The Convair B-36 "Peacemaker" [N 1] is a strategic bomber built by Convair and operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1949 to 1959. The B-36 is the largest mass-produced piston-engined aircraft ever built, although it was exceeded in …

Powered by six Pratt & Whitney R-4360 engines, the B-36J cruised at 230 mph, but for additional bursts of speed its four General Electric J47s increased the maximum speed to 435 mph. It carried 86,000 pounds of nuclear or conventional bombs. When production ended in August 1954, more than 380 B-36s had been built for the U.S. Air Force.

The development of the Convair B-36 strategic bomber began in 1941 with the XB-36, which was intended to meet the strategic needs of the US Army Air Forces, and later of the United States Air Force with its Strategic Air Command. In 1948, the B-36 become a mainstay of the American nuclear deterrent. It underwent a number of design changes ...

On December 7, 1948, Lt. Col. John Bartlett climbed aboard the largest American warplane ever created—the B-36 bomber—and prepared for a flight that would change the course of the Cold War. Just sitting on the runway, the B-36 turned heads.

2023年11月16日 · Between the legendary B-29 and enduring B-52 bombers lies one of the largest aircraft in history. The B-36 was largely overshadowed by its longer-lasting siblings but was notable for its ten engines, which used a combination of propulsion systems.

The B-36 was to be a mega-bomber, spanning 230 feet from wingtip to wingtip. It would cross the Atlantic, enter German airspace at 300 mph, and drop 10,000 pounds of bombs from 40,000 feet, too...

2020年4月8日 · Only in service for 11 years, the B-36's incredible size and unique engine layout is a bizarre sight to this day. Here's a look at the past and present of Convair's Peacemaker.

2018年11月9日 · The Convair B-36 was a US intercontinental strategic bomber that had the unofficial name “Peacemaker.” In the entire history of aviation, it is the largest combat aircraft in regard to height and wingspan.

2021年7月26日 · When America needed a club with which to threaten the Russians, Convair produced the six-engine—eventually 10—B-36 long-range heavy bomber. It was the largest and heaviest piston-engine airplane ever to go into production.

The Convair B-36 Peacemaker was one of the largest aircraft ever built, and was instrumental in maintaining peace during the Cold War with Russia during the 1950s. It was originally conceived in 1941 as an intercontinental bomber, and came into production in the late 1940s.