View source for Convair B-36 Peacemaker

{{short description|US Air Force strategic bomber (1949–1959)}}
{{Infobox aircraft
 |name= B-36 "Peacemaker"
 |image= File:Convair B-36 Peacemaker.jpg
 |caption=Beginning with the B-36D (B-36J shown), the Peacemaker used 6 radial piston engines and 4 jet engines.
 |type= [[Strategic bomber]]
 |national_origin = United States
 |manufacturer= [[Convair]]
 |designer=
 |first_flight= 8 August 1946
 |introduction= 1948
 |retired= 12 February 1959
 |produced= 1946–1954
 |number_built= 384
 |primary_user= [[United States Air Force]]
 |variants= [[Convair XC-99]]<br />[[Convair NB-36H]]
 |developed_into= [[Convair YB-60]]<br />[[Convair X-6]]
}}

The '''Convair B-36 "Peacemaker"'''{{refn|Convair proposed the name "Peacemaker" in a submission to a contest to name the bomber. Although the name "Peacemaker" was not officially adopted, it was commonly used and sources often state or imply the name is "official".<ref>[http://www.7bwb-36assn.org/peacemaker.html "Peacemaker Name Certificate."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070426130752/http://www.7bwb-36assn.org/peacemaker.html |date=26 April 2007 }} 7th Bomb Wing B-36 Association. Retrieved: 28 August 2010.</ref> |group=N}} was a [[strategic bomber]] built by [[Convair]] and operated by the [[United States Air Force]] (USAF) from 1949 to 1959. The B-36 is the largest mass-produced [[Reciprocating engine|piston-engined]] aircraft ever built, although it was exceeded in span and weight by the one-off [[Hughes H-4 Hercules]] (commonly known as the Spruce Goose). It has the longest [[wingspan]] of any combat aircraft. The B-36 was capable of intercontinental flight without refueling.

Entering service in 1948, the B-36 was the primary [[nuclear weapons delivery]] vehicle of [[Strategic Air Command]] (SAC) until it was replaced by the jet-powered [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress]] beginning in 1955. All but four B-36s have been scrapped.

==Development==
[[File:Convair XB-36 in flight just after takeoff or just before landing 061128-F-1234S-025.jpg|thumb|The prototype XB-36]]
The design of the B-36 can be traced to early 1941, before the entry of the United States into [[World War II]]. At the time, [[Battle of Britain|Britain was at risk of falling]] to the [[The Blitz|Nazi "Blitz" attacks]], making strategic bombing attacks by the [[United States Army Air Corps]] (USAAC) against Germany impossible with the aircraft available.<ref name="NMUSAF">{{cite web|url=https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/197636/convair-b-36j-peacemaker/|title=Convair B-36J Peacemaker|publisher=National Museum of the United States Air Force|date=28 May 2015|access-date=15 January 2018}}.</ref>

The United States would need a new bomber to reach [[European Theatre of World War II|Europe]] and return to bases in North America,<ref name="taylor1969">{{cite book |last1=Taylor |first1=John W.R. |title=Combat Aircraft of the World from 1909 to the present |date=1969 |publisher=G.P. Putnam's Sons |location=New York |isbn=0-425-03633-2 |page=465}}</ref> necessitating a combat range of at least {{cvt|5700|mi}}, the length of a [[Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador|Gander, Newfoundland]]–[[Berlin]] round trip. The USAAC therefore sought a bomber of truly intercontinental range.<ref name="johnsen1978">{{cite book |last1=Johnsen |first1=Frederick A. |title=Thundering Peacemaker: the B-36 Story in Words and Pictures |date=1978 |publisher=Bomber Books |location=Tacoma, Washington |page=1 }}</ref><ref name="jacobsenwagner1980">{{cite book |last1=Jacobsen |first1=Meyers K. |last2=Wagner |first2=Ray |title=B-36 in action |date=1980 |publisher=Squadron/Signal Publications |location=Carrollton, Tex. |isbn=0897471016 |page=4 |series=Aircraft in Action |volume=42 }}</ref> The German [[Reichsluftfahrtministerium]] (RLM) would request the similar ultralong-range ''[[Amerikabomber]]'' program on 12 May 1942.

The USAAC sent out an initial request on 11 April 1941, asking for a {{cvt|450|mph}} top speed, a {{cvt|275|mph}} cruising speed, a service ceiling of {{cvt|45000|ft}} and a maximum range of {{cvt|12000|mi}} at {{cvt|25000|ft}}.<ref name="winchester2006">{{cite book |last1=Winchester |first1=Jim |title=Military aircraft of the Cold War |date=2006 |publisher=The Grange plc. |location=Rochester, Kent, UK |isbn=1-84013-929-3 |page=49 |section=Convair B-36 |series=The Aviation Factfile }}</ref> These requirements were too demanding and far exceeded the technology of the day,<ref name="johnsen1978" /> so on 19 August 1941, they were reduced, to a maximum range of {{cvt|10000|mi}}, an effective [[combat radius]] of {{cvt|4000|mi}} with a {{cvt|10000|lb}} bomb-load, a cruising speed between {{cvt|240|and|300|mph}}, and a service ceiling of {{cvt|40000|ft}}<ref name="taylor1969" /> The ceiling in both cases was chosen to exceed the maximum effective altitude of most of [[Nazi Germany]]'s [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft]] guns.

===World War II and after===
[[File:B-36aarrivalcarswell1948.jpg|thumb|The XB-36 (right) alongside a [[Boeing B-29 Superfortress]]]]
In the Pacific, the USAAF needed a bomber capable of reaching [[Empire of Japan|Japan]] from bases in [[Hawaii]], and the development of the B-36 became a priority. Secretary of War [[Henry L. Stimson]], in discussions with high-ranking officers of the USAAF, decided to waive normal army procurement procedures. On 23 July 1943, 15 months after the Germans' ''Amerikabomber'' proposals, and the same day that the German firm [[Heinkel]] began design on [[Heinkel He 277#Competing bomber designs|a six-engined bomber]] of their own,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Griehl |first1=Manfred |last2=Dressel |first2=Joachim |title=Heinkel He 177 – 277 – 274 |year=1998 |publisher=Airlife Publishing |location=Shrewsbury, UK |isbn=1-85310-364-0 |page=197 }}</ref> the USAAF submitted a "letter of intent" to Convair for an initial production run of 100, even before testing of the two prototypes was complete.<ref name="knaack1988"/>{{rp|3−10}} The first delivery was due in August 1945, and the last in October 1946, but Consolidated (by now renamed Convair after merging with [[Vultee Aircraft]]) delayed delivery. Three months after [[V-E Day]] the aircraft was unveiled on 20 August 1945, and flew for the first time on 8 August 1946.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/1946-08-15_Biggest_Bomber "Video: Biggest Bomber, 1946/08/15."] [[Universal Newsreel]], 1946. Retrieved: 20 February 2012.</ref>

After the start of the [[Cold War]] with the 1948 [[Berlin Airlift]], and the 1949 atmospheric test of the [[RDS-1|first Soviet atomic bomb]], American military planners sought bombers capable of delivering the very large and heavy first-generation atomic bombs.

