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T MAY seem inappropriate to discuss the B-58 Hustler in detail some five years after the first combat-equipped one was delivered. And in the face of a firm Air Force decision to limit B-58 procurement to just two wings, about 80 aircraft, it might seem a good idea instead to look ahead to a more modern follow-on manned aircraft. All this granted, there is still ample justification for taking a long close look at the B-58.

First of all, it is a system in-being. The B-58 is on alert, loaded, and combat ready at this moment. It is employed significantly in this year's Single Integrated Operational Plan. By the end of 1963 Air Force crews had made over 10,500 flights in the B-58, amounting to about 53,000 flying hours. Of these hours, 1150 were supersonic and 375 were at mach 2.

With the B-47 all but phased out, only two bomber weapon systems are programed into the vague early Seventies. They are the B-52 and the B-58. These two bombers are the systems that will furnish the all-important "mix" of aircraft and missiles which Air Force leaders unanimously agree is a critical factor in maintaining a credible deterrent.

It must be faced that at this writing the Department of Defense has not made any selection of a follow-on manned system for development. Experience has shown that it takes between eight and ten years to bring a modern aircraft weapon system from concept to operational readiness. That means that the B-58 and B-52 are going to be the backbone of our mixed strategic forces into the foreseeable future. As the newer of the two systems and the better suited for modern low-level penetration techniques, the B-58 becomes a much. more important aircraft than its few numbers would indicate.

In the second place, because it was designed primarily as a penetrator-in configuration, defense systems, and performance-the B-58 resembles, to some degree, what may be the next generation of manned bomber. If the Air Force buvs an Advanced Manned Precision Strike System (AMPSS), it will fly an attack profile very similar to that of today's B-58 Emergency War Order (EWO) mission.

Certainly the experience gained by the Stra tegic Air Command in operating its small force of highly sophisticated Hustlers will give SAC a valuable head start on the problems involved in keeping tomorrow's AMPSS force on at least 50 per cent alert.

concept of operations

The B-58 had its beginning in “GEBO II" (generalized bomber) studies which were conducted as early as March 1949. These studies had indicated that a supersonic bomber was feasible. On 8 December 1951, after consideration of further feasibility studies made by ARDC, General Dynamics (then Convair), and Boeing, the Air Force issued a general operational requirement (GOR) for an aircraft with maximum penetration capability. This capability was to be ensured by a concept of small size (for low radar reflectivity), supersonic speed at high altitude, high speed at very low altitude, and both electronic countermeasures (ECM) and active defenses. Air refueling was to be required to attain intercontinental capability. Size, performance, and support were to be adaptable to operation from advance bases. Navigation and bombing were to be as automatic and accurate as possible. Reliability was a general requirement.

The B-58 configuration was carefully oriented to comply with these elements of the GOR. In size, for instance, the B-58's span is one third that of the B-52; its length is about one half. This small size resulted in a radar reflectivity that is one tenth to one thirtieth that of a B-52 (depending on the angle of view).

The B-58's high aspect ratio, delta design, wing loading, control system, and arrangement result in a superior ride at low-level penetration altitudes. These factors, plus a responsiveness of the engines, make the B-58 one of the Air Force's easiest airplanes to fly and to refuel in flight.

general description

The small size of the B-58 is further shown in the chart. The Hustler's span is just 56 feet

10 inches, its length 96 feet 9 inches, and its height to the fin tip 29 feet 11 inches. Its wing area is 1542 square feet, about the same as that of a B-47. Its designed take-off gross weight is 163,000 pounds, about three times its landing weight. This is a high mass ratio for a high-speed airplane.

It normally carries about 100,000 pounds of fuel. It can be refueled in flight to a gross weight of 176,890 pounds.

The aircraft is powered by four General Electric J-79 engines with afterburners. These engines were originally developed for the B-58, but they are also used by the A3D and F-104. They give the B-58 a take-off thrust of 62,800 pounds.

Basically, the B-58 is a two-component system. The upper component is a delta-wing aircraft, and the lower component is a centerline mounted pod containing fuel and part of the payload. The arrangement makes possible a very high density airplane. In fact, part of the fuel tank and all of the bomb bay are dropped before starting home, thereby reducing drag and weight.

The aircraft carries a three-man crew: pilot, navigator, and defense systems operator. Each of these crewmen occupies an encapsulated seat. This escape capsule constitutes a completely automatic survival system requiring no action on the part of the crew member from initiation of escape until safe landing. The capsule gives the crew member a pressurized "shirt-sleeve environment." It is capable of safe ejection from zero altitude at speeds of 100 to 300 knots and safe ejection at mach 2 from very high altitudes. Further, it has its own pressure system for safe descent and contains survival equipment and flotation gear for survival on land or water. In tests a man lived in a capsule for three days without assist

ance.

All prospective crew members must be "man sized" to the capsule before beginning crew training. Failure to fit the seat is cause to reject a would-be crewman.

Fuel comprises most of the B-58's internal volume and is carried in integral fuel tanks. In flight the pumping of fuel automatically changes the aircraft's center of gravity to trim

combat configuration by SAC combat crews. Five of these records were formerly held by the U.S.S.R. The B-58 has also won all major international awards. Most recently, on 16 October 1963, "Greased Lightning," a B-58 of the 305th Bombardment Wing at Bunker Hill Air Force Base, Indiana, flew an average of almost 1000 miles per hour from Tokyo to London, including five subsonic refuelings. The flight took 8 hours 35 minutes to cover 8028 miles. Besides setting world speed records the flight demonstrated that the Air Force, through the Strategic Air Command, could place a payload on any spot on the earth in just a few hours.

bombing-navigation and defense systems

The B-58 bombing-navigation equipment is called a Doppler-inertial-stellar system. It is

a continuously computing analog dead-reckoning system with means for en route corrections using known fix points. Basic sensors for the computer are a stable platform of inertial elements to sense attitude and acceleration, a Doppler radar to sense speed and drift, and an astro or star tracker to provide heading. These have been developed and combined in such a mannner as to take advantage of the best features of each, resulting in an inherent overall accuracy on the order of ten times greater than that of previous navigation systems. A considerable advancement and simplification was made in Doppler radar techniques by going to Ku band continuous wave (rather than pulse), using fixed (rather than space stabilized) antennas.

The high-resolution Ku-band (16-17 kilomegacycles) search radar serves the double purpose of sighting on known fix points for