Bombers
Intercontinental bombers will have to fly fast and high, as well as far, if their crews are to get home again. The best the U.S. has at present is the B-36, but at least three more super-bombers are in the development stage.
A super-bomber, says the Air Force, must have a combat radius of 5,000 miles with a bombload of 10,000 lbs., should be able to hit 500 m.p.h. at 55,000 ft. It must carry guns and, perhaps, air-to-air guided missiles, too. But its principal defenses will be altitude and speed. Interceptors are faster than bombers, but if a bomber flies high enough and fast enough, a short-range interceptor has a hard time getting into range before its fuel is gone.
To meet these Air Force requirements Boeing will offer its XB-52, believed to look much like its six-jet B-47 medium bomber, now in production. The XB-52 has wings swept back at a 35DEG angle, and eight turbojet engines.
Consolidated-Vultee's B-36F will no look much like the current B-36. It wings will be swept back sharply and its tail surfaces will be radically redesigned The engines will probably be six turboprops, but a design with twelve turbojets may be test-flown first. Expected speed: 550 m.p.h. at 55,000 ft.
Latest to be described* is the Douglas 1211-J, which will look rather like its rivals, with the same swept-back wings. Its turboprop engines are expected to push it at 500 m.p.h. at 50,000 ft. If the turboprops are not ready, the 1211-J will probably start off with the giant turbojets that are just coming into production. None of the new heavies will be in production for some time. In the meantime, the far-ranging B-36, speeded up by four additional jet engines (which give it more than 435 m.p.h. at 45,000 ft.), will remain the U.S. weapon for intercontinental missions.
* By Aviation Week, which sometimes annoys the Air Force by describing airplanes that remain on the secret list long after they are being talked about in West Coast bars.
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