Despite its impressive performance characteristics, the B-58 Hustler was notoriously difficult to fly.
The bomber aircraft is not typically built for speed. Instead, bombers are usually built with an emphasis on payload capacity and range—and, more recently, stealth characteristics. This can be seen in the U.S. strategic bomber fleet, which is composed of the B-1 Lancer, B-2 Spirit, and B-52 Stratofortress. Only the B-1 is capable of supersonic flight. But the speedy, swept-wing B-1 is being phased out to make room for the forthcoming B-21 Raider, a subsonic stealth bomber—meaning the U.S. will soon lack a supersonic bomber in the inventory.
The de-emphasis on speed was not always the standard in bomber design. In the Cold War, the Air Force fielded the Convair B-58 Hustler, the world’s first bomber capable of reaching Mach 2 (1,534 miles per hour). The B-58 was an advanced aircraft for its time, designed to outpace Soviet interceptors. But the design was considered notoriously difficult to fly, and eventually proved vulnerable to ground fire following the advent of Soviet high-altitude surface-to-air missiles. Lacking strategic value, the B-58 was retired in 1970—just ten years after its 1960 introduction, with only 116 units produced.
The First Plane to Mach 2
The B-58 was technically advanced for the late 1950s. Built to achieve high speeds and high altitudes, the B-58 featured a large delta wing with a 60-degree leading edge sweep. The wing was also notable for being exceptionally thin.
Attached to the wings were four General Electric J79-GE-1 turbojet engines. The engine inlets featured one ground-breaking bit of engineering: variable conical spikes that moved aft when the aircraft was on the ground or operating at low speeds, which allowed for maximum air intake, but then were pushed forward at high speeds to minimize air intake. The engines, complete with these variable conical spikes, provided a thrust-to-weight ratio of 0.919 and allowed the B-58 to reach a 63,400 foot service ceiling at a 17,400 foot-per-minute rate of climb.
The B-58 Was Just Too Fast
Despite its impressive performance characteristics, the B-58 was notoriously difficult to fly. The aggressively swept wings were part of the problem, requiring pilots to operate within an extremely narrow angle of attack window. The B-58 suffered from a litany of other problems as well: unusual stall tendencies, difficult-to-recover-from spins, and “fuel stacking.” A result of sudden acceleration or deceleration, fuel stacking happened when fuel movement within the tanks led to sudden changes in the B-58’s center of gravity, which could then cause the aircraft to pitch or bank abruptly—and the pilot to lose control. Naturally, the B-58 suffered a high rate of accidental losses.
The B-58 also had unusually high takeoff and landing speeds. To clear the runway, the B-58 needed to hit about 234 miles per hour. The B-58 then had to land at such high speeds that a drogue parachute was required for braking, while specialized landing gears were needed for the excessive wheel rotation speed.
However, the final nail in the coffin came when the Soviet unveiled surface-to-air missiles capable of intercepting aircraft at high-altitudes, where the B-58 had once operated safely out of reach of enemy SAMs. Forced into a low-altitude penetration role, the B-58’s value was severely hampered. The novel bomber was retired after just ten years in service.
About the Author: Harrison Kass
Harrison Kass is a senior defense and national security writer with over 1,000 total pieces on issues involving global affairs. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