The B-36 was the only American aircraft with the range and [[Payload (air and space craft)|payload]] to carry such bombs from airfields on American soil to targets in the USSR. The modification to allow the use of larger atomic weapons on the B-36 was called the "Grand Slam Installation".<ref name="knaack1988"/>{{rp|24}}

The B-36 from the outset faced the widespread introduction of opposing jet fighters.<ref name="NMUSAF"/><ref name="wagner1968">{{cite book |last1=Wagner |first1=Ray |title=American Combat Planes |date=1968 |publisher=Doubleday & Company, Inc. |location=New York |isbn=0-385-04134-9 |page=142}}</ref> The [[Boeing B-47 Stratojet]], its jet engined counterpart, did not become fully operational until 1953, and lacked the range to attack the Soviet Union from North America without aerial refueling and could not carry the huge [[Mark 16 nuclear bomb|Mark 16 hydrogen bomb]].

The other American piston bombers of the day, the [[Boeing B-29 Superfortress]] and [[Boeing B-50 Superfortress]], were also too limited in range.<ref name="yenne2004">{{cite book |last1=Yenne |first1=Bill |title=International Air Power Review |section=Convair B-36 Peacemaker |volume=13 |date=2004 |publisher=AIRtime Publishing, Inc. |location=Norwalk, CT |isbn=1-880588-84-6}}</ref>{{rp|124–126}} [[Intercontinental ballistic missile]]s did not become sufficiently reliable until the early 1960s. Until the [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress]] became operational in 1955, the B-36 was the primary nuclear weapons delivery vehicle of the SAC.<ref name="NMUSAF"/>

Convair touted the B-36 as the "aluminum overcast", a so-called "[[long rifle]]", giving SAC truly global reach.<ref name="NMUSAF"/> During General [[Curtis LeMay]]'s tenure as head of SAC (1949–57), the B-36 formed the heart of the Strategic Air Command. Its maximum payload was more than four times that of the B-29 and exceeded that of the later B-52.

The B-36 was slow and could not refuel in midair, but could fly missions to targets {{cvt|3400|mi}} away and stay aloft as long as 40 hours.<ref name="NMUSAF"/> Moreover, the B-36 was believed to have "an ace up its sleeve": a phenomenal cruising altitude for a piston-driven aircraft, made possible by its huge wing area and six engines, putting it out of range of most interceptors, as well as ground-based [[anti-aircraft gun]]s.<ref name="NMUSAF"/>

===Experimentals and prototypes===
[[File:USAF Atomic Bomb Delivery Aircraft 1950s Film.webm|thumb|''"USAF Atomic Bomb Delivery Aircraft"'' (1952).]]
[[Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation]] (later Convair) and [[Boeing Aircraft Company]] took part in the competition, with Consolidated winning a tender on 16 October 1941. Consolidated asked for a $15 million contract with $800,000 for research and development, mockup, and tooling. Two experimental bombers were proposed, the first to be delivered in 30 months, and the second within 36 months. Originally designated Model B-35, the name was changed to B-36 to avoid confusion with the [[Northrop YB-35]] piston-engined flying-wing bomber,<ref name="johnsen1978" /><ref name="leach2008">{{cite book |last1=Leach |first1=Norman S. |title=Broken Arrow: America's First Lost Nuclear Weapon |date=2008 |publisher=Red Deer Press |location=Calgary |isbn=978-0889953482}}</ref>{{rp|26–28}} against which the B-36 was meant to compete for a production contract.

Throughout its development, the B-36 program encountered delays. When the United States entered World War II, Consolidated was ordered to slow B-36 development to greatly increase [[Consolidated B-24 Liberator]] production. The first mockup was inspected on 20 July 1942, after six months of refinements. A month after the inspection, the project was moved from San Diego, California, to Fort Worth, Texas, which set back development several months. Consolidated changed the tail from a twin-tail to a single, thereby saving {{cvt|3850|lb}}, but this change delayed delivery by a further 120 days.

Changes in the USAAF requirements added back the weight saved in redesigns, and cost more time. A new antenna system needed to be designed to accommodate a new radio and radar system and the Pratt and Whitney engines were redesigned, adding another {{cvt|1000|lb}}.<ref name="leach2008" />{{rp|30}}

==Design==
[[File:Convair B-36 structural testing USAF.JPG|thumb|A B-36 airframe undergoing structural stability tests. The three men in the balcony at the right of the photograph provide scale.]]

The B-36 was two-thirds longer than the previous "superbomber", the B-29, and its wingspan and height exceeded those of the Soviet Union's 1960s [[Antonov An-22]], the largest [[turboprop]] aircraft ever produced.<ref name="NMUSAF"/> Only with the advent of the [[Boeing 747]] and the [[Lockheed C-5 Galaxy]], both designed two decades later, did aircraft capable of lifting a heavier payload enter service.

