B-45 "Tornado" - the first serial American jet bomber. The history of the creation of this aircraft should be counted from the beginning of the forties, when the most technically developed countries began to design military jet aircraft. Germany was the undisputed leader in this. The Germans managed to build several types of production aircraft with jet engines, including two bombers. One was created by Arado and the other by Junkers.
The light bomber Arado Ag-234 took off in the summer of 1943, and this event did not go unnoticed overseas: North American began to develop its own aircraft for a similar purpose, later known as the B-45 Tornado.
Preliminary negotiations between the management of North American and the US Air Force in October 1943 clarified the characteristics of the future bomber. In February 1944, the company's designers began designing a new aircraft, which received the code NA-130.
According to the tradition that has developed in the US Air Force, it is customary to develop any aircraft on a competitive basis, of course, and a promising jet machine is no exception. In addition to North American, the companies Conver, Boeing and Martin built their own bombers. Some researchers of the history of aviation include among them the Northrop company with the B-49, forgetting that this aircraft was created as a heavy bomber and competed with the B-36. The construction of all experimental aircraft was paid for from the pocket of the Air Force, although it should be noted that these funds were small.
The Air Force gave the firms complete freedom, so two four-engine (North American XB-45 and Conver XB-46) and two six-engine (Boeing XB-47 and Martin XB-48) bombers were prepared for the competition.
The design of the North American XB-45 proved to be the most appropriate for the Air Force's requirements for medium bombers. This machine was created according to the high-wing design with a straight wing. Four turbojet engines of the Allison J35 company were housed in pairs in underwing gondolas. The crew included two pilots, a navigator and a gunner.
In 1945, work went on at an accelerated pace, the designers worked 12 hours a day. But when World War II ended, work stalled. The first prototype of the bomber was prepared for testing only in 1947. Disassembled, it was taken to Murok airbase, where all the first American jet engines were tested in a highly classified section of the test complex. In the spring of 1947, test pilots George Krebs and Paul Brever made the first takeoff on the XB-45.
The initial testing phase went smoothly. At the end of the year, the first prototype was joined by a second, equipped with ejection pilot seats. The navigator and gunner had to leave the bomber through the hatches. In December, a second plane took off from Dayton and headed for Muroc. At this time, the factories were already preparing for the serial production of the B-45.
There is one tragic page in the history of bomber tests. On September 20, 1948, the first prototype was used to test the new J47-GE-7 aircraft engines, which were planned to be mounted on production vehicles. J. Krebs and N. Packard were in the cockpit. During the flight, the fuel line collapsed and the red-hot engine began to fill with kerosene. The pilot tried unsuccessfully to bring down the flames, accelerating in a dive. Realizing that it was impossible to extinguish the fire, the pilots proceeded to climb and were about to leave the plane. At this moment, the engine exploded, its debris destroyed the tail unit, the plane went into a tailspin and crashed.
The first serial modification of the Tornado bomber was the B-45A-1. Since the American industry could not cope with the required production of J47 engines, which went exclusively to the B-47 and F-86, the less powerful turbojet engines J35-A-9 or A-11 with a thrust of about 2000 kg were mounted on the A-1 series aircraft.
The first production copy of the B-45A-1 flew to the Murok airbase at the beginning of 1948, where he connected to the experimental XB-45 to complete the tests. By the end of the year, the factories were able to produce 22 Tornado aircraft, but their transfer to the Air Force was delayed, due to the lack of the required funds from the American military department. The produced B-45s were mothballed. Only in the middle of spring 1949 was the air command able to transfer these aircraft to the 47th light bomber wing.
The serial bombers outwardly differed from the prototypes in the modified air intakes of the engines, equipped with a heating system, as well as new glazing of the cabins. In addition, the chassis of production vehicles acquired two nose wheels instead of one large one. For ease of access, the navigator's and gunner's cabs were equipped with folding ladders on the sides of the fuselage.
"Tornado" of the first series could carry up to 4533 kg of bombs at 1380 km and had a maximum speed of 833 km / h. The bomb bay was two-section. From the very beginning, the possibility of suspension in the front section of a nuclear bomb was envisaged. In the rear section, a tank for 4800 liters of fuel could be suspended.
The normal combat load was 27 bombs with a caliber of 227 kg (the total weight of the load reached 3200 kg). The reset could be carried out up to a speed of 800 km / h. The bomb bay doors were made sliding, this made it possible to reduce air turbulence under it, and to facilitate the fallout of bombs at high speeds.
