{"id":61017,"date":"2025-10-04T21:33:52","date_gmt":"2025-10-04T19:33:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/?p=61017"},"modified":"2025-10-11T19:38:24","modified_gmt":"2025-10-11T17:38:24","slug":"the-convair-b-58-hustler-the-first-supersonic-bomber-seen-up-close-and-inside","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/2025\/10\/04\/the-convair-b-58-hustler-the-first-supersonic-bomber-seen-up-close-and-inside\/","title":{"rendered":"The Convair B-58 Hustler, the first supersonic bomber, seen up close and inside"},"content":{"rendered":"

On November 11, 1956, aviation took a giant leap forward with the first flight of a revolutionary aircraft: the Convair B-58 Hustler.<\/p>\n

A desert in which three strategic bombers from the Cold War are abandoned<\/a><\/rek>
\nA report that shows how a Boeing B-52 Stratofortress strategic bomber works<\/a><\/rel><\/p>\n

The United States Air Force (USAF) plans to equip itself with a supersonic bomber began in March 1949. In August 1952, the Convair project was chosen<\/strong>, a company that emerged in 1943 from the merger of Consolidated Aircraft and Vultee Aircraft. The project was designated B-58 by the USAF.<\/strong> The new aircraft would be powered by four powerful General Electric J79 turbojets, the same type of engine that equipped famous American supersonic fighters, such as the single-engine F-104 Starfighter and the twin-engine F-4 Phantom II.<\/p>\n

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The initial phase of the B-58's development was based on two prototypes, the XB-58s<\/strong>, and 28 pre-production units, designated YB-58s. This aircraft would soon begin to surpass historical milestones. On December 30, 1956, the Hustler became the first bomber to break the sound barrier<\/strong>, reaching a speed of Mach 1 (1,234 km\/h), a mark achieved with the first prototype, the XB-58A-CF 55-660 \"Old Grandpappy\", which later also managed to reach Mach 2<\/strong> (2,469 km\/h), being the first bomber to reach that speed.<\/p>\n

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Convair manufactured 86 production B-58s for the USAF, which were used as nuclear bombers<\/strong>. The Hustler could carry up to 8,820 kg (19,000 lb) of bombs, carrying a large nuclear bomb (specifically the 40-kiloton Mark 39 Mod 1 or the 9-megaton B53<\/strong>) in its ventral area, or four 340-kiloton B61 bombs. Its defensive armament was limited to a 20 mm T171 rotary cannon<\/strong> (the designation for the M61 Vulcan at the time) located in the tail. Its crew consisted of three people, who sat in ejection pods<\/strong> instead of the usual ejection seats, so that they could be ejected from the aircraft at Mach 2 and at an altitude of up to 21,000 meters (70,000 feet).<\/p>\n

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The B-58 set 19 speed records, including the longest supersonic flight in history<\/strong>, a record still held by that model and previously broken by B-58A 61-2059 \"Greased Lightning\", covering a distance of 12,920 km between Tokyo and London in 8 hours and 35 minutes. Although the B-58 entered service on March 15, 1960, with the USAF, it had a short life<\/strong>, due to its problems in flying at low altitudes and the appearance of intercontinental ballistic missiles. On January 31, 1970, the B-58As were retired from service<\/strong>, being replaced by FB-111A bombers with variable-geometry wings and capable of flying better at low altitudes.<\/p>\n

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Of the 116 B-58s built today, only 8 remain, 2 TB-58As and 8 B-58As<\/strong>. None of them are airworthy and almost all are on display in museums or air bases, with the only exception being B-58A 55-0665 \"Snoopy\", which is abandoned in the middle of the desert in California<\/a>, near Edwards Air Force Base. The B-58A \"Greased Lightning\" (above), which still holds the record for longest supersonic flight, is in Ashland, Nebraska<\/strong> at the Strategic Air Command Museum<\/a>. A few days ago, Paul Stewart<\/a> posted a video showing the inside of this plane:<\/p>\n