The Boeing B-50 Superfortress is an American strategic bomber. A post–
World War II revision of the
Boeing B-29 Superfortress
The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 Fl ...
, it was fitted with more powerful
Pratt & Whitney R-4360 radial engines, stronger structure, a taller tail fin, and other improvements. It was the last piston-engined bomber built by
Boeing for the
United States Air Force, and was further refined into Boeing's final such design, the
B-54. Although not as well known as its direct predecessor, the B-50 was in USAF service for nearly 20 years.
After its primary service with
Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...
(SAC) ended, B-50 airframes were modified into aerial tankers for
Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 J ...
(TAC) (KB-50) and as weather reconnaissance aircraft (WB-50) for the
Air Weather Service
The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...
. Both the tanker and hurricane hunter versions were retired in March 1965 due to
metal fatigue and corrosion found in the wreckage of KB-50J, ''48-065'', which crashed on 14 October 1964.
Design and development
Development of an improved B-29 started in 1944, with the desire to replace the unreliable
Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone engines with the more powerful four-row, 28-cylinder
Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major radial engine, America's largest-ever displacement aircraft piston engine in large-scale production.
[Knaack 1988, p. 163.] A B-29A-5-BN (
serial number
A serial number is a unique identifier assigned incrementally or sequentially to an item, to ''uniquely'' identify it.
Serial numbers need not be strictly numerical. They may contain letters and other typographical symbols, or may consist enti ...
''42-93845'') was modified by
Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies. Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially airlines) and military aviat ...
as a testbed for the installation of the R-4360 in the B-29, with four R-4360-33s replacing the R-3350s. The modified aircraft, designated XB-44 Superfortress, first flew in May 1945.
["Boeing/Pratt & Whitney XB-44 factsheet."](_blank)
''National Museum of the United States Air Force''. Retrieved: 27 June 2010.
The planned Wasp-Major powered bomber, the B-29D, was to incorporate considerable changes in addition to the engine installation tested in the XB-44. The use of a new alloy of
aluminum, 75-S rather than the existing 24ST, gave a wing that was both stronger and lighter, while the undercarriage was strengthened to allow the aircraft to operate at weights of up to greater than the B-29. A larger vertical fin and rudder (which could fold to allow the aircraft to fit into existing hangars) and enlarged flaps were provided to deal with the increased engine power and weight, respectively.
[Peacock 1990, p. 204.]
Armament was similar to that of the B-29, with two bomb bays carrying of bombs, and a further externally. Defensive armament was 13 × 12.7mm (.50 inch) machine guns (or 12 machine guns and one cannon) in five turrets.
First flying in May 1945, the sole XB-44 proved faster than the standard B-29, although existing sources do not indicate how much of this increased speed was due to differing aircraft weight due to deleted armament or increased power due to the R-4360-33 engines.
An order for 200 B-29Ds was placed in July 1945, but the ending of World War II in August 1945 prompted mass cancellations of outstanding orders for military equipment, with over 5,000 B-29s canceled in September 1945.[ In December that year, B-29D orders were cut from 200 to 60, while at the same time the designation of the aircraft was changed to B-50.]
Officially, the aircraft's new designation was justified by the changes incorporated into the revised aircraft, but according to Peter M. Bowers
Peter M. Bowers (May 15, 1918 – April 27, 2003) was an aeronautical engineer, airplane designer, and a journalist and historian specializing in the field of aviation. , a long-time Boeing employee and aircraft designer and a well-known authority on Boeing aircraft, "the re-designation was an outright military ruse to win appropriations for the procurement of an airplane that by its B-29D designation appeared to be merely a later version of an existing model that was being canceled wholesale, with many existing examples being put into dead storage."[
The first production B-50A (there were no prototypes, as the aircraft's engines and new tail had already been tested) made its maiden flight on 25 June 1947, with a further 78 B-50As following.][ The last airframe of the initial order was held back for modification to the prototype YB-50C, a planned version to be powered by R-4360-43 turbo-compound engines. It was to have a longer fuselage, allowing the two small bomb bays of the B-29 and the B-50A to be replaced by a single large bomb bay, more suited to carrying large nuclear weapons. It would also have longer wings, which required additional outrigger wheels to stabilize the aircraft on the ground.][Knaack 1988, pp. 181–182.][Willis 2007, pp. 162–163.]
