On
this day in engineering history, U.S. President Jimmy Carter cancelled
production of the B-1A bomber, a long-range aircraft that was designed to carry
nuclear payloads deep within enemy territory. A former nuclear engineer and
submariner, Carter cancelled the long-running B-1 program to focus development
dollars on cruise missiles that could be launched from Navy ships or dropped
from existing Air Force bombers such as the B-52. American cruise missiles
would need carriers, however, as the Department of Defense (DoD) reminded
Congress in several studies during the late 1970s. Ultimately, Carter's
successor, President Ronald Reagan, would authorize the development of the B-1B
– a long-range bomber with cruise-missile capabilities. As aviation historian
Walter Boyne notes, however, "about 85 percent of the B-1B's airframe was
common to the B-1A".
"The
B-1B bomber," Boyne explains, "probably had a
longer gestation period than any aircraft in aviation history." During the
1960s, the Air Force conducted several studies to develop a long-range aircraft
that could replace the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, a jet-powered subsonic
bomber whose original contract dated back to 1946. These projects included the
subsonic low-altitude bomber (SLAB), the low-altitude manned penetrating system
(LAMPS), and the advanced manned strategic aircraft (AMSA). Although Secretary
of Defense Robert McNamara favored intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) over
manned bombers, AMSA mandated the development of an aircraft with supersonic
capabilities at high altitudes and near-sonic capabilities at low altitudes. In
1969, AMSA was renamed the B-1A. A year later, North American Rockwell was chosen
to build 244 aircraft with General Electric as the engine contractor.
Although
only four B-1As were ever built, the bomber's specifications were impressive. The
B-1A stood 150.2-ft. long and 33.6-ft. high, and could shoulder a maximum
takeoff weight of 389,000-lbs. Approximately 115,000-lbs. of this amount was
dedicated to armaments. Powered by four F-101 GE-100 turbofan engines with
afterburners, the B-1A bomber boasted 30,000-lbs. of thrust per engine. The aircraft
was designed to achieve a maximum speed of 750 mph at an altitude of 500 ft.;
1,320 mph (Mach 2.0) at 50,000 ft.; and reach a cruising speed of 648 mph at
50,000ft. With a range of 5,300 miles un-refueled, the B-1A could reach a
ceiling of approximately 30,000 feet while carrying a crew of four: aircraft
commander, pilot, offensive systems officer, and defensive systems officer. Unlike
with other large aircraft, the crew used fighter-type control sticks instead of
large control wheels.
Resources:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3897/is_200504/ai_n13498079
http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/systems/b-1a.htm
http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/bomber/b-1a.htm
http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/history/q0043.shtml
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