Convair B-58A Model in Supersonic Pressure Tunnel ~ 1959 NASA Langley Research Center (Patreon)

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Silent. 'Test conducted at NASA Langley Research Center's 4 ft Supersonic Pressure Tunnel.'

Originally a public domain film from NASA, slightly cropped to remove uneven edges, with the aspect ratio corrected, and one-pass brightness-contrast-color correction & mild video noise reduction applied.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convair_B-58_Hustler

Wikipedia license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

The Convair B-58 Hustler, designed and produced by American aircraft manufacturer Convair, was the first operational bomber capable of Mach 2 flight.

The B-58 was developed during the 1950s for the United States Air Force's (USAF) Strategic Air Command (SAC). To achieve the high speeds desired, Convair designed it around a large delta wing, which was also used by contemporary fighters such as the Convair F-102. It was powered by four General Electric J79 engines in underwing pods. It had no bomb bay; it carried a single nuclear weapon plus fuel in a combination bomb/fuel pod underneath the fuselage. Later, four external hardpoints were added, enabling it to carry up to five weapons.

The B-58 entered service in March 1960, and was operated for a decade by two SAC bomb wings: the 43d Bombardment Wing and the 305th Bombardment Wing. It was considered a difficult aircraft to fly, imposing a high workload upon its three-man crews. Designed to replace the Boeing B-47 Stratojet strategic bomber, the B-58 became notorious for its sonic boom, which was often heard on the ground by the public as it passed overhead in supersonic flight.

The B-58 was originally intended to fly at high altitudes and supersonic speeds to avoid Soviet interceptors. But with the Soviet introduction of high-altitude surface-to-air missiles, the B-58 was forced to adopt a low-level-penetration role that severely limited its range and strategic value. It was never used to deliver conventional bombs. The B-58 was substantially more expensive to operate than other bombers, such as the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, and required more frequent aerial refueling. The B-58 also suffered from a high rate of accidental losses. All of this led to a relatively brief operational career of ten years. The B-58 was succeeded in its role by the smaller, swing-wing FB-111A...

The Convair B-58 Hustler was a high speed strategic bomber, capable of attaining routinely Mach 2 at altitude. It incorporated a large delta wing with a leading-edge sweep of 60° and was powered by an arrangement of four General Electric J79-GE-1 turbojet engines. Although its sizable wing generated relatively low wing loading, it proved to be surprisingly well suited for low-altitude, high-speed flight. To protect against the heat generated while cruising at Mach 2, the crew compartment, the wheel wells and electronics bay were pressurized and air conditioned. The B-58 was one of the first extensive applications of aluminum honeycomb panels, which bonded outer and inner aluminum skins to a honeycomb of aluminum or fiberglass.

Various features of the B-58 were considered to be record-breaking, according to Gunston and Gilchrist. The structure itself made up 13.8 per cent of the aircraft's gross weight, an exceptionally low figure for the era, while the wing was considered to be extremely thin as well. Several key features of the engine, including the nacelle and the inlet, were unlike any existing aircraft, having been devised from guidance by aerodynamicists. Specifically, the inlets used moving conical spikes, being fully aft on the ground and at low speeds to maximise air intake, then driven forward while being flown at high speeds to minimise the annular gap. This movement was automatically controlled, but significant noise and asymmetric thrust would be generated in the event of a single inlet malfunctioning.

Crew provisions

The B-58 was operated by a crew of three: pilot, bombardier/navigator, and defensive systems operator. They were seated in separated tandem cockpits. The pilot's cockpit, which was provided with very deep windows, was considered to be mostly conventional for a large multi-engine aircraft. The defensive systems operator was provisioned with a complex arrangement of different systems, which Gunston and Gilchrist describe as being the most complicated of any aircraft of the era. The space allocated to the crew, despite being roughly half of the fuselage's internal volume, was typically considered to be cramped and claustrophobic.

Later versions of the B-58 provided each crew member with a novel ejection capsule that could eject at an altitude of 70,000 ft (21,000 m) at speeds up to Mach 2...