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B-58 Hustler

Convair B-58 Hustler

B-58 Hustler (Order Today!)

The very first of the supersonic jet bombers that could reach Mach 2 was the Convair B-58 Hustler. Robert H. Widmer a Convair engineer developed and designed for the Strategic Air Command. Designed and built to replace the B-47 and fly at supersonic speeds at high altitudes. The B-58 design employed a delta wind similar to some of the other Convair designs like the F-102. Built to avoid and out run the Soviet fighters at high altitudes.

B-58 Power

There were 4 J79 engines attached under the wings in pods. Later with the development of SAMs that were very accurate forced the B-58 into a low altitude roll. Low altitudes limited the range that compromised its strategic value. The B-58 Hustler had a very short operational career in the 60s. The supersonic bomber was soon replaced by the FB-111A a much smaller plane with a swing wing design.

During its short life the B-58 gained quite a bit of notoriety this was due to the sonic boom heard by many for miles around as it were supersonic.

Back in 1949 a bomber study was issued by Air Research & Development Command from Wright Patterson AFB in Ohio. There were a surprising number of contractors that submitted bids for the new supersonic bomber. At the top of the list was Boeing, Convair, Curtiss, Douglas, Martin and North American.

Convair was chosen so building on their experience with the XF-92A a number of different designs was developed. Everything from semi-delta wing and swept wing configurations was explored. Convair’s final proposal was the FZP-110 as it was coded. The bomber would be a two place delta wing with J53 engines by General Electric. Early estimates suggested speeds of 1,000 miles per hour with a range of 3,000 miles.

Design competition between Boeing with their MX-1712 and Convair and their MX-1626 resulted in a refined proposal with a new designation MX-1964. So the Air Force settled on the Convair MX-1964 as the winner of the competition to meet the requirements of their Supersonic Aircraft Bomber.

In 1953 Convair received the contract to build the first true supersonic bomber. The result was the B-58 Hustler with a delta wing and 4 J79 turbojet engines that could fly two times the speed of sound.

The delta wing being so large presented very low wing loading. It proved to be well suited for low altitude flight at high speeds. The new bomber was operated by three, the pilot, bombardier and the navigator in tandem cockpits. In later designs of the B-58 each crew member fit into ejection capsules giving them the ability to eject and survive up to 70,000 ft at speeds of Mach 2.

The ejection capsules carried extra oxygen and included the stick so the pilot could still fly right up to the ejection. The capsule would also float so the member of the crew could use it as a life raft.

Flying at Mach 2 or standard cruise a tremendous amount of heat is generated. This meant the wheel wells and crew compartments all had to air conditioned and pressurized. The cockpit had very advanced controls for the day. Wrap around dashboards with a voice message warning system that was audible through headsets.

In the days when combat aircraft were all male it was thought a woman’s voice would get the attention of the young combat officers in stressful situations. The famous voice of “Sexy Sally” was chosen as the voice used recorded by actress/singer Joan Elms.

B-58 Armament Defensive and Offensive

The bomber aircraft carried one of the first bombing and navigation systems that was estimated to be 10 times more accurate than anything ever used before in combat aircraft. The bombing and navigation system provide by Sperry was the AN/ASQ-42 bombing/navigation, KS-39 astro-tracker, AN/APN-113 Doppler radar and search radar provided all kinds of data for bomb release.

A 20 mm T-171E-3 cannon carried 1,200 rounds was controlled by the DSO with an Emerson MD-7 radar fire control system. The bomber would typically carry one nuclear bomb and an external fuel tanks pod under the fuselage.

In 1961 to 1963 pylons were added to each wing root to carry up to 5 nuclear bombs. B43 or B61 nuclear bombs could be carried. It was thought that the B-58 could be equipped to carry conventional bombs but it was retired before that ever happened.

Operational History of the B-58A

Air crews for the B-58 were hand selected from other squadrons. Training consisted of flying the Convair F-102 Delta Dagger as a trainer for new pilots. The B-58 was bit difficult to fly and even with a three man crew they were always busy. But the performance was astonishing; when the load was light the B-58 Hustler could climb out at almost 46,000 ft/min.

The short lifespan of the bomber with limited range and smaller weapons as compared to the B-52 Stratofortress was no contest. The Air Force spent 3 billion on the B-58 program and it was very complex to maintain. The aircraft proved to have a high accident rate, loss of an engine at supersonic cruise made it very difficult to recover safely.

Of the 116 B-58s built 30 were trial aircraft and the other 86 were standard production B-58A models. Of the trial aircraft 8 were equipped as trainer aircraft with the designation TB-58A and most of the others were upgraded to operational standard.

XB-58: Prototype. Two built.

YB-58A: Pre-production aircraft, 11 built.

B-58A: Three-seat medium-range strategic bomber aircraft, 86 built.

TB-58A: Training aircraft, eight conversions from YB-58A.

NB-58A: This designation was given to a YB-58A, which was used for testing the J93 engine. The engine was originally intended for the North American XB-70 Valkyrie Mach 3 bomber.

RB-58A: Variant with ventral reconnaissance pod, 17 built.

B-58 Unbuilt Versions:

B-58B: SAC planned to order 185 of these improved bombers; cancelled due to budgetary considerations.

B-58C: Enlarged version with more fuel and 32,500 lb J58, the same engine used on the Lockheed SR-71. Design studies were conducted with two and four engine designs; the C model had an estimated top speed approaching Mach 3, a supersonic cruise capability of approximately Mach 2, and a service ceiling of about 70,000’ along with the capability of carrying conventional bombs. Convair estimated maximum range at 5,200 nautical miles. The B-58C was proposed as a lower cost alternative to the North American XB-70. As enemy defenses against high-speed, high-altitude penetration bombers improved, the value of the B-58C diminished and the program was cancelled in early 1961.