{"id":27268867,"date":"2026-10-08T14:26:23","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T12:26:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/convair-xb-46-jet-bomber-b-47-1947\/"},"modified":"2026-10-08T14:26:51","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T12:26:51","slug":"convair-xb-46-jet-bomber-b-47-1947","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/de\/convair-xb-46-jet-bomber-b-47-1947\/","title":{"rendered":"Convair XB-46: The Jet Bomber the B-47 Made Obsolete in Months"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\r\n\r\n<style>\r\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid #0F1720;background:#fff;color:#0F1720;font-family:inherit;font-size:14px;font-weight:700;line-height:1;letter-spacing:0;text-transform:none;cursor:pointer;box-shadow:none;transition:background .15s,color 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On 2 April 1947, the Convair XB-46 took off from San Diego and flew for 90 minutes to Muroc Army Airfield in the Mojave Desert. Four months later, it was cancelled.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The XB-46 did nothing wrong. Its pilots liked how it flew. It was simply overtaken, in a matter of months, by a jet bomber from Seattle with swept wings: the Boeing XB-47, which made every straight-winged design of its generation look old.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f4f6fa;border:1px solid #e2e7ee;padding:18px 22px;margin:24px 0\">\r\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 10px;font-weight:700;font-size:17px;color:#0d1117\">Quick Facts<\/p>\r\n<ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:18px;line-height:1.7\">\r\n<li><strong>Aircraft:<\/strong> Convair (Consolidated Vultee) XB-46, serial 45-59582<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Role:<\/strong> four-engine jet medium bomber prototype<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>First flight:<\/strong> 2 April 1947, San Diego to Muroc Army Airfield<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Built:<\/strong> one (three were ordered)<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Engines:<\/strong> four Allison J35 turbojets in two paired nacelles<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Size:<\/strong> length 105 ft 9 in (32.2 m), wingspan 113 ft (34.4 m)<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Crew:<\/strong> three<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Cancelled:<\/strong> August 1947; nose section preserved by the US Air Force Museum<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The Class of 1945<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>In 1944, aware of how far German jet development had come, the US War Department called for a new generation of jet medium bombers. Four companies answered with four very different designs: North American's XB-45, Convair's XB-46, Boeing's XB-47 and Martin's XB-48. Convair received a letter contract on 17 January 1945, and three prototypes were ordered on 27 February 1945.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Convair's answer was elegant and conventional. A long, slender fuselage carried a straight, high-aspect-ratio wing, with Fowler flaps along more than 90 per cent of the span. Four Allison J35 turbojets, built by Chevrolet, sat in pairs in two nacelles under the wing. The two pilots sat in tandem under a fighter-style canopy, and the bombardier-navigator rode in the glazed nose.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/convair-xb-46-engines-running.jpg\" alt=\"Convair XB-46 on the ground with engines running\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">The XB-46 with its four J35s running. Note the paired nacelles and the tandem fighter-style canopy. U.S. Air Force photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>One feature was genuinely unusual. Instead of hydraulic or electric systems, many of the XB-46's systems were operated pneumatically, with compressed air carried through piping around the airframe. The Air Force found it unusual enough to test in the cold-weather climatic facility at <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-bases\/eglin\/\">Eglin Air Force Base<\/a> in 1950, years after the programme itself had ended.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Five Good Months<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The budget had already shrunk the programme before the first flight. In 1946 Convair proposed to finish just one XB-46 as a stripped-down testbed, and the Army Air Forces agreed. That single aircraft flew from San Diego to Muroc, now <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-bases\/edwards\/\">Edwards Air Force Base<\/a>, on 2 April 1947.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Convair and Army Air Forces pilots flew it for about five months. By September 1947 it had logged 127 hours in 64 flights, and its stability and control were described as excellent. The problems were the kind any prototype has: engine de-icing, the cabin air system, a vertical oscillation caused by resonance in the wing spoilers, and doubts about how the crew would get out in an emergency.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/boeing-xb-47-first-prototype-1947.jpg\" alt=\"First Boeing XB-47 prototype on the runway in December 1947\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">The first Boeing XB-47, photographed on 1 December 1947 before its first flight. Its swept wing made the XB-46 obsolete. U.S. Air Force photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Overtaken by the B-47<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>None of that is what killed it. The programme was cancelled in August 1947, before flight testing was even finished, because the design was already obsolete. North American's <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/north-american-b-45-tornado\/\">B-45 Tornado<\/a> already had production orders as the interim jet bomber, and the swept-wing <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/b-47-stratojet\/\">Boeing B-47 Stratojet<\/a>, which first flew in December 1947, promised far better performance than any straight-winged rival.