Defensive armament included two Colt Browning M-7 machine guns of 12.7 mm caliber, mounted in a tapered tail fairing. The total ammunition was 2,400 rounds. The results of the bombing were recorded by the Fairchild AK-17 camera, which was mounted on each vehicle.
On the next serial modification, more powerful turbojet engines from General Electric J47-GE-11 were installed with a thrust of 2350 kg at maximum mode and 2700 kg using a water injection system into the compressor.
The main external difference was the pilot's cockpit canopy. During the operation of the lanterns of the first production vehicles, it turned out that fatigue microcracks often appeared in the glazing, which impaired the view, and also violated the tightness of the cockpit. The defect was eliminated in the simplest and most affordable way - the glass was reinforced with a steel binding. A total of 47 aircraft of the B-45A-5 variant were manufactured. All new bombers became part of the 47th Air Wing.
In 1947, the design of a new version of the aircraft began under the designation B-45S-1. Serial production was launched in April 1950. All differences from previous modifications were hidden inside the bomber design. A new high-strength aluminum alloy was used in the airframe for the purpose of reinforcement.
The installed J47-GE-15 engines practically did not differ from the previous ones, the changes affected only the fuel system. The cockpit canopy was reinforced again. The volume of the fuel tanks at the wing tips was increased to 4260 liters. All machines of the "C" series were equipped with the in-flight refueling system "Flying Rod". The receiving device was mounted on top of the fuselage behind the cockpit. The total number of ordered B-45A-5s is 43 aircraft, but already during the serial production of the Air Force, the order was changed, demanding from the company only 10 aircraft in the bomber modification, and the remaining 33 in the reconnaissance version.
The scout nose has been redesigned. Now the navigator's cockpit had no glazing at all. The tail section of the reconnaissance plane was equipped with a sealed compartment with air conditioning to ensure the performance of a new high-altitude camera and motion picture cameras. On the first RВ-45С-1 there was no defensive armament, however, during operation, tail rifle installations equipped with ARG-30 radar were installed on the vehicles. The B-45A-5 and B-45C-1 were equipped with the same rifle mount.
In addition to the main 4 modifications of the "Tornado" (B-45A-1, B-45A-5, B-45C-1, RV-45C-1), there were others that had a specific purpose.
So, in 1951, fourteen V-45A-1s were converted into training TV-45A-2. The revision was made at the North American plant in Norton. Aircraft were made easier by removing armor and defensive weapons. Later, several aircraft of the B-45A-5 modification, which became known as TV-45A-5, were converted in the same way.
Some of these machines were also used in the role of tugs for target aircraft from the "Vout" company. The training aircraft, which were created on the basis of the first versions of the "Tornado", did not meet all the requirements for them. The engine power was clearly insufficient for such a machine, as a result, the aircraft became difficult to control. Therefore, it was necessary to re-equip the later B-45 series into training. They received the name TV-45S-1, and managed to "linger" in the ranks until the end of the fifties, and some of the TV-45S-1 took to the air even in 1962.
Several bombers of modifications A and C were converted into special B-45A and B-45C. They were used as airborne radio remote control points for target aircraft. Some machines from the Tornado family were converted into flying laboratories. On one of them, Westinghouse engines were tested. On the B-45A-5, a special retractable pylon was installed in the front bomb bay, to which the test engine was attached. The navigator installed registration equipment and special devices.
A special version of the B-45A-1 and A-5, which did not have their own designation, were intended for the use of nuclear weapons. The bomb compartments and electronic equipment of fifty aircraft were modified to use tactical nuclear bombs Mk.5 and Mk.7. The modernization was carried out in 1951. One of the aircraft was assigned to the famous atomic test group TG4925, which included representatives of all carriers of atomic weapons, starting with the B-29. The vehicles of this group dropped atomic munitions on the Nevada training grounds and on the Quijelin Atoll.
On May 1, 1952, from an altitude of about 6000 m and a speed of 450 km / h, the B-45 dropped the Mk. 7, with a capacity of about 19 Kt per landfill in the Nevada desert. After returning, measuring the radioactive background and checking the systems, the full suitability of the "Tornado" for an atomic bombing was established.
The carriers were transferred to the British Isles. Somewhat later, the Tornado was deployed at bases in France, Germany and Turkey. The flight range of these bombers made it possible for the American Air Force to select targets on the territory of any European state that was part of the Warsaw Pact. In 1955, the B-45 was replaced in Europe by the new Douglas B-66 Distroer bomber.