The wings of the B-36 were large even when compared with present-day aircraft, exceeding, for example, those of the C-5 Galaxy, and enabled the B-36 to carry enough fuel to fly the intended long missions without refueling. The maximum thickness of the wing, measured perpendicular to the [[chord (aircraft)|chord]], was {{cvt|7.5|ft}}, containing a crawlspace that allowed access to the engines.<ref name="popsci1961">Griswold, Wesley P. [https://books.google.com/books?id=qCADAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA98 "Remember the B-36."] ''Popular Science'', September 1961.</ref> The wing area permitted cruising altitudes well above the operating ceiling of any 1940s-era fighters, at over {{cvt|40000|ft}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/research/aircraft/bomber/index.asp |title=National Museum of the USAF – Bomber |access-date=12 November 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108000856/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/research/aircraft/bomber/index.asp |archive-date=8 November 2014 }}</ref> In 1954, the [[gun turret|turrets]] and other nonessential equipment were stripped out (not unlike the earlier [[Silverplate]] program for the atomic bomb-carrying "specialist" B-29s), resulting in a "featherweight" configuration that increased top speed to {{cvt|423|mph}},<ref name="jacobsen1974">{{cite magazine |page=54 |date=November 1974 |title=Peacemaker |magazine=Airpower |volume=4 |issue=6 |last1=Jacobsen |first1=Meyers K. }}</ref> and cruise at {{cvt|50000|ft}} and dash at over {{cvt|55000|ft}}, perhaps even higher.<ref name="yenne2004" />{{rp|136–137}}

The large wing area, with the four jet engines supplementing the piston engines in later versions, gave the B-36 a wide margin between [[stall speed]] (''V''<sub>S</sub>) and maximum speed (''V''<sub>max</sub>) at these altitudes. This made the B-36 more maneuverable at high altitude than most jet interceptors of the day, which could not maneuver effectively above {{cvt|40000|ft}}.<ref name="B361" /> However, the U.S. Navy [[McDonnell F2H Banshee]] fighter could intercept the B-36, thanks to its ability to operate at more than {{cvt|50000|ft}}.<ref>[http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/hist-ac/f2h-2.pdf AU/ACSC/166/1998-04 "Standard Aircraft Characteristics: F2H-2 Banshee."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061206065849/http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/hist-ac/f2h-2.pdf |date=6 December 2006 }} history.naval.mil. Retrieved: 28 August 2010.</ref> Later, the new Secretary of Defense, [[Louis A. Johnson]], who considered the U.S. Navy and naval aviation essentially obsolete in favor of the USAF and SAC, forbade putting the Navy's claim to the test.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20040222221208/http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/acsc/98-166.pdf "The Revolt of the Admirals."] ''Air Command and Staff College Air University''. Retrieved: 15 May 2010.</ref>

The propulsion system of the B-36 was unique, with six 28-cylinder [[Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major]] [[radial engine]]s mounted in an unusual [[pusher configuration]], rather than the conventional [[Tractor configuration|tractor propeller]] layout of other [[heavy bomber]]s. The prototype's six R-4360s delivered {{cvt|18000|hp}} which resulted in early B-36s needing long takeoff runs, which was ameliorated when power was boosted to {{cvt|22800|hp}}.<ref name="yenne2004" />{{rp|137–138}} Each engine drove a three-bladed propeller, {{cvt|19|ft}} in diameter, mounted in a pusher configuration. This unusual configuration prevented propeller turbulence from interfering with airflow over the wing, but led to engine overheating due to insufficient airflow around the engines, resulting in inflight [[#Engine fires|engine fires]]. The large, slow-turning propellers interacted with the high-pressure airflow behind the wings to produce an easily recognizable very-low-frequency pulse at ground level that betrayed approaching flights.

===Addition of jet propulsion===
Beginning with the B-36D, Convair added a pair of [[General Electric J47]]-19 [[jet engine]]s suspended near the end of each wing which were also retrofitted to surviving B-36Bs. Consequently, the B-36 was configured to have 10 engines, six radial propeller engines and four jet engines, leading to the B-36 slogan of "six turnin' and four burnin{{'"}}. The B-36 had more engines than any other mass-produced aircraft. The jet pods greatly improved takeoff performance and dash speed over the target. In normal cruising flight, the jet engines were shut down to conserve fuel. When the jet engines were shut down, louvers closed off the front of the pods to reduce drag.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=ydgDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA117 "Doors Shield Jets From Blowing Dirt"] ''Popular Mechanics'', October 1950, p. 117.</ref> The two pods with four turbojets and the six piston engines combined gave the B-36 a total of {{cvt|40000|hp}} for short periods of time.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=GtkDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA124 "B-36 Adds Four Jet Engines."] ''Popular Mechanics'', July 1949, p. 124.</ref>

===Crew===
The B-36 had a crew of 15. As with the B-29 and B-50, the pressurized flight deck and crew compartment were linked to the rear compartment by a pressurized tunnel through the bomb bay. In the B-36, movement through the tunnel was on a wheeled trolley, pulling on a rope. The rear compartment featured six bunks and a dining galley and led to the tail turret.<ref name="shiel1996">{{Cite tech report |title=The B-36 Peacemaker: 'There Aren't Programs Like This Anymore' |url=http://cessnawarbirds.com/articles/PDF/peacemaker.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040621081814/http://cessnawarbirds.com/articles/PDF/peacemaker.pdf |archive-date=June 21, 2004 |url-status=dead |last1=Shiel |first1=Walter P. |year=1996 |page=7 }}</ref>

===Landing gear===
{{multiple image|total_width=220|align=right|direction=vertical|image1=Convair XB-36 main landing gear detail 061128-F-1234S-028.jpg|image2=B-36 tracked gear edit.jpg|image3=Convair_RB-36H_Peacemaker_(28339777523).jpg|footer=The main landing gear evolved from a single-wheel design (top) to a 4-wheel bogie (bottom), but a tracked assembly (center) was also tested.|alt1=The single main tire of an XB-36 is about 1.5 times taller than the person standing beside it.|alt2=The experimental tracked landing gear unit of an XB-36, consisting of 2 flexible tracks supported by wheels, is pictured stopped in short grass with ruts trailing behind it.|alt3=The 4-wheel bogie of a retired RB-36H is pictured from the outboard side.}}

The [[tricycle landing gear]] of the XB-36 featured a single-wheel main [[landing gear]] whose tires were the largest ever manufactured up to that time: {{cvt|9|ft|2|in}} tall, {{cvt|3|ft}} wide, and weighing {{cvt|1320|lb}}, with enough rubber for 60 automobile tires.<ref name="NMUSAF"/>{{Irrelevant citation|date=July 2018}} These tires placed so much [[ground pressure]] on runways that the XB-36 was restricted to [[Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth|Carswell Field]] adjacent to the factory in Texas, [[Eglin Air Force Base|Eglin Field]] in Florida, and [[Travis Air Force Base|Fairfield-Suisun Field]] in California.<ref name="jenkins2002">{{cite book |last1=Jenkins |first1=Dennis R. |title=Magnesium Overcast: The Story of the Convair B-36 |date=2002 |publisher=Specialty Press |location=North Branch, Minnesota |isbn=978-1-58007-129-1 }}</ref>{{rp|14–15}} At one point, a tank-like tracked landing gear was also tried on the XB-36,<ref>{{cite magazine |date=August 1950 |title=It makes the B-36 light on its feet |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7zkvrEAD3_8C&pg=PA35|magazine=[[Flying (magazine)|Flying]] |page=35}}</ref> but it proved heavy and noisy and was soon abandoned. The single-wheel gear was soon replaced by four-wheeled [[bogie]]s.<ref name="puryear1981">{{cite book |last1=Puryear |first1=Edgar F. |title=Stars in Flight |date=1981 |publisher=Presidio Press |location=Novato, CA |isbn=0-89141-128-3 |page=26}}</ref><ref name="johnsen1978" /><ref>{{cite book |last1=Schmidt |first1=Robert Kyle |title=The Design of Aircraft Landing Gear |date=18 February 2021 |publisher=SAE International |isbn=978-0-7680-9943-0 |pages=8–9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6Xh0EAAAQBAJ |language=en}}</ref><ref name="leach2008" />{{rp|29}}