Orders for 43 B-54s, the planned production version of the YB-50C, were placed in 1948, but the program was unpopular with Curtis LeMay, commander of Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...
(SAC), as being inferior to the Convair B-36 Peacemaker and having little capacity for further improvement, while requiring an expensive redevelopment of air bases owing to the type's undercarriage. The B-54 program was therefore canceled in April 1949, work on the YB-50C being stopped before it was completed.[Knaack 1988, pp. 181–182.][Willis 2007, pp. 162–163.]
While the B-54 was canceled, production of less elaborate developments continued as a stopgap until jet bombers such as the Boeing B-47 and B-52 could enter service. Forty-five B-50Bs, fitted with lightweight fuel tanks and capable of operating at higher weights, were built, followed by 222 B-50Ds, capable of carrying underwing fuel tanks and distinguished by a one-piece plastic nose dome.[Willis 2007, p. 162.][Peacock 1990, pp. 205–206.]
To give the Superfortress the range to reach the Soviet Union, B-50s were fitted to be refueled in flight. Most (but not all) of the B-50As were fitted with the early "looped hose" refueling system, developed by the British company Flight Refuelling Limited
Cobham Limited is a British aerospace manufacturing company based in Bournemouth, England.
Cobham was originally founded by Sir Alan Cobham as Flight Refuelling Limited (FRL) in 1934. During 1939, British airline Imperial Airways performed se ...
, in which the receiving aircraft would use a grapple to catch a line trailed by the tanker aircraft (normally a Boeing KB-29) before hauling over the fuel line to allow transfer of fuel to begin. While this system worked, it was clumsy, and Boeing designed the alternative Flying Boom method to refuel SAC's bombers, with most B-50Ds being fitted with receptacles for Flying Boom refueling.[Willis 2007, pp. 156–158.][Knaack 1988, pp. 186–187.]
Revisions to the B-50 (from its predecessor B-29) increased top speed to just under . Changes included:
*More powerful engines
*Redesigned engine nacelles and engine mounts
*Enlarged vertical tail and rudder (to maintain adequate yaw control during engine-out conditions)
*Reinforced wing structure (required due to increased engine mass, larger gyroscopic forces from larger propellers, greater fuel load, and revised landing gear loading)
*Revised routing for engine gases (cooling, intake, exhaust and intercooler ducts; also oil lines)
*Upgraded remote turret fire-control equipment
*Landing gear strengthened and takeoff weight increased from to
*Increased fuel capacity with underwing fuel tanks being added.
*Improvements to flight control systems (the B-29 was difficult to fly; with increased weights the B-50 would have been more so).
*Nose wheel steering rather than a castering nose wheel as on the B-29
The C-97 military transport was, in its 1944 prototype, essentially a large upper fuselage tube attached to a B-29 lower fuselage and wings, with an inverted figure-eight cross-section. In its production version it incorporated the key elements of the B-50 platform including, after the first 10 in production, the enlarged tailfin of the B-50. The B-29 and B-50 were phased out with introduction of the jet-powered B-47 Stratojet. The B-50 was nicknamed " Andy Gump", because the redesigned engine nacelles reminded aircrew of the chinless newspaper comic character popular at the time.
Operational history
Boeing built 370 of the various B-50 models and variants between 1947 and 1953, the tanker and weather reconnaissance versions remaining in service until 1965.
The first B-50As were delivered in June 1948 to the Strategic Air Command's 43d Bombardment Wing
The 43rd Airlift Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit last stationed at Pope Field, part of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where it was inactivated in March 2011. The wing performed en route operations support at Pope Field to include ...
, based at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The 2d Bombardment Wing
The 2nd Bomb Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command and the Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The wing is also the host unit at Barksdale. The wing was a ...
at Chatham Air Force Base, Georgia also received B-50As; the 93d Bombardment Wing at Castle Air Force Base, California and the 509th Bombardment Wing
The 509th Bomb Wing (509 BW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command, Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri.
