ordered by the government.[2] On 8 September 1944, the company commenced production of three prototypes based on its NA-130 design. According to aviation authors Bill Gunston and Peter Gilchrist, the NA-130 was viewed as "merely a traditional bomber on to which jet engines had been fitted...the first effective jet bomber in the world, a case of the right aircraft at the right time".[2]
The end of the war resulted in the cancellation or delay of many projects. In 1946, rising tension with the
Into flight
Following the completion of the first prototype at North American's Inglewood facility, it was delivered by road in sections to Muroc Field, where it was reassembled and readied for flight testing. On 17 March 1947, the maiden flight was piloted by George Krebs and Paul Brewer.[2] The flight test program became fraught with technical issues and setbacks, the most dramatic being the loss of the first prototype. Despite the problems, work continued at a frantic pace due to political pressure for the aircraft to be quickly qualified for service.[3]
However, as the development and flight-testing of the rival B-47 proceeded well, heralding its own production, the future of the B-45 became increasingly uncertain.[2] During mid-1948, the U.S. Air Staff began to question its value. Soon afterwards, President Truman's budget restraints reduced Air Force expenditures, which curtailed B-45 production to 142 airframes. During 1950, further budget cuts compelled the Aircraft and Weapons Board to cancel 51 of the 190 aircraft on order. The cancellation of these 51 B-45s was announced on 7 January 1949.[4]
A total of 96 aircraft were delivered between February 1948 and June 1949.
Operational history
Korean War
Early operations of the B-45 were plagued by engine problems which, along with numerous other minor flaws, undermined its usefulness. However, the aircraft regained importance when the United States entered the
On 4 December 1950, the first successful interception of a jet bomber by a jet fighter occurred when MiG-15 pilot Aleksandr F. Andrianov shot down an RB-45C over China. Captain Charles McDonough was the only member of the four-man crew to parachute from the plane, although he is believed to have died while being held by either the Chinese or the Soviet Union. Because of the sensitivity typically surrounding such missions, much of the information surrounding this flight and similar intelligence activities has remained classified.[6][7]
Postwar
All 33 RB-45Cs built were assigned to the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing's 322nd, 323rd and 324th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadrons. The RB-45C also flew several long-range reconnaissance missions over the
By the end of the 1950s, all B-45s had been removed from active service. However, a few continued to act as test aircraft into the early 1970s.[10]
Operation Ju-jitsu
The only other nation to use the RB-45C was the
As a result, under Operation Ju-jitsu, in July 1951 four aircraft were leased to Britain from the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing to form 'Special Duties Flight, Sculthorpe', commanded by
On April 17, 1952, three aircraft were assigned to head for Kyiv from Germany, scheduled to return to Sculthorpe ten hours later. Flying at 36,000 feet (11,000 m), Crampton's aircraft was tracked by ground radar and came under antiaircraft fire. Applying full power, he immediately turned and headed for Germany, none too soon, as Soviet night fighters had been dispatched to hunt down his aircraft.[11]
Subsequent flights over Ukraine were carried out using
Variants
XB-45
The first flight of the XB-45 was on February 24, 1947, from
The USAF accepted one of the two surviving aircraft on July 30, 1948, the other on August 31. One was damaged beyond repair in an accident. The last XB-45 was delivered to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in 1949. It proved excessively difficult to maintain and was relegated to being used as a ground trainer.
- 3 aircraft (45-59479 – 45-59481)
B-45A
The B-45A differed from the XB-45 in having improved ejection seats and communications equipment, an E-4 automatic pilot and bombing navigation radar.
The first production B-45 flew in February 1948, and the Air Force took delivery of 22 B-45s in April 1948. Powered by J35 turbojets and not considered combat-ready, they were assigned to training duties and to conduct various test programs. The next batch were powered by the more powerful J47 turbojets. The first B-45As entered service in November 1948 with the 47th Bombardment Group, and the initial order of 96 was completed in March 1950.
The first B-45As were not equipped with bomb fire control systems or
Fifty-five nuclear-capable B-45s arrived in the
- 96 aircraft (47-001 – 47-097)
- B-45A-1 47-001 – 47-022 (21 aircraft)
- B-45A-5 47-023 – 47-096 (73 aircraft)
- B-45A 47-097 (static test airframe)
B-45B
The B-45B was a proposed variant of the B-45A with improved radar and
B-45C
The B-45C was the first multiengine jet bomber in the world to be refueled in midair. It carried two 1,200 gal (4,542 L) wingtip fuel tanks, had a strengthened
- Ten aircraft (48-001 – 48-010)
RB-45C
The RB-45C was the final production variant of the B-45. The
Operators
- Royal Air Force
- No. 35 Squadron RAF crews grouped into ad hoc units operated RB-45C variant.
