The B-36H Peacemaker is an American high-altitude, 10-engine, intercontinental strategic bomber. It is an advanced iteration of the original B-36 airframe, the prototype of which took its maiden flight on August 8, 1946. The B-36H, which was preceded by the B-36F, took its maiden flight on April 5, 1952 and was operated exclusively by the United States Air Force. A total of 83 B-36H airframes were manufactured. The B-36 design holds the title of largest piston-powered aircraft ever mass-produced and the combat aircraft with the longest wingspan in history.
The B-36 bomber family traces its lineage to the early 1940s with the American military’s interest in developing an ultra-long-range bomber. The original design comprised a massive wing for high-altitude performance, a capacious fuselage, and a total of six wing-mounted piston engines, each in a pusher configuration. Engineers added four pod-housed turbojet engines in the B-36D and later models for added power during take-off and when required for high-speed dashes at altitude.
When operational, the B-36H could carry either conventional or nuclear weapons. This included the largest nuclear weapons of the time like the 42,000-pound Mark 16. It could carry a normal bomb load of up to 72,000 pounds and a maximum bomb load of up to 86,000 pounds. It required a crew of up to 15 who used a pressurized crew compartment with bunkbeds and a dining room. The B-36H was defended by six remotely operated turrets mounted throughout its fuselage, each turret comprising two 20mm autocannons.
The B-36H measures 162 feet, 1 inch in length, stands 46 feet, 8 inches tall, and has a wingspan of 230 feet. It has six supercharged, 28-cylinder radial piston engines (that could generate up to 3,800 horsepower each) and four turbojet engines that could each generate up to 5,200 pounds of thrust. When fielded, the B-36H could fly for up to 40 hours, had a range of 10,000 miles, and had a service ceiling of 45,700 feet above sea level. It could cruise at 230 miles per hour and could dash at up to 435 mph.
The B-36 was the primary bomber of the United States Strategic Air Command (SAC), and although never used in combat, it played a significant deterrent role in the Cold War. The aircraft participated in several nuclear weapons trials, including dropping live thermonuclear warheads. The H variant was also used for reconnaissance and as a testbed for in-flight refueling. Despite its impressive capabilities, it quickly became obsolete due to the advent of jet-powered bombers like the B-47.