The 509 BW is the host unit at Whiteman, and operates th ...
at Walker Air Force Base, New Mexico received B-50Ds in 1949. The fifth and last SAC wing to receive B-50Ds was the 97th Bombardment Wing at Biggs Air Force Base
Biggs Army Airfield (formerly Biggs Air Force Base) is a United States Army military airbase located on the Fort Bliss military base in El Paso, Texas.
History Biggs Field/Biggs Army Airfield (1916–47)
On 15 June 1919, following an attack b ...
, Texas in December 1950.
The mission of these wings was to be able to deliver atomic bomb
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...
s on enemy targets.[Ravenstein, Charles A. ''Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories, 1947–1977.'' Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1984. .]
The 301st Bombardment Wing
The 301st Air Refueling Wing is an inactive unit of the United States Air Force being last assigned to the Strategic Air Command at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, where it was inactivated on 1 June 1992.
History
: ''See the 301st Operations ...
at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida received some B-50As reassigned from Davis–Monthan in early 1951, but used them for non-operational training pending the delivery of B-47A Stratojets in June 1951. The B-50 was built as an interim strategic bomber to be replaced by the B-47 Stratojet, but delays to the Stratojet forced the B-50 to soldier on until well into the 1950s.
A strategic reconnaissance version of the B-50B, the RB-50 was developed in 1949 to replace the aging RB-29s used by SAC in its intelligence-gathering operations against the Soviet Union. Three different configurations were produced, which were later redesignated RB-50E, RB-50F, and RB-50G. The RB-50E was earmarked for photographic reconnaissance and observation missions; The RB-50F resembled the RB-50E but carried the SHORAN radar navigation system designed to conduct mapping, charting, and geodetic surveys, and the mission of the RB-50G was electronic reconnaissance. These aircraft were operated primarily by the 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing
The 55th Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Combat Command. The wing is primarily stationed at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, but maintains one of its groups and associated squadrons at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ar ...
. RB-50Es were also operated by the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing as a replacement for RB-29 photographic reconnaissance aircraft flown over North Korea during the Korean War.
The vast northern borders of the Soviet Union were wide open in many places during the early Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
years, with little defensive radar coverage and limited detection capability. RB-50 aircraft of the 55th SRW flew many sorties along the periphery and, where necessary, into the interior. Initially, there was little opposition from the Soviet forces as radar coverage was limited and, if the overflying aircraft were detected, the World War II-era Soviet fighters could not intercept the RB-50s at their high altitude.["Boeing F-13A / RB-29A / RB-50."](_blank)
''Spyflight.com.'' Retrieved: 8 August 2010.
The deployment of the MiG-15 interceptor in the early 1950s made these flights exceedingly hazardous, with several being shot down by Soviet air defenses and the wreckage being examined by intelligence personnel. RB-50 missions over Soviet territory ended by 1954, replaced by the RB-47 Stratojet intelligence aircraft that could fly higher at near-supersonic speed.
The B-47 Stratojet was manufactured in large numbers beginning in 1953 and eventually replaced the B-50Ds in SAC service; the last being retired in 1955. With its retirement from the nuclear-bomber mission, many B-50 airframes were converted to aerial refueling tankers.
The B-50, with more powerful engines than the KB-29s in use by Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 J ...
(TAC), was much more suitable to refuel tactical jet fighter aircraft, such as the F-100 Super Sabre. As tankers, KB-50s had extensively reinforced outer wing panels, the necessary equipment to air-refuel simultaneously three fighter-type aircraft by the probe and drogue method, and removed defensive armament.
The first KB-50 flew in December 1955 and was accepted by the Air Force in January 1956. The tankers steadily entered the operational inventory of TAC supplanting TAC's KB-29s. By the end of 1957, all of the command's aerial refuling squadrons had their full complement of KB-50s. KB-50s, and later KB-50Js with two General Electric J47 jet engines were used by TAC, and also by USAFE and PACAF overseas as aerial tankers. Some were deployed to Thailand and flew refueling missions over Indochina in the early years of the Vietnam War until being retired in March 1965 due to metal fatigue and corrosion.