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The Air Force still accepted the XB-46 in November 1947 and used it as a research aircraft. From 1948 to 1949 it flew another 44 hours at Palm Beach Air Force Base, studying noise, tail vibration and stability, before high support costs and a lack of spare parts grounded it. Its last job was the cold-weather pneumatic tests at Eglin in 1950.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>On 13 January 1951, the nose section went to the US Air Force Museum. The rest of the airframe was scrapped on 28 February 1952. Four years after its first flight, the most beautiful bomber of its class was gone, beaten not by a flaw but by a better idea.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Dark Skies' documentary below tells the story of the XB-46, the aircraft some called the Needle.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/08EjKBuT-lc\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777\"><em>Sources: Wikipedia (Convair XB-46), citing Marcelle Size Knaack, Post-World War II Bombers (1988), and Steve Ginter, Consolidated Vultee XB-46 (2016); National Museum of the US Air Force<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\r\n\r\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>What was the Convair XB-46?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Convair XB-46 was a four-engine jet medium bomber prototype built by Consolidated Vultee (Convair) for the US Army Air Forces. Only one was completed. It first flew on 2 April 1947 and the programme was cancelled in August 1947.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why was the XB-46 cancelled?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The XB-46 was cancelled in August 1947 because its straight-wing design was already obsolete. The North American B-45 had production orders, and the swept-wing Boeing B-47 promised far superior performance. The XB-46 itself handled well in flight testing.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What engines did the XB-46 use?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Convair XB-46 used four Allison J35 turbojets, built by Chevrolet, mounted in pairs in two nacelles under the wing. Production versions were planned with General Electric J47 engines, but no production aircraft were ever built.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How many XB-46 bombers were built?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Three XB-46 prototypes were ordered in February 1945, but only one, serial 45-59582, was completed. Budget limits led Convair to finish it as a stripped-down test aircraft, and the other two were dropped.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Does any part of the XB-46 survive?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Only the nose section. It went to the US Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base on 13 January 1951. The rest of the airframe was scrapped on 28 February 1952.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What was unusual about the XB-46?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Besides its slender fuselage and paired engine nacelles, the XB-46 used a pneumatic system, with compressed air piped around the airframe, to operate many of its systems. This was so unusual that the Air Force tested it in the cold-weather climatic facility at Eglin in 1950.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What was the Convair XB-46?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Convair XB-46 was a four-engine jet medium bomber prototype built by Consolidated Vultee (Convair) for the US Army Air Forces. Only one was completed. It first flew on 2 April 1947 and the programme was cancelled in August 1947.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Why was the XB-46 cancelled?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The XB-46 was cancelled in August 1947 because its straight-wing design was already obsolete. The North American B-45 had production orders, and the swept-wing Boeing B-47 promised far superior performance. 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This was so unusual that the Air Force tested it in the cold-weather climatic facility at Eglin in 1950.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\">\r\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/martin-xb-51-three-engine-jet-bomber\/\">The Three-Engine Jet That America Forgot<\/a><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/convair-xf-92a-delta-wing-prototype\/\">Convair XF-92A: The Delta Nobody Wanted to Fly<\/a><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/northrop-yb-49-flying-wing-b2-spirit\/\">The Northrop YB-49: The Flying Wing That Died So the B-2 Could Live<\/a><\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The XB-46 first flew in April 1947 and handled beautifully. By August it was cancelled, overtaken by a swept-wing rival.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":27268686,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[666,664],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27268867","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-and-legends","category-military-aviation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Convair XB-46: The Jet Bomber the B-47 Killed | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Convair XB-46 first flew in April 1947 and flew beautifully. 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