This is the second part of a volume on US bombers from the 1945-1949 time frame. It concentrates on bomber requirements, types and experimental prototypes. The late 1940s and into the 1950s was a time of change in the US military air arms with an emphasis on not only nuclear strike, but also on the continuing development of turbojet power plants.

When it came to the long range nuclear strike mission, the USAF still relied on aircraft whose design started during WWII. This meant piston engines, though the aircraft themselves became quite large. Turbojets were still unable to meet long range requirements due to the high fuel consumption. One must realize that this was in a time before air to air refueling so sufficient fuel needed to be carried for the full mission parameters. This resulted in the huge B-36 with the B-29 and later B-50 still able to meet needs of shorter range.

For medium range missions, the aforementioned B-29 and B-50 was the chosen aircraft, but multi-engine turbojets were also developed to meet the needs. Though several prototypes were built for this mission, it was the straight wing B-45 Tornado that was eventually chosen. Due to the rapid development of both engines and airframes, its service life was fairly short, as was its replacement, the faster and longer ranged B-47 Stratojet.

The book covers the B-36, B-45, B-47, and B-50 in some depth. It also provides coverage of those which did not reach production such as the B-35, B-46, B-48, B-49, B-51 along with some paper projects. In addition to the usual great period photos, there are several pages of profiles and the opening section of the book covers the more prominent engines that powered these aircraft. In all, a great addition to this series and one that I know you will find interesting.

November 2025

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