- No. 115 Squadron RAF crews grouped into ad hoc units operated RB-45C variant.
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Air Defence Command
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Aircraft on display
Three B-45s have survived to the present day.
- B-45A
- AF Ser. No. 47-0008 – Castle AFB in Atwater, California.[16]
- B-45C
- AF Ser. No. 48-0010 – in the Korean War Gallery of the Wright-Patterson AFB near Dayton, Ohio, The aircraft was used by Pratt & Whitney for engine testing, and was flown to the museum in 1971.[17]
- RB-45C
- AF Ser. No. 48-0017 – Strategic Air and Space Museum in Ashland, Nebraska.[18]
Specifications (B-45A)
Data from U.S. Standard Aircraft Characteristics[19]
General characteristics
- Crew: 4 (Pilot, Co-Pilot, Bombardier-Navigator and Tail Gunner)
- Length: 75 ft 4 in (22.96 m)
- Wingspan: 89 ft 0 in (27.13 m)
- Height: 25 ft 2 in (7.67 m)
- Wing area: 1,175 sq ft (109.2 m2)
- Airfoil: root: NACA 66–215; tip: NACA 66–212[20]
- Empty weight: 45,694 lb (20,726 kg)
- Gross weight: 81,418 lb (36,931 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 91,775 lb (41,628 kg)
- Powerplant: 4 × General Electric J47-GE-13 turbojetengines, 5,200 lbf (23 kN) thrust each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 566 mph (911 km/h, 492 kn)
- Cruise speed: 365 mph (587 km/h, 317 kn)
- Range: 1,192 mi (1,918 km, 1,036 nmi)
- Ferry range: 2,170 mi (3,490 km, 1,890 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 46,000 ft (14,000 m)
- Rate of climb: 5,200 ft/min (26 m/s)
- Wing loading: 69.3 lb/sq ft (338 kg/m2)
- Thrust/weight: 0.26
Armament
- Guns: 2 × 0.50 in (13 mm) M3 machine guns(tail turret).
- Bombs: Up to 22,000 lb (10,000 kg)
See also
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
- Boeing B-47 Stratojet
- Convair XB-46
- English Electric Canberra
- Martin XB-48
- Short Sperrin
- Douglas A3D Skywarrior
- Heinkel He 343
- Ilyushin Il-22
- Ilyushin Il-28
Related lists
- List of bomber aircraft
- List of military aircraft of the United States
References
Citations
- ^ "B-45 — The Tornado Survivors". www.johnweeks.com. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Gunston and Gilchrist 1993, p. 25.
- ^ Gunston and Gilchrist 1993, p. 26.
- ^ Associated Press. "51-Jet Bomber Contract Killed – North American To Lay Off 2,600." The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 8 January 1949, Volume LV. Number 112.
- ^ a b c Gunston and Gilchrist 1993, p. 27.
- ^ "Welcome to the Air Combat Information Group". Archived from the original on 4 June 2013.
- ^ Burnes, Robert. "Mystery of Korean War’s Secret Air Force Mission Is Unraveled : Military: Relatives say they finally have pieced together how a U.S. spy plane and its crew members were shot down in 1950 by the Soviets." Los Angeles Times, 18 December 1994.
- ^ a b FAS: RB-45
- ^ "SpyFlight UK: RB-45C". Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 26 September 2007.
- ^ Strategic Air & Space Museum: B-45C
- ^ a b "Obituary: Squadron Leader John Crampton". Daily Telegraph. 1 August 2010. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
- ^ Baugher: B-45B Archived 2007-12-15 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Aircraft Serial Number Search, B-45
- OCLC 72556.
- ^ "Op Ju Jitsu". www.spyflight.co.uk.
- ^ "B-45 Tornado/47-0008." Castle Air Museum. Retrieved: 18 December 2017.
- ^ "North American B-45 Tornado." National Museum of the USAF. Retrieved: 11 September 2015.
- ^ "B-45 Tornado/48-017." Strategic Air and Space Museum. Retrieved: 18 December 2017.
- ^ "Standard Aircraft Characteristics: B-45A Tornado" (PDF). US Air Force. 9 July 1951. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ^ Lednicer, David. "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". m-selig.ae.illinois.edu. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
Bibliography
- Frederiksen, John C. (2009). The B-45 Tornado: An Operational History of the First American Jet Bomber. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-4278-2.
- Gunston, Bill and Peter Gilchrist. Jet Bombers: From the Messerschmitt Me 262 to the Stealth B-2. Osprey, 1993. ISBN 1-85532-258-7.
- Hays, Geoffrey (2021). North American B-45 Tornado. Simi Valley, California: Steve Ginter Books. ISBN 978-1-7349727-9-5.