The Convair B-58 Hustler was an American supersonic bomber of the Cold War years. It was the first strategic bomber to fly faster than the speed of sound. Developed and produced by Convair, its prototype performed its maiden on November 11, 1956. More than two months later, on December 30, 1956, this new aircraft would break the sound barrier, flying above Mach 1.
Convair manufactured 116 B-58 Hustlers, which would be in service with the US Air force from 1960 to 1970; a very short career, if we compare it with the B-52 or B1, which are still in service. Although it was an advanced aircraft in the 1960s, this strategic bomber never saw combat action as it was never deployed in Vietnam.
Technical Characteristics
The Convair B-58 Hustler was a three-seat, strategic, supersonic bomber. It was fitted with fixed delta wings, which were mounted on the middle of fuselage. The crew sat in individual cockpits, with the navigator sitting right behind the pilot, and the defensive system operator in the rear cockpit.
The bomber was equipped with a powerful attack radar system, which was mounted in the nose of aircraft. The landing gear used 16 tires, which were filled with high-pressure nitrogen. The aircraft was powered by four General Electric J79-GE-5B turbojet engines.
Specifications
Type: long-range strategic bomber
Length: 29.49 m (96 ft, 9 in)
Wingspan: 17.32 m (56 ft, 10 in)
Wing Area: 143.35 square meters (1543 sq. ft.)
Height: 9.58 m (31 ft, 5 in)
Maximum Speed: 2218 km/h (1376 mph)
Range: 8,250 km (5,126 miles)
Armament: bombload of 8,823 kg (conventional and nuclear bombs and air to surface missiles)
Below, the Convair B-58 Hustler in flight in 1963.
