| North American | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
|
B-45 Tornado
|
||||||||||||
%20(8X4).JPG) |
||||||||||||
|
Photo:
Robert Deering 10/18/2012 National Museum of the USAF Wright-Patterson AFB (FFO) Dayton, Ohio |
||||||||||||
|
The B-45 achieved
many "firsts." It was the first American
four-engine jet bomber to fly; the first
American production jet bomber; the first
jet bomber capable of carrying an atomic
bomb; and the first multi-jet reconnaissance
aircraft to refuel in mid-air.
Design of the Tornado began during World War II, and the B-45 made its first flight in March 1947. North American built 142 B-45s, including 10 long-range B-45Cs with wingtip fuel tanks and 33 RB-45Cs configured for high-altitude photo reconnaissance and aerial refueling. Based at RAF Sculthorpe, England, from 1952-1958, B-45s of the 47th Bomb Wing (Light) were a key nuclear deterrent against a Soviet ground attack in Europe. Also flying from RAF Sculthorpe were USAF RB-45Cs from the USAF 19th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron and Royal Air Force (RAF) Special Duty Flight crews. These RAF RB-45 crews flew highly classified reconnaissance missions deep into communist territory. The aircraft on display was returned to the USAF by Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Division, where it had been on loan for engine testing. Flown to the museum in 1971, it is painted in the markings of the 47th Bomb Wing (Light). |
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