In addition to the aerial tanker conversion, the Air Weather Service
The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...
by 1955 had worn out the WB-29s used for hurricane hunting and other weather reconnaissance missions. Thirty-six former SAC B-50Ds were stripped of their armament and equipped for long-range weather reconnaissance missions. The WB-50 could fly higher, faster and longer than the WB-29. However, between 1956 and 1960 it experienced 13 major operational accidents, six of them involving the loss of the entire crew, and 66 crew-member fatalities. After the weather reconnaissance fleet was grounded in May 1960 because of fuel leaks, plans were set in motion in 1962 to modify B-47 Stratojets being phased out of SAC to replace it in the role. The WB-50 had an important role during the Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis (of 1962) ( es, Crisis de Octubre) in Cuba, the Caribbean Crisis () in Russia, or the Missile Scare, was a 35-day (16 October – 20 November 1962) confrontation between the United S ...
, when it monitored the weather around Cuba to plan photo-reconnaissance flights. The WB-50 was finally retired in 1965 due to metal fatigue and corrosion.
Variants
;XB-44
:One B-29A was handed over to Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies. Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially airlines) and military aviat ...
to be used as a testbed for the installation of the new Wasp Major 28-cylinder engines in the B-29.
;B-29D
:Wasp Major powered bomber, with stronger structure and taller tail. Redesignated B-50A in December 1945.
;B-50A
:First production version of the B-50. Four R-4360-35 Wasp Major engines, max take-off weight. A total of 79 were built.["Boeing B-50A Factsheet."](_blank)
''National Museum of the United States Air Force.'' Retrieved: 28 June 2010.
:TB-50A – Conversion of 11 B-50As as crew trainers for units operating the B-36.[Peacock 1990, p. 205.]
;B-50B
:Improved version, with increased maximum take-off weight and new, lightweight fuel tanks. 45 built.["B50B Factsheet."](_blank)
''National Museum of the United States Air Force.'' Retrieved: 28 June 2010.
:EB-50B – Single B-50B modified as test-bed for bicycle undercarriage, later used to test "caterpillar track
Continuous track is a system of vehicle propulsion used in tracked vehicles, running on a continuous band of treads or track plates driven by two or more wheels. The large surface area of the tracks distributes the weight of the vehicle b ...
" landing gear.
:RB-50B – Conversion of B-50B for strategic reconnaissance, with capsule in rear fuselage carrying nine cameras in four stations, weather instruments, and extra crew. Could be fitted with two drop tanks under outer wings. 44 converted from B-50B.["RB-50B Factsheet."](_blank)
''National Museum of the United States Air Force.'' Retrieved: 28 June 2010.[Knaack 1988, p. 177.]
;YB-50C
:Prototype for B-54 bomber, to have Variable Discharge Turbine (i.e. turbo-compound) version of the R-4360 engine, longer fuselage and bigger, stronger wings. One prototype started but canceled before completion.["YB-50C Fact sheet."](_blank)
''National Museum of the United States Air Force.'' Retrieved: 28 June 2010.
;B-50D
:Definitive bomber version of the B-50. Higher max takeoff weight (). Fitted with receptacle for Flying boom in-flight refueling and provision for underwing drop tanks. Modified nose glazing with 7-piece nose cone window was replaced by a single plastic cone and a flat bomb-aimer's window. A total of 222 were built.["B-50D Factsheet"](_blank)
. ''National Museum of the United States Air Force.'' Retrieved: 28 June 2010.
:DB-50D – Single B-50D converted as drone director conversion of a B-50D, for trials with the GAM-63 RASCAL missile.["DB-50D Factsheet."](_blank)
''National Museum of the United States Air Force.'' Retrieved: 30 June 2010.
:KB-50D – Prototype conversion of two B-50Ds as three-point aerial refueling tanker, using drogue-type hoses. Used as the basis for later production KB-50J and KB-50K conversions.["KB-50D Factsheet."](_blank)
''National Museum of the United States Air Force.'' Retrieved: 30 June 2010.[Peacock 1990, p. 206.] A further conversion from a TB-50D was also designated KB-50D.