===Weaponry===
{{more citations needed|section|date=August 2017}}
The four [[bomb bay]]s could carry up to {{cvt|87200|lb}} of bombs, more than 10 times the load carried by the World War II  [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress]].<ref>[http://www.boeing.com/history/boeing/b17.html "History: Boeing B-17."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070107080528/http://www.boeing.com/history/boeing/b17.html |date=7 January 2007 }} ''boeing.com''. Retrieved: 15 May 2010.</ref> The B-36 was not designed with nuclear weapons in mind, because the existence of such weapons was top secret during the period when the B-36 was conceived and designed, and the initial B-36A was not capable of accommodating them.<ref>Peacock October 1990, p. 233</ref> Nevertheless, the B-36 stepped into its nuclear delivery role immediately upon becoming operational. In all respects except speed, the B-36 could match what was arguably its approximate Soviet counterpart, the later [[Tupolev Tu-95|Tu-95]].<ref>[https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6938856.stm "Russia sparks Cold War scramble."] BBC News, 9 August 2007. Retrieved: 30 April 2010.</ref> Until the B-52 became operational, the B-36 was the only means of delivering the first generation [[Mark 17 nuclear bomb|Mark 17 hydrogen bomb]],<ref>{{cite book |last1=Tucker |first1=Spencer C. |title=Weapons and Warfare [2 volumes]: From Ancient and Medieval Times to the 21st Century [2 volumes] |date=26 March 2020 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA |isbn=978-1-4408-6728-6 |page=352 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VETPEAAAQBAJ |language=en}}</ref> {{cvt|25|ft}} long, {{cvt|5|ft}} in diameter, and weighing {{cvt|42000|lb}}, the heaviest and bulkiest American aerial nuclear bomb. The Mark 17 took up the aircraft's two aft bomb bays, while the forward bay could hold a Mark 6 atomic weapon.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Page |first1=Joseph |title=Ellsworth Air Force Base |date=2021 |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |isbn=978-1-4671-0694-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=17ksEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA29 |language=en}}</ref>

The defensive armament consisted of six retractable gun turrets, with side-by-side turrets mounted in forward dorsal, aft dorsal and ventral positions, and non-retractable tail and nose turrets. Each turret was fitted with two {{cvt|20|mm|2}} [[autocannon|cannon]], for a total of 16, and all turrets were remote controlled.<ref>Peacock October 1990, p. 234</ref> [[Recoil]] vibration from gunnery practice often caused the aircraft's electrical wiring to jar loose or the [[vacuum tube]] electronics to malfunction, leading to failure of the aircraft controls and navigation equipment, which contributed to the crash of B-36B 44-92035 on 22 November 1950.<ref name="summaryaccidentreport44-92035">Lockett, Brian. [http://www.air-and-space.com/b-36%20wrecks.htm#44-92035 "Summary of Air Force accident report."] Goleta Air and Space Museum, air-and-space.com. Retrieved: 15 May 2010.</ref>

[[File:B-36GunTurret.jpg|left|thumb|B-36 upper or lower gun turret with two [[Hispano-Suiza HS.404|M24A1]] {{cvt|20|mm|2}} cannon]]

The Convair B-36 was the only aircraft capable of carrying the [[T-12 Cloudmaker]], a [[gravity bomb]] weighing {{cvt|43600|lb}} and designed to produce an [[earthquake bomb]] effect. Part of the testing process involved dropping two of them in a single flight, one from {{cvt|30000|ft}} and the second from {{cvt|40000|ft}}.

The first prototype XB-36 flew on 8 August 1946. The speed and range of the prototype failed to meet the standards set out by the USAAC in 1941. This was expected, as the Pratt & Whitney R-4360 engines required were not yet available.<ref name="knaack1988"/>{{rp|12−13}}<ref name="leach2008" />{{rp|32}}

A second aircraft, the YB-36, flew on 4 December 1947. It had a redesigned, high-visibility, yet still heavily framed greenhouse dome-shaped canopy, which was later adopted for production, and the engines used on the YB-36 were more powerful and more efficient. Altogether, the YB-36 was much closer to the production aircraft.

[[File:XB-36 first flight.jpg|thumb|The XB-36 on its first flight]]

The first 21 B-36As were delivered in 1948 as interim airframes intended for crew training. No defensive armament was fitted, since none was ready. All surviving B-36As were converted to RB-36E reconnaissance models once later models became available. Deliveries began in November 1948 of the combat-capable B-36B, which finally met the 1941 requirements, but had serious engine reliability and maintenance problems (changing the 336 spark plugs was a task dreaded by ground crews) and with the availability of weapons and spares. Later models had more powerful R-4360 engines, improved radar, and redesigned crew compartments.

The jet engines increased fuel consumption and reduced range. Gun turrets were already recognized as obsolete, and newer bombers had only a tail turret, or no gunners at all for several years, but the development of [[air-to-air missile]]s, such as the Soviet [[K-5 (missile)|K-5]] which began test firings in 1951, eliminated remaining justifications for keeping them.
In February 1954, the USAF awarded Convair a contract for a new "Featherweight" program, which significantly reduced weight and crew size. The three configurations were:
* Featherweight I removed defensive hardware, including the six gun turrets.
* Featherweight II removed the rear compartment crew comfort features, and all hardware accommodating the [[McDonnell XF-85 Goblin]] [[Parasite aircraft|parasite fighter]].
* Featherweight III incorporated both configurations I and II.
The six turrets eliminated by Featherweight I reduced the crew from 15 to 9. Featherweight III had a longer range and an operating ceiling of at least {{cvt|47000|ft}}, especially valuable for reconnaissance missions. The B-36J-III configuration (the last 14 made) had a single radar-aimed tail turret, extra fuel tanks in the outer wings, and landing gear allowing the maximum gross weight to be increased to {{cvt|410000|lb}}.