Only reconnaissance "Tornado" - RВ-45С-1 took part in the Korean War. Most likely, the main reason for the limited use of the first jet heavy aircraft of the US Air Force was the Soviet MiG-15, which fought in the skies of Korea. Fear of inevitable large losses forced the Yankees to limit the use of jet "Tornado". The extremely high cost of the aircraft also played an important role in this (even the strategic B-29 was much cheaper).
All RВ-45С-1s that entered Korea were brought together in the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, the best reconnaissance unit in the American Air Force at that time. In addition to the "Tornado", it flew WВ-26, RВ-50, PS-36 and RВ-29.
The first RВ-45С-1s began to arrive in Japan after the start of the fighting. The base for the Tornado was the Misawa and Yokota airbases.
In late autumn, the scouts began to carry out reconnaissance flights. North Korean airfields were identified as the main targets for reconnaissance jet aircraft. RВ-45, were practically invulnerable to piston La-9 and Yak-9, and could carry out their tasks with impunity.
However, with the advent of the MiG-15, the situation has changed dramatically. So, already in December 1950, a pair of MiG-15s from the 29th GIAP, consisting of captains A. Andrianov and A. Kurnosov, attacked and shot down an RВ-45С-1 near Andong. The reconnaissance crew ejected and were captured by North Korean soldiers. However, this loss did not affect the flights of the "Tornado", since only this jet reconnaissance aircraft had the ability to "get" North Korean airfields from Japanese air bases, and at the same time there was a chance to return back.
However, further events showed that the RВ-45 simply attracted North Korean fighters. For example, in April 1951, one of the Tornadoes flew to reconnoitre airfields north of the Yalu River. At this time, the composition of the 64th IAC was changing, and the Americans monitored all movements of the aviation units. After photographing a number of airfields, the RВ-45 began to leave the danger zone, and at that time it came under fire from the MiG-15 from the 196 IAP. It was not possible to shoot down the scout from the first attack, and the pilot of the "Miga" did not have time to make a second attempt - at the maximum speed, with a decrease, the "Tornado" went to the south of the peninsula and returned to its base. A post-flight inspection showed that as a result of the MiG attack, the cameras located in the middle part of the fuselage were completely broken and the rescue boat was turned into rags. In the same month, MiG pilot N. Shelamanov managed to knock out another RВ-45, which was forced to make an emergency landing near Pyongyang. The plane was not subject to restoration.
Summing up the results of the Korean War, the Americans completely deny the loss of the Tornado. But such statements should not be trusted. An indirect confirmation that the Yankees are cunning can serve as an emergency transfer of two additional RВ-45С-1 from Alaska to Japan, which became the first transatlantic flight of jet aircraft. At the same time, the RВ-45 was refueled twice in the air. The cars covered the distance of 3640 miles in 9 hours and 50 minutes.
On November 9, 1951, another meeting of the RВ-45 with the Migas took place. "Tornado" flew at an altitude of 12,000 m, when eight MiG-15s attacked it at once. The inexperience of the MiG pilots did not allow them to win a seemingly easy victory. Although the MiGs fired all their ammunition at the scout, the RВ-45 returned to base without damage.
During the war, the American command identified a range of tasks that were assigned to each type of equipment. For example, the RВ-29 and RВ-50, which initially conducted strategic reconnaissance, both during daylight hours and at night, with the use of high-speed MiG-15s in the sky of the peninsula, switched exclusively to night flights. The RВ-45 was tasked with monitoring the airfields on which enemy fighters were based. On reconnaissance flights "Tornado" flew, as a rule, during the day, much less often - at night. In the event that a MiG-15 appeared in the sky, the Americans turned around and ran away at maximum speed towards the sea, since the Migam was strictly forbidden to fly there.
The RВ-45С-1 continued to conduct reconnaissance until the very end of the war, although from the summer of 1951, part of their reconnaissance functions were transferred to the tactical reconnaissance officers RF-80 and RF-86.
After the Korean War, the RВ-45С continued to be used for reconnaissance flights near the borders of the DPRK, China and the USSR, sometimes flying into the airspace of these states, which led to military incidents. In particular, on January 27, 1954, the Chinese MiG-15 attacked the RВ-45С-1, which violated the border. The plane received significant damage and fell short of the airfield. A year later, on February 5, 1955, Chinese pilots again intercepted another Tornado over the Yellow Sea. However, this time the American F-86s, which came to the aid of their scout, were able to repel the attack of the Migov, knocking out two MiGs.
"Tornado" B-45 / RВ-45 of various modifications were in service with the US Air Force from 1948 to 1958, after which they were gradually cut into metal. The last aircraft to take off was the B-45A-5, which flew in 1971 to the site of the US National Air and Space Museum. In total, 142 B-45s of all modifications were produced.