:TB-50D – Conversion of early B-50Ds lacking aerial-refueling receptacles as unarmed crew trainers. Eleven were converted.["TB-50D Factsheet."](_blank)
''National Museum of the United States Air Force.'' Retrieved: 30 June 2010.
:WB-50D – Conversion of surplus B-50Ds as weather reconnaissance aircraft to replace worn out WB-29s. Fitted with doppler radar, atmospheric sampler and other specialist equipment, and extra fuel in the bomb bay. Some were used to carry out highly classified missions for atmospheric sampling from 1953 to 1955 to detect Soviet detonation of atomic weapons.["Boeing WB-50D Superfortress."](_blank)
''National Museum of the United States Air Force.'' Retrieved: 30 June 2010.[Peacock 1990, p. 207.][Knaack 1988, pp. 195–196.]
;RB-50E
:14 RB-50Bs converted at Wichita for specialist photographic reconnaissance.["Boeing RB-50E."](_blank)
''National Museum of the United States Air Force.'' Retrieved: 30 June 2010.[Knaack 1988, pp. 178–179.]
;RB-50F
:Conversion of 14 RB-50Bs as survey aircraft, fitted with SHORAN
SHORAN is an acronym for SHOrt RAnge Navigation, a type of electronic navigation and bombing system using a precision radar beacon. It was developed during World War II and the first stations were set up in Europe as the war was ending, and was op ...
navigation radar.[RB-50F Factsheet."](_blank)
''National Museum of the United States Air Force.'' Retrieved: 30 June 2010.[Knaack 1988, p. 179.]
;RB-50G
:Conversion of the RB-50B for electronic reconnaissance. Fitted with Shoran for navigation, and six electronic stations, with 16-man crew; 15 converted.
;TB-50H
:Unarmed crew trainer for B-47 squadrons. 24 completed, the last B-50s built. All later converted to KB-50K tankers.[Knaack 1988, pp. 197–199.]
;KB-50J
:Conversions to air-to-air refueling tankers with improved performance from two extra General Electric J47 turbojets under the outer wings, 112 converted from B-50D, TB-50D, RB-50E, RB-50F and RB-50G aircraft.
;KB-50
:136 conversions to three-point hose-drogue tankers by Hayes Industries
Hayes may refer to:
* Hayes (surname), including a list of people with the name
** Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th president of the United States
* Hayes (given name)
Businesses
* Hayes Brake, an American designer and manufacturer of disc brakes
* Ha ...
, with the auxiliary fuel tanks outboard of the engines and hose pod under the wing-tips.
;KB-50K
:Tanker conversions of the TB-50H trainer aircraft. 24 converted.
; B-54A
:Proposed version of the YB-50C.
;RB-54A
:Proposed reconnaissance version of the YB-50C.
;WB-50
:Weather reconnaissance aircraft converted from B-50A aircraft.
Surviving examples
From the 370 produced only five B-50 aircraft survive:
;B-50A
AF Ser. No. 46-0010 '' Lucky Lady II'' – The first plane to fly around the world nonstop, between February 26 and March 2, 1949. Was refueled four times in air by KB-29 tanker planes of the 43rd Air Refuelling Squadron, over the Azores, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines and Hawaii. The circumnavigation took 94 hours and 1 minute, and covered 37,743 km (23,452 miles) at an average speed of 398 km/h (249 mph). Lucky Lady II was disassembled after a serious accident and its forward fuselage is stored outside at Planes of Fame Air Museum in Chino, California.
;WB-50D
AF Ser. No. 49-0310 – National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.
AF Ser. No. 49-0351 ''Flight Of The Phoenix'' – Castle Air Museum at the former Castle Air Force Base in Atwater, California. This was the last B-50 to be flown, being delivered to MASDC at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, on 6 October 1965. It was put on display at the Castle Air Museum in 1980.
;KB-50J
AF Ser No. 49-0372 – Pima Air & Space Museum adjacent to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona.
AF Ser. No. 49-0389 – Air Mobility Command Museum in Dover, Delaware
Dover () is the capital and second-largest city of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County and the principal city of the Dover, DE, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County and is part of ...
