North American B-45 Tornado

Template:Infobox Aircraft

The North American B-45 Tornado was the United States Air Force's first operational jet bomber, and the first jet aircraft to be refueled in the air. The B-45 was an important part of the United States's nuclear deterrent for several years in the early 1950s, but was rapidly succeeded by the Boeing B-47 Stratojet. B-45s and RB-45s served in the United States Air Force's Strategic Air Command from 1950 through 1959.

Development

The B-45 began development in 1944, when the War Department, alarmed by German jet bombers like Arado Ar 234, called for a new family of jet bombers grossing between 80,000 and 200,000 pounds. The North American proposal (NA-130) won, and on September 8, 1944, the company began production of three prototypes based on the NA-130.

The end of the World War II resulted in the cancellation of many projects and delayed many others. In 1946, rising tensions with the Soviet Union caused the Air Force to assign higher priorities to jet bomber development and production. By mid-1946, the XB-45 and Convair XB-46 neared completion, but the XB-47 and Martin XB-48 were still two years away. The USAAF chose to evaluate the first two designs to determine which would be superior operationally. The B-45 proved a superior design, and on January 2, 1947, a contract for immediate production of B-45As was signed. It had been planned to equip five light bomb groups and three light reconnaissance groups with B-45As but as the B-47's development and flight testing made future production all but certain, the B-45's future became increasingly uncertain and in mid 1948 the Air Staff actually began to question the B-45's value. Soon afterwards, as President Truman's budgetary axe slashed Air Force expenditure and B-45 production was reduced to a grand total of 142 airframes. Severe budget cuts in the FY 1950 forced the Aircraft and Weapons Board to cancel 51 of the 190 aircraft on order.

The Korean War

Continuously plagued by engine problems along with numerous other minor flaws, the B-45 regained importance when the United States entered the Korean War in 1950 and would prove its value both as a bomber and in a reconnaissance role. The mass dedication of U.S. Forces to the Korean War revealed the vulnerability of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces in Europe to Soviet attack and it was in this light that the Air Force made an important decision about the future of the B-45. The B-45, like all post WWII U.S. bombers, could carry both nuclear and conventional bombs. The progression of weapons technology had led to a great reduction in the weight and size of atomic and thermonuclear weapons in U.S. inventory, effectively allowing smaller aircraft such as the B-45 to carry out nuclear strikes, a mission which had initially been limited to heavy bombers. Suddenly, the small fleet of B-45's had great value again as a nuclear deterrent.

The program Backbreaker entailed difficult modifications to the aircraft due to many distinct atomic bomb types which were in inventory at the time along with large amounts of electronics which had to be fitted for the nuclear mission. In addition, the 40 B-45s allocated to the Backbreaker program also where equipped with a new defensive system and extra fuel tanks. Despite the magnitude of the modification project, plus ongoing problems with the early jet engines, atomic capable B-45s began reaching the United Kingdom in May 1952, and deployment of the 40 aircraft was completed in mid June. It was at about this same time that RB-45's of the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron began to arrive in Japan, replacing the WWII era piston engine RB-29's which had proven to be easy targets for North Korean Migs.^[1] The RB-45's would provide valuable intelligence throughout the remainder of the Korean War despite the limited number of airframes which where available. RB-45Cs flew many day light missions until early 1952, when they were converted to night operations after a RB-45 was almost lost to a North Korean Mig-15^[2]

Post War

The RB-45C also flew several long-range reconnaissance missions over the Soviet Union during the mid 1950s. On July 29, 1952, an RB-45C made the first non-stop Trans-Pacific flight, having been refueled twice by KB-29s along the way. Maj Lou Carrington and his crew of the 91st Reconnaissance Wing flew from Alaska to Japan in 9hrs 50mins, winning the MacKay Trophy for their achievement. By 1959 the RB-45C had been replaced by the RB-47E. The only other nation to use the RB-45C was Britain which were operated by an ad hoc unit of crews largely drawn from nos. 35 and 115 squadrons. The aircraft were bailed to Britain from the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing and were RAF markings and performed significant operations over the Soviet Union during a period when such over flight operations were restricted by the President of the United States. By the end of the 1950's all B-45's were removed from active duty service. However, a few continued to act as test aircraft into the early 1970's.^[3]

Variants

XB-45

The first flight of the XB-45 was on March 17, 1947 from Muroc Army Air Field. A total of 131 test flights were flown by the three prototype aircraft, one being destroyed early on, killing two pilots.

The USAF accepted one of the two survivors on July 30, 1948, the other on August 31. One was damaged beyond repair in an accident. The last XB-45 was delivered to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base air force base in 1949. It proved excessively difficult to maintain and was relegated as a ground trainer.

B-45A

The B-45A differed from the XB-45 in having improved ejection seats and communications equipment, an E-4 automatic pilot, and a bombing navigation radar.

The first production B-45 flew in February 1948. The Air Force took delivery of 22 in April 1948. They were powered by the less-powerful J35 turbojets, and not considered combat-ready. They were assigned to training duties and various test programs. The next batch were powered by the superior J47 turbojets. The first B-45As entered service in November 1948 with the 47th Bombardment Group. The initial order of 96 was completed in March 1950.

The first B-45As were not equipped with bomb fire control systems or bombsights. They suffered from gyrocompass failures at high speeds, unreliable airbrakes, unhooked bomb shackles, engine fires, and inaccurate cockpit gauges. The AN/APQ-24 bombing and navigation radar on some B-45s was maintenance heavy and malfunctions in the pressurization pump limited the altitude at which it could operate.

55 nuclear-capable B-45s arrived in the United Kingdom in 1952. These were modified with a 1,200-gallon fuel tank in the aft bomb bay. Despite technical problems, these were SAC's first-line deterrent in Europe.

B-45B

The B-45B was a proposed variant of the B-45A with improved radar and fire-control systems. None were built.^[4]

B-45C

The B-45C was the first jet aircraft capable of aerial refueling. It carried two 1200-gallon wingtip fuel tanks, had a strengthened canopy, and an in-flight refueling receptacle. The first B-45C was flown on May 3, 1949. Only ten were built, and the remaining 33 under construction were converted to RB-45Cs.

RB-45C

Final production variant of the B-45. The bombardier's canopy was faired over and replaced with an oblique camera system. The RB-45C carried two 214-gallon external fuel tanks, or two JATO assisted takeoff rockets. A total of up to 12 cameras could be carried in four positions or a single camera configuration with a 100 inch focal length lens. The RB-45C first flew in April 1950, and were delivered from June 1950 to October 1951. 38 were built, includeing the 33 converted from B-45Cs. ^[5]

Survivors

Three B-45s have survived to the present day.

B-45A (s/n 47-0008) is currently on display at the Castle Air Museum in Atwater, California
B-45C (s/n 48-010) is on display in the Cold War Hangar of the National Museum of the United States Air Force near Dayton, Ohio,
RB-45C (s/n 48-017) is on display at the Strategic Air and Space Museum in Ashland, Nebraska.Video here

Specifications (B-45A)

General characteristics

Crew: 4(Pilot, Co-Pilot, Bombardier-Navigator and Tail Gunner)

Performance

Thrust/weight: 0.26

Armament

Guns: 2× .50 in (12.7 mm) M3 machine guns
Bombs: 22,000 lb (10,000 kg)

Popular Culture

The War of the Worlds (1953 film) shows stock footage of the B-45.