Production of the B-36 ceased in 1954.<ref>[http://www.cowtown.net/proweb/last_one.htm "The Last B-36 and the people who saved it from destruction."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014181534/http://www.cowtown.net/proweb/last_one.htm |date=14 October 2007 }} cowtown.net, 1 October 2006. Retrieved: 21 September 2007.</ref>

===Operating and financial problems===
Due to problems that occurred with the B-36 in its early stages of testing, development, and later in service, some critics referred to the aircraft as a "billion-dollar blunder".<ref name="wolk2003">{{cite book |last1=Wolk |first1=Herman S. |title=Fulcrum of Power: Essays on the United States Air Force and National Security |date=2003 |publisher=Diane Publishing |location=Darby, PA |isbn=1-4289-9008-9 |page=163}}</ref> In particular, the [[United States Navy]] saw it as a costly bungle, diverting congressional funding and interest from [[naval aviation]] and [[aircraft carrier]]s in general, and carrier–based nuclear bombers in particular. In 1947, the Navy attacked congressional funding for the B-36, alleging it failed to meet Pentagon requirements. The Navy held to the pre-eminence of the aircraft carrier in the [[Asiatic-Pacific Theater|Pacific]] during World War II, presuming carrier-based aircraft would be decisive in future wars. To this end, the Navy designed {{USS|United States|CVA-58|6}}, a "[[supercarrier]]" capable of launching huge fleets of tactical aircraft or nuclear bombers. It then pushed to have funding transferred from the B-36 to USS ''United States''. The Air Force successfully defended the B-36 project, and ''United States'' was cancelled by [[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]] [[Louis A. Johnson]] in a cost-cutting move over the objections of both [[Secretary of the Navy]] [[John L. Sullivan (United States Navy)|John L. Sullivan]] and the Navy's senior leadership. Sullivan resigned in protest and was replaced as Secretary of the Navy by [[Francis P. Matthews]], who had limited familiarity with defense issues, but was a close friend of Johnson. Several high-level Navy officials questioned the government's decision in cancelling the ''United States'' to fund the B-36, alleging a conflict of interest because Johnson had once served on Convair's board of directors. The uproar after the cancellation of ''United States'' in 1949 was nicknamed the "[[Revolt of the Admirals]]", during which time Matthews dismissed and forced into retirement the serving Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), Admiral [[Louis E. Denfeld]], after Denfeld's testimony before the [[House Armed Services Committee]].<ref name="revolt">{{cite book |last1=Barlow |first1=Jeffrey G. |title=Revolt of the Admirals: The Fight for Naval Aviation, 1945–1950 |date=1994 |publisher=Naval Historical Center, Dept. of the Navy |location=Washington, D.C. |isbn=0-16-042094-6}}</ref>{{rp|42}}

The congressional and media furor over the firing of Admiral Denfeld, as well as the significant use of aircraft carriers in the [[Korean War]], resulted in the Truman administration subsequently ousting both Johnson and Matthews, and procuring {{Sclass|Forrestal|aircraft carrier|0}} supercarriers, which were similar in size to ''United States'', but geared towards  multirole use with air wings of fighter, attack, reconnaissance, [[electronic warfare]], [[early warning]] and [[anti-submarine warfare|antisubmarine-warfare]] aircraft. Simultaneously, heavy manned bombers for SAC were also deemed crucial to national defense and the two systems would never again be in competition for funding.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/parameters/Articles/1981/1981%20mcfarland.pdf|last=McFarland|first=Keith|title=The 1949 Revolt of the Admirals|work=Parameters: Journal of the US Army War College Quarterly Vol. XI, No. 2|pages=53–63|year=1980|access-date=28 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170126181734/http://strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/parameters/Articles/1981/1981%20mcfarland.pdf|archive-date=26 January 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="revolt" />

==Operational history==
[[File:Convair B-36 Peacemaker in flight.jpg|thumb|RB-36D]]
The B-36, including its GRB-36, RB-36, and XC-99 variants, was in USAF service as part of the SAC from 1948 to 1959. The RB-36 variants of the B-36 were used for reconnaissance during the Cold War with the Soviet Union and the B-36 bomber variants conducted training and test operations and stood ground and airborne alert, but were never flown offensively as bombers against hostile forces.<ref>{{cite news |title=Costly Bomber Gives Way to Jet |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/701186089 |access-date=28 January 2024 |work=Newspapers.com |publisher=Evening Vanguard |date=25 Feb 1957 |language=en}}</ref>

===Maintenance===
[[File:B-36 Peacemaker - personnel and equipment.jpg|thumb|Personnel and equipment required to get and keep a B-36 aircraft in the air]]
The Wasp Major engines had a prodigious appetite for [[lubricating oil]] and each engine required a dedicated {{cvt|100|usgal|L}} tank.{{citation needed|date=April 2011}} Normal maintenance consisted of tedious measures, such as changing the 56 [[spark plug]]s on each of the six engines which were often fouled by the [[Gasoline#Tetraethyl lead|lead]] in the [[Avgas#Grades|145]] [[octane]] anti[[Engine knocking|knock]] fuel required. Thus, each service required changing 336 spark plugs.
The B-36 was too large to fit in most [[hangar]]s. Since even an aircraft with the range of the B-36 needed to be stationed as close to enemy targets as possible, this meant the plane was largely based in the extreme weather locations of the northern continental United States, Alaska, and the [[Arctic]]. Since the maintenance had to be performed outdoors, the crews were largely exposed to the elements, with temperatures of {{cvt|-60|°F|°C}} in winters and {{cvt|100|°F|°C}} in summers, depending on the location. Special shelters were built to provide the maintenance crews a modicum of protection. [[Ground crew]]s were at risk of slipping and falling from icy wings. The [[wing root]]s were thick enough, at {{cvt|7|ft}}, to enable a [[flight engineer]] to access the backs of the engines and the landing gear during flight by crawling through the wings but was only possible at lower altitudes.<ref>Morris, Ted. [http://www.zianet.com/tmorris/b36.html "Flying the Aluminum and Magnesium Overcast."] zianet.com, 2000. Retrieved: 15 May 2010.</ref>