. Formerly an outdoor display at MacDill Memorial Park at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. In 2018, 49–0389 was dismantled and relocated to the Air Mobility Command Museum, where the air frame is being repaired before reassembly.
Operators
; United States
: United States Air Force
Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...
;B-50 Superfortress
: 2d Bombardment Wing
The 2nd Bomb Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command and the Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The wing is also the host unit at Barksdale. The wing was a ...
, 1949–1953
: 43d Bombardment Wing
The 43rd Airlift Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit last stationed at Pope Field, part of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where it was inactivated in March 2011. The wing performed en route operations support at Pope Field to include ...
, 1948–1954
: 93d Bombardment Wing, 1949–1954
: 97th Bombardment Wing, 1950–1955
: 306th Bombardment Wing
The 306th Strategic Wing, previously the 306th Bombardment Wing, is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Strategic Air Command at RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk and was inactivated on 1 February 1992.
The wing's missio ...
, 1951
: 509th Bombardment Wing
The 509th Bomb Wing (509 BW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command, Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri.
The 509 BW is the host unit at Whiteman, and operates th ...
, 1949–1954
;RB-50 Superfortress
: 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing
The 55th Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Combat Command. The wing is primarily stationed at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, but maintains one of its groups and associated squadrons at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ar ...
, 1950–1954
: 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, 1949–1950 (B-50); 1950–1951
Air Weather Service
The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...
;WB-50 Superfortress
: 53d Weather Reconnaissance Squadron
The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, also known by its nickname, Hurricane Hunters, is a flying unit of the United States Air Force, and "the only Department of Defense organization still flying into tropical storms and hurricanes." Aligne ...
, 1955–1965
: 54th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron
54 may refer to:
* 54 (number)
* one of the years 54 BC, AD 54, 1954, 2054
* ''54'' (novel), a 2002 novel by Wu Ming
* Studio 54, a New York City nightclub from 1977 until 1981
* ''54'' (film), a 1998 American drama film about the club
* ''54'' ...
, 1955–1960; 1962–1965
: 55th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, 1958–1960 (TB-50); 1960–1963
: 56th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, 1956–1962
: 57th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron
The 57th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force squadron. Its last assignment was with the 9th Weather Reconnaissance Wing at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, where it was inactivated on 10 November 1969.
History ...
, 1956–1958
: 58th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron
The 58th Reconnaissance Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force squadron. Its last was assigned to the 9th Weather Reconnaissance Wing at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, where it was inactivated in 1974.
History
Activated as the 400 ...
, 1956–1958
: 59th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron
The 59th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was to the 9th Weather Reconnaissance Group, stationed at Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas.
It was inactivated on 8 May 1964.
History
The ...
, 1955–1960
Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 J ...
"Tactical Tankers: KB-29/KB-50, 1953–1965."
''TAC Tankers.Com.'' Retrieved: 23 August 2010.
;KB-50 Superfortress
: 420th Air Refueling Squadron
4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures.
In mathematics
Four is the smallest c ...
:: 47th Bombardment Wing, Tactical
The 47th Flying Training Wing is a United States Air Force pilot training wing based at Laughlin Air Force Base, near Del Rio, Texas. It is one of five pilot training units in the Air Force's Air Education and Training Command which conducts ...
, 1955–1964 (USAFE)
: 421st Air Refueling Squadron
The 421st Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 41st Air Division at Yokota Air Base, Japan, where it was inactivated on 18 February 1965.
In 1985 the squadron was consolidated with th ...
:: 49th Fighter-Bomber Group
"Thank God for Mississippi" is an adage used in the United States, particularly in the South, that is generally used when discussing rankings of U.S. states. Since the U.S. state of Mississippi commonly ranks at or near the bottom of such rankings ...
, 1955–1957
:: 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, 1957–1960
:: 3d Tactical Bombardment Wing
The 3rd Wing is a unit of the United States Air Force, assigned to the Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) Eleventh Air Force. It is stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.
The Wing is the largest and principal unit within 11th Air For ...
(Attached), November 1960 – June 1962 (PACAF)
: 427th Air Refueling Squadron
The 427th Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 4505th Air Refueling Wing at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, where it was inactivated on 1 April 1963.
