military-aircraft-b-36

In April 1941 the US Army Air Force revealed its specification for a heavy bomber able to lift a prodigious 72,000 lb of bombs but also possessing the range to deliver 10,000 lb of bombs onto European targets from US bases. This led to the model 36 as the world's first inter-continental bomber, designed with a pressurized fuselage and huge thick section wings carrying six R-4360-25 radial each driving a pusher propeller. The original design featured endplate vertical surface, but the XB-36 that first flew in August 1946 had a single fin/rudder assemble.

Description	Specifications
Manufacturer: Convair	Length: 162 ft. 1 in.
First Flight: August 1946	Height: 46 ft. 8 in.
Model: B	Wing Span: 230 ft. 0 in.
Crew: Fifteen	Wing Area: 4,772.0 sq. ft.
Nickname: Peacemaker	Empty Weight: 140,640 lb.
Basic Role: Heavy Bomber	Max. Weight: 328,000 lb.
Other Versions: XB-36: prototype. YB-36: pre- production model. B-36A: 22 unarmed crew trainer. B-36B: 73 operational bomber four 3,500-hp Pratt And Whitney R-4360-41 radial. B-36D:64 B-36B conversions and 22 new aircraft with bomb loads of 84,000 lb and higher performance with four J47-GE-19 turbojets under the outer wings. B-36H: 83 definitive bombers with flight deck improvement. B-36J:33 with additional internal fuel capacity. RB-36D: 7 B-36B conversions and 17 new aircraft for strategic reconnaissance with 14 cameras. RB-36E: 22 B-36A conversions to RB-36D stander. RB-36H: 73 photo reconnaissance aircraft. GRB-36F: 12 conversions for the ICON program with air launch/recovered McDonnell XF-85 Goblin experimental fighter and later Republic GRF-84F thunder flash reconnaissance plane.	Armament: Twelve 20-mm cannon in six barbettes and up to 86,000 lb. of bombs.
Principal User: U. S. A.	Propulsion
Performance	Power Plant: Pratt And Whitney R-4360-41 radial piston engines.
Range: 8,175 miles.	Horsepower: 3,500-hp.
Max. Speed: 381 mph.	No. Of Engines: Four
Ceiling: 42,500 ft.
Climb Rate: 1,510 ft. per minute.