In 1950, Consolidated-Vultee developed streamlined pods that looked like large drop tanks that mounted on each side of the fuselage to carry spare engines between bases. Each pod could airlift two engines. When the pods were empty, they were removed and carried in the bomb bays. No record exists of the pods being used.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=mdgDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA146 "Bomber Carries Spare Engines."] ''Popular Mechanics'', September 1950, p. 146,</ref>

===Engine fires===
[[File:11th Bombardment Wing Convair B-36J-5-CF Peacemaker 52-2225.jpg|thumb|B-36J (serial 52-2225) of the 11th Bombardment Wing in 1955 showing "six turning, four burning"]]

As engine fires occurred with the B-36's radial engines, some crews humorously changed the [[Convair B-36 Peacemaker#Addition of jet propulsion|aircraft's slogan]] from "six turning, four burning" into "two turning, two burning, two smoking, two choking and two more unaccounted for".<ref name="turn&burn">Daciek, Michael R. [https://web.archive.org/web/20070209145429/http://denver.yourhub.com/HIGHLANDSRANCH/Blogs/Life/My-Life/Mixed-Bag/Blog~160407.aspx "Speaking at random about flying and writing: B-36 Peacemaker/Ten Engine Bomber"].{{unreliable source?|date=May 2015}} YourHub.com, 13 December 2006. Retrieved: 6 April 2009.</ref>{{refn|Quote attributed to Captain Banda when he was escorting Air Cadet Michael R. Daciek, later Lieutenant Colonel Daciek, on an inside tour of the XC-99 in 1953.|group=N}} This problem was exacerbated by the propellers' pusher configuration, which increased [[carburetor icing]]. The design of the R-4360 engine tacitly assumed that it would be mounted in the conventional tractor configuration with the air flowing in the order of propeller/air intake/cylinders and to the carburetor. In this configuration, the carburetor is bathed in warm air flowing past the engine, so is unlikely to ice up. However, they were mounted backwards in the B-36 to reduce wing turbulence. As a result the carburetor was in front of the engine, where it would not benefit from engine heat and made most existing [[carburetor heat]] systems unsuitable.{{Why|date=June 2018}} Hence, when intake air was cold and humid, ice gradually obstructed the carburetor intake, which increased the [[Air-fuel ratio|air/fuel mixture]] richness until unburned fuel in the [[Exhaust system|exhaust]] caught fire.<ref>Ricketts, Bruce. [http://www.mysteriesofcanada.com/BC/broken_arrow.htm "Broken Arrow, A lost nuclear weapon in Canada"]: Interview with [[B-36B 44-92075]] Co-pilot 1st Lt R.&nbsp;P. Whitfield. mysteriesofcanada.com, 1998. Retrieved: 24 September 2007.</ref> Three engine fires of this nature led to the first loss of an American [[nuclear weapon]] when a B-36 [[1950 British Columbia B-36 crash|crashed]] in February 1950.

===Crew experience===
[[File:RB-36D in Convair plant.jpg|thumb|RB-36s in production: Note the heavily framed "greenhouse" bubble canopy over the cockpit area, used for all production B-36 airframes.]]
Training missions were typically in two parts, a 40-hour flight—followed by time on the ground for refueling and maintenance—and then a 24-hour second flight. With a sufficiently light load, the B-36 could fly at least {{cvt|10000|mi}} nonstop, and the highest cruising speed of any version, the B-36J-III, was at {{cvt|230|mph}}. Engaging the jet engines could raise the cruising speed to over {{cvt|400|mph}}. Hence, a 40-hour mission, with the jets used only for takeoff and climbing, flew about {{cvt|9200|mi}}.

Due to its size, the B-36 was never sprightly or agile. Lieutenant General James Edmundson likened it to "sitting on your front porch and flying your house around".<ref>[https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/bomb/filmmore/reference/interview/edmund10.html "Lt. General James Edmundson on: Flying B-36 and B-47 planes"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110131172413/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/bomb/filmmore/reference/interview/edmund10.html |date=31 January 2011 }}. ''American Experience'', PBS, January 1999. Retrieved: 15 May 2010.</ref> Crew compartments were nonetheless cramped, especially when occupied for 24 hours by a crew of 15.

War missions would have been one-way, taking off from [[forward base]]s in [[Alaska]] or [[Greenland]], overflying the USSR, and landing in Europe, Morocco, or the Middle East. Veteran crews recall feeling confident in their ability to fly the missions, but not to survive weapon delivery, as the aircraft were not fast enough to escape the blast.<ref>[http://forums.delphiforums.com/n/main.asp?webtag=B36forum "B-36 Era and Cold War Aviation Forum"]. delphiforums.com. Retrieved: 15 May 2010.</ref> These concerns were confirmed by the 1954 [[Operation Castle]] tests, in which B-36s were flown at combat distances from detonations of bombs in the 15-megaton range. At distances typical of wartime delivery, aircraft suffered extensive flash and blast damage.<ref>[http://worf.eh.doe.gov/data/ihp1d/11658e.pdf "Operation Castle: Report of Commander, Task Group 7.1, p. 24 (extract version)"]. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080227063837/http://worf.eh.doe.gov/data/ihp1d/11658e.pdf |date=27 February 2008 }}. worf.eh.doe.gov, 1 February 1980. Retrieved: 23 September 2007.</ref>{{Failed verification|date=August 2022|reason=Source describes Operation Castle B-36 damage by blast, thermal, and gust-loading effects: blast damage reported as minor, thermal energy predictions shown as conservative, and the sole gust-loading concern related to its horizontal stabilizer response.}}

===Experiments===
[[File:NB-36H producing contrails in flight.jpg|thumb|[[Convair NB-36H|NB-36H]] nuclear reactor testbed]]
[[File:B-36 F-84F FICON.jpg|thumb|GRB-36 carrying YRF-84F modified for FICON test]]
The B-36 was employed in a variety of aeronautical experiments throughout its service life. Its immense size, range, and payload capacity lent itself to use in research and development programs. These included nuclear propulsion studies, and "parasite" programs in which the B-36 carried smaller interceptors or reconnaissance aircraft.<ref name="millercripliver1978">{{cite magazine|title=B-36: The Ponderous Peacemaker|magazine=Aviation Quarterly |volume=4 |issue=4 |year=1978 |last1=Miller |first1=Jay |last2=Cripliver |first2=Roger |pages=366, 369 }}</ref>