History
The squadron was establ ...
:: 4505th Air Refueling Wing
The United States Air Force's 4505th Air Refueling Wing (Tactical) was an Air Refueling unit located at Langley AFB, Virginia. It was established on 1 Jul 1958 at Langley AFB, Virginia. The 4505th was the only aerial refueling wing in the Tactica ...
, 1959–1963
: 429th Air Refueling Squadron
The 429th Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 4505th Air Refueling Wing at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, where it was inactivated on 8 October 1963.
History
The squadron was activa ...
:: 4505th Air Refueling Wing
The United States Air Force's 4505th Air Refueling Wing (Tactical) was an Air Refueling unit located at Langley AFB, Virginia. It was established on 1 Jul 1958 at Langley AFB, Virginia. The 4505th was the only aerial refueling wing in the Tactica ...
, 1958–1963
: 431st Air Refueling Squadron
The 431st Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 4440th Aircraft Delivery Group at Biggs Air Force Base, Texas, where it was inactivated on 8 March 1965. From 1957 to 1965, it operated ...
:: 4505th Air Refueling Wing
The United States Air Force's 4505th Air Refueling Wing (Tactical) was an Air Refueling unit located at Langley AFB, Virginia. It was established on 1 Jul 1958 at Langley AFB, Virginia. The 4505th was the only aerial refueling wing in the Tactica ...
, 1958–1963
:: 4440th Aircraft Delivery Group
The 4440th Aircraft Delivery Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was to Headquarters, Tactical Air Command, based at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It was inactivated on 15 October 1969.
Mission
The group ...
, 1963–1965
: 622d Air Refueling Squadron
:: 4505th Air Refueling Wing
The United States Air Force's 4505th Air Refueling Wing (Tactical) was an Air Refueling unit located at Langley AFB, Virginia. It was established on 1 Jul 1958 at Langley AFB, Virginia. The 4505th was the only aerial refueling wing in the Tactica ...
, 1957–1963
Specifications (B-50D)
See also
References
Notes
Citations
Bibliography
*
* Grant, R.G. and John R. Dailey. ''Flight: 100 Years of Aviation''. Harlow, Essex, UK: DK Adult, 2007. .
* Jones, Lloyd S. ''U.S. Bombers, B-1 1928 to B-1 1980s''. Fallbrook, California: Aero Publishers, 1974, First edition 1962. .
* Knaack, Marcelle Size. ''Encyclopedia of U.S. Air Force Aircraft and Missile Systems: Volume II: Post-World War II Bombers, 1945–1973''. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History, 1988. .
* Knaack, Marcelle Size. ''Post-World War II Bombers''. Washington, D.C.: Office of Air Force History, 1988. .
* Peacock, Lindsay. "The Super Superfort". ''Air International
''AIR International'' is a British aviation magazine covering current defence aerospace and civil aviation topics. It has been in publication since 1971 and is currently published by Key Publishing Ltd.
History and profile
The magazine was fir ...
'', Vol. 38, No 4, April 1990, pp. 204–208. Stamford, UK: Key Publishing. ISSN 0306-5634.
* Swanborough, F.G. and Peter M. Bowers. ''United States Military Aircraft since 1909.'' London: Putnam. First edition 1963.
* Willis, David. "Warplane Classic: Boeing B-29 and B-50 Superfortress". ''International Air Power Review'', Volume 22, 2007, pp. 136–169. Westport, Connecticut: AIRtime Publishing. ISSN 1473-9917. .
Further reading
*
External links
B-50 Design and Specifications, Global Security.org
National Museum XB-44 Superfortress Factsheet
National Museum Fact Sheet for Pratt & Whitney R-4360
{{authority control
B-50 Superfortress
Boeing B-50
The Boeing B-50 Superfortress is an American strategic bomber. A post–World War II revision of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, it was fitted with more powerful Pratt & Whitney R-4360 radial engines, stronger structure, a taller tail fin, and ot ...
Four-engined tractor aircraft
Boeing KB-50J Superfortress
United States military tanker aircraft
Air refueling
B-50
Mid-wing aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1947
Four-engined piston aircraft