Monday, July 18, 2011

A Short History of the Bomber-- Part 4

1946: The Douglas XB-43, America's first all-jet powered bomber makes its initial flight. Plans for production are dropped in favor of the North American XB-46 Tornado.


1950S

1950s: Bomber development escalates after the Korean War begins in 1950. But more than half the bomber designations allotted were for missiles and not aircraft.

1952: First flight of the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, which is later used in Vietnam and Operation Desert Storm. The B-52 is still part of the fleet.

1954: The Douglas B-66 Destroyer is developed as a tactical light bomber and photo reconnaissance aircraft. It sees much use in the Vietnam War.

1956: The delta wing Convair B-58 Hustler is the first operational supersonic Air Force bombers.

1958: Missiles stagnate the development of bombers. The first operational single-stage intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), Thor, enters military service.

More to Come. --Cooter

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