In May 1946, the Air Force began the Nuclear Energy for the Propulsion of Aircraft project, which was followed in May 1951 by the [[Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion]] (ANP) program. The ANP program used modified B-36s to study shielding requirements for an airborne reactor to determine whether a [[nuclear aircraft|nuclear-powered aircraft]] was feasible.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://enseccoe.org/data/public/uploads/2021/10/d1_the-future-role-of-nuclear-propulsion-in-the-military.pdf|title=The Future Role of Nuclear Propulsion in the Military|last=Trakimavičius|first=Lukas|website=NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence|language=en|access-date=2021-10-15|archive-date=18 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211018194534/https://enseccoe.org/data/public/uploads/2021/10/d1_the-future-role-of-nuclear-propulsion-in-the-military.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> Convair modified two B-36s under the MX-1589 project. The Nuclear Test Aircraft was a B-36H-20-CF (serial number 51-5712) that had been damaged in a tornado at Carswell AFB on 1 September 1952. This aircraft, redesignated the XB-36H (and later [[Convair NB-36H|NB-36H]]), was modified to carry a {{nowrap|1 MW}}, air-cooled [[nuclear reactor]] in the aft bomb bay, with a four-ton [[lead shield|lead disc shield]] installed in the middle of the aircraft between the reactor and the cockpit. A number of large air intake and exhaust holes were installed in the sides and bottom of the aircraft's rear fuselage to cool the reactor in flight. On the ground, a crane would be used to remove the {{cvt|35000|lb}} reactor from the aircraft. To protect the crew, the highly modified cockpit was encased in lead and rubber, with a {{cvt|1|ft|cm|adj=mid|4=-thick}} [[lead glass|leaded glass]] [[windshield]]. The reactor was operational, but did not power the aircraft as its purpose was to investigate the effect of radiation. Between 1955 and 1957, the NB-36H completed 47 test flights and 215 hours of flight time, during 89 of which the reactor was critical.{{citation needed|date=June 2015}}

Other experiments involved providing the B-36 with its own fighter defense in the form of [[parasite aircraft]] carried partially or wholly in a bomb bay. One parasite aircraft was the diminutive football-shaped [[McDonnell XF-85 Goblin]], which docked using a trapeze. The concept was tested using a B-29 carrier, but docking was difficult even for experienced test pilots. Moreover, the XF-85 was no match for contemporary foreign powers' interceptors in development or in service and consequently the project was cancelled.{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}}

The [[FICON project]] was more successful and involving a modified B-36 (a GRB-36D "mothership") and the [[Republic F-84F Thunderstreak|RF-84K]], a fighter modified for [[reconnaissance]], in a bomb bay. The GRB-36D would ferry the RF-84K to the vicinity of the objective, whereupon the RF-84K would disconnect and begin its mission. Ten GRB-36Ds and 25 RF-84Ks were built and had limited service in 1955–1956.{{citation needed|date=June 2015}}

Projects [[FICON project#Project MX-1016 (Tip Tow)|Tip Tow]] and Tom-Tom involved docking [[Republic F-84 Thunderjet|F-84s]] to the wingtips of B-29s and B-36s. The hope was that the increased [[aspect ratio (wing)|aspect ratio]] of the combined aircraft would result in a greater range. Project Tip Tow was cancelled when an EF-84D and a specially modified test EB-29A crashed, killing everyone on both aircraft. This accident was attributed to the EF-84D flipping over onto the wing of the EB-29A. Project Tom-Tom, involving RF-84Fs and a GRB-36D from the FICON project (redesignated JRB-36F), continued for a few months after this crash, but was also cancelled due to the violent [[turbulence]] induced by the [[wingtip vortices]] of the B-36.<ref name="tomtom">Lockett, Brian. [http://www.air-and-space.com/tomtom.htm "Parasite Fighter Programs: Project Tom-Tom."] Goleta Air and Space Museum, air-and-space.com. Retrieved: 15 May 2010.</ref>

===Strategic reconnaissance===
[[File:Rb-36-3ship-formation-korea.jpg|thumb|In late 1952, six [[5th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing]] RB-36Ds were deployed to the [[91st Strategic Reconnaissance Group]]. This was the first RB-36 used in the [[Korea]]n theater. While not employed in combat, these RB-36s conducted high-altitude aerial reconnaissance over Chinese [[Manchuria]] and Soviet [[East Asia]].<ref>Hall, R. Cargill. "The Truth About Overflights: Military Reconnaissance Missions over Russia Before the U-2." ''Quarterly Journal of Military History'', Spring 1997.</ref>]]

One of the SAC's initial missions was to plan strategic aerial reconnaissance on a global scale. The first efforts were in photo-reconnaissance and mapping. Along with the photo-reconnaissance mission, a small [[electronic intelligence]] cadre operated. Weather reconnaissance was part of the effort, as was long-range detection of Soviet atomic explosions. In the late 1940s, strategic intelligence on Soviet capabilities and intentions was scarce. Before the development of the [[Lockheed U-2]] high-altitude spy plane and [[Corona (satellite)|Corona]] orbital reconnaissance satellites, technology and politics limited American reconnaissance efforts to the borders, of the Soviet Union.<ref>Wack, Fred J. ''The Secret Explorers: Saga of the 46th/72nd Reconnaissance Squadrons''. Self-published, 1990.</ref>

One of the essential criteria of the early postwar reconnaissance aircraft was the ability to cruise above {{cvt|40000|ft}}, a level partly determined by knowledge of the capability of Soviet [[Radar configurations and types#Detection and search radars|air-defense radar]]. The main Soviet air-defense radar in the 1950s was the American-supplied [[SCR-270 radar|SCR-270]], or locally made copies, which were only effective up to {{cvt|40000|ft}}{{snd}} in theory, and an aircraft cruising above this level likely would remain undetected.<ref name="B361">{{cite book |last1=Jacobsen |first1=Meyers K. |title=Convair B-36: A Comprehensive History of America's 'Big Stick' |date=1997 |publisher=Schiffer Military History |location=Atglen, PA |isbn=0764305301}}</ref>{{page needed|date=August 2020}}

