Boeing B-50 Superfortress

Boeing B-50 Superfortress
Name	B-50 Superfortress
Caption	A Boeing B-50A in flight.
Type	Strategic bomber
Manufacturer	Boeing
First flight	25 June 1947
Introduced	1948
Retired	1965
Status	Retired
Primary user	United States Air Force
Number built	371
Developed from	Boeing B-29 Superfortress
Developed into	Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter

Boeing B-50 Superfortress was an American strategic bomber developed by Boeing for the United States Air Force as a post-World War II enhancement of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress. It featured a new, more powerful Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major engine, a taller tail fin, and other structural improvements, making it a key component of the Strategic Air Command's early Cold War nuclear deterrent force. The aircraft served in various roles, including as a bomber, aerial refueling tanker, and weather reconnaissance platform, with its most famous mission being the non-stop round-the-world flight of Lucky Lady II in 1949.

Development and design

The B-50's development was initiated by the United States Army Air Forces to address the limitations of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, seeking a significantly more capable interim bomber until jet-powered designs like the Boeing B-47 Stratojet became operational. The redesign, initially designated B-29D, was so extensive it warranted a new model number. Key improvements included the installation of four 3,500 hp Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major radial engines, which provided a substantial increase in power and reliability over the B-29's Wright R-3350. Other major changes encompassed a taller vertical stabilizer for better directional stability, an aluminum alloy wing of revised design, and a strengthened undercarriage. The project was managed by Boeing's Wichita, Kansas division, with the first flight of the prototype, designated XB-44, taking place in May 1945.

Operational history

Entering service with the Strategic Air Command in 1948, the B-50 became a cornerstone of America's early Cold War nuclear deterrent, capable of delivering the Mark 4 and later the massive Mark 6 nuclear weapons. Its most historic achievement was the 1949 non-stop around-the-world flight by the B-50A Lucky Lady II, commanded by Captain James Gallagher, which demonstrated global aerial refueling capabilities and U.S. airpower reach. During the Korean War, B-50s conducted conventional bombing missions, though they were gradually supplanted in the primary bomber role by the Boeing B-47 Stratojet. Many airframes were subsequently converted into KB-50 aerial refueling tankers, serving extensively with the United States Air Forces in Europe and Pacific Air Forces to support fighter aircraft like the North American F-100 Super Sabre, until their retirement in 1965. Other specialized variants served with the Air Weather Service as WB-50 weather reconnaissance planes.

Variants

The primary production variants included the **B-50A**, the initial model; the **B-50B**, which introduced a lightweight "featherweight" configuration for extended range; and the **B-50D**, the definitive bomber version with improved avionics and tip tanks. The **RB-50B** and **RB-50E** were configured for photographic reconnaissance, while the **RB-50F** and **RB-50G** were equipped for electronic intelligence (ELINT) gathering, often operating near the borders of the Soviet Union. The **TB-50H** was a crew trainer variant. The most numerous conversions were the **KB-50** series, modified into multi-point aerial refueling tankers with J47 turbojet "pods" for added thrust, and the **WB-50**, used for weather reconnaissance by the Air Weather Service.

Operators

The sole military operator of the B-50 was the United States Air Force. It served primarily with the Strategic Air Command's bomber and aerial refueling wings, including units based at Carswell Air Force Base and Davis–Monthan Air Force Base. The Air Weather Service operated the WB-50 variant from locations such as McClellan Air Force Base. The KB-50 tankers were also deployed with the United States Air Forces in Europe at bases like RAF Sculthorpe and with the Pacific Air Forces in Japan and the Philippines. No B-50s were provided to foreign allies under programs like the Mutual Defense Assistance Act.

Specifications (B-50A)

* **Crew:** 8 (Pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer, bombardier, navigator, radio operator, two aerial gunners) * **Length:** 99 ft 0 in (30.18 m) * **Wingspan:** 141 ft 3 in (43.05 m) * **Height:** 32 ft 8 in (9.96 m) * **Empty weight:** 80,609 lb (36,564 kg) * **Max takeoff weight:** 173,000 lb (78,472 kg) * **Powerplant:** 4 × Pratt & Whitney R-4360-35 Wasp Major 28-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines, 3,500 hp (2,600 kW) each * **Maximum speed:** 385 mph (620 km/h, 335 kn) at 25,000 ft (7,600 m) * **Range:** 4,900 mi (7,900 km, 4,300 nmi) * **Service ceiling:** 36,900 ft (11,200 m) * **Armament:** 12 × .50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns in remote-controlled turrets; 1 × 20 mm M24 cannon in tail * **Bombs:** Up to 20,000 lb (9,100 kg) internally, including a single Mark 4 or Mark 6 nuclear weapon

Aircraft on display

Several B-50 airframes are preserved in museums. A B-50A, serial number 46-0010, is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio. A KB-50J tanker, serial number 49-0372, is located at the Castle Air Museum at the former Castle Air Force Base in Atwater, California. Another KB-50J, serial number 49-0389, is part of the collection at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona, adjacent to Davis–Monthan Air Force Base.

Category:United States bomber aircraft 1940–1949 Category:Four-engined piston aircraft Category:Boeing aircraft