The first aircraft to put this theory to the test was the RB-36D specialized [[Imagery intelligence|photo-reconnaissance]] version of the {{nowrap|B-36D}}. It was outwardly identical to the standard B-36D, but carried a crew of 22 rather than 15, the additional crew members being needed to operate the reconnaissance equipment carried. The forward bomb bay was filled with a pressurized, manned compartment with 14 cameras and a [[darkroom]], where a photo technician would develop the film. The second bomb bay contained up to 80 T-86 [[photoflash bomb]]s, while the third bay could carry an extra {{cvt|3000|USgal|L|order=flip}} droppable fuel tank. The fourth bomb bay carried [[electronic countermeasure]] equipment. The full defensive armament was retained. The extra fuel tanks increased the flight endurance to up to 50 hours and it had an operational ceiling of {{cvt|50000|ft}}. Later, a lightweight version of this aircraft, the RB-36-III, could reach {{cvt|58000|ft}}. RB-36s were distinguished by the bright aluminum finish of the camera compartment (contrasting with the dull magnesium of the rest of the fuselage) and by a series of [[radome|radar domes]] under the aft fuselage, varying in number and placement. When developed, it was the only American aircraft large enough to carry the bulky, high-resolution cameras of the day.{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}}

[[File:The Boston Camera.jpg|thumb|"The Boston Camera" on display at the National Museum of the Air Force]]
The standard RB-36D carried up to 23 cameras, primarily K-17C, K-22A, K-38, and K-40 cameras. A special [[Boston Camera|{{cvt|240|in}} focal length camera]] (known as the Boston Camera after the university where it was designed) was tested on 44-92088, the aircraft being redesignated ERB-36D. The long focal length was achieved by using a two-mirror reflection system and could resolve a golf ball from {{cvt|45000|ft}} and up to {{cvt|63600|ft}} away.

The first RB-36D (44-92088) made its initial flight on 18 December 1949, six months after the B-36D, but initially flew without turbojets. The [[28th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing]] based at [[Ellsworth AFB|Rapid City AFB (later renamed Ellsworth AFB)]], [[South Dakota]], received its first RB-36D on 3 June 1950 but due to severe material shortages, they were not operational until June 1951. The 24th and last RB-36D was delivered in May 1951. Some RB-36Ds were later modified to the featherweight configuration, in which all but the tail guns were removed and the crew reduced from 22 to 19. These aircraft were redesignated as RB-36D-III. Modifications were carried out by Convair from February to November 1954.{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}}

With a range of {{cvt|9300|mi}}, RB-36Ds began probing the Arctic boundaries of the Soviet Union in 1951. Although on-board equipment indicated detection by Soviet radar, interceptions at the B-36's service ceiling remained difficult. RB-36 aircraft operating from [[RAF Sculthorpe]] in England made a number of overflights of Soviet Arctic bases, particularly the new nuclear weapons test complex at [[Novaya Zemlya]]. RB-36s performed a number of rarely acknowledged reconnaissance missions and are believed to have frequently penetrated Chinese (and Soviet) [[airspace]] under the direction of General Curtis LeMay.<ref name="B361"/>{{page needed|date=August 2020}}

In early 1950, Convair began converting B-36As for reconnaissance, including the sole YB-36, which were all redesignated RB-36E. The R-4360-25 engines were replaced by R-4360-41s and were fitted with four J-47 jet engines as on the RB-36D. Its normal crew was 22, which included five gunners. The last conversion was completed in July 1951. The USAF later bought 73 long-range reconnaissance versions of the B-36H under the designation RB-36H. Of these, 23 were accepted during the first six months of 1952, and the last were delivered by September 1953. More than a third of all B-36s were reconnaissance models.{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}}

Advances in Soviet air defense systems limited the RB-36 to flying outside the Soviet Union, and Eastern Europe. In the mid-1950s, the jet-powered Boeing [[RB-47E]] continued to penetrate Soviet airspace and conducted a variety of spectacular and highly illegal overflights of the Soviet Union, where they took photographic and radar recordings of the routes SAC bombers would follow. Flights that involved penetrating mainland Russia were termed sensitive intelligence (SENSINT) missions. 

As with the strategic bombardment versions, the RB-36 was phased out of the SAC inventory beginning in 1956, the last being sent to [[Davis–Monthan Air Force Base]] in January 1959.{{Citation needed|date=August 2019}}

===Obsolescence===
[[File:Yb-52-b-36-carswell.jpg|thumb|XB-52 prototype at Edwards AFB, 1955 shown with a 7th Bomb Wing B-36 and the XA2J Super Savage prototype behind the B-36]]

With the appearance of the Soviet [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15]] over [[North Korea]] in 1950, USAF propeller-driven bombers were made obsolete as strategic offensive weapons.{{citation needed|date=June 2025}} Both the B-36 and the B-29/B-50 Superfortresses were designed during World War II, before the [[jet age]]. A new generation of jet bombers, flying higher and faster, was needed to effectively overcome Soviet interceptors.{{citation needed|date=June 2015}} In 1952, while fighting continued during the [[Korean War]], the [[Convair YB-60]], developed from the B-36, entered a design competition against the Boeing YB-52. By early 1953, the Boeing had emerged as the preferred design.

After fighting in Korea had ceased, [[President Eisenhower]] called for a [[New Look (policy)|"new look" at national defense]]. His administration retired nearly all of its SAC B-29/B-50s in favour of the new B-47 Stratojet, introduced in 1951. By 1955, the B-52 Stratofortress was entering the inventory in substantial numbers, replacing B-36s.{{citation needed|date=June 2015}}

Two major factors contributing to the obsolescence of the B-36 and its phaseout were a lack of aerial refueling capability and its low speed which made it vulnerable to interceptors and severely decreased its ability to reach Soviet targets.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}

[[File:Convair B-36s at AMARC 1958 awaiting scrapping.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|left|Convair B-36s awaiting scrapping at the [[309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group|3040th Aircraft Storage Depot]] in Tucson in 1958]]
The scrapping of B-36s began in February 1956. Once replaced by B-52s, they were flown directly from squadrons to [[Davis–Monthan AFB]], [[Arizona]], where the Mar-Pak Corporation handled their reclamation and destruction. Defense cutbacks in FY 1958 stretched out B-52 procurement and B-36 service life had to be extended. B-36s still in service were supported with parts taken from aircraft sent to Davis–Monthan. Further update work was undertaken by Convair at San Diego (Specialized Aircraft Maintenance, SAM-SAC) until 1957 to extend the service life of the B-36s. By December 1958, only 22 were still operational.

On 12 February 1959, the last B-36J built, USAF Serial No. 52-2827, left [[Biggs Army Airfield#Biggs Air Force Base (1947–66)|Biggs AFB]], Texas, where it had been on duty with the [[95th Air Base Wing|95th Heavy Bombardment Wing]], and was flown to [[Greater Southwest International Airport|Amon Carter Field]] in Fort Worth, where it was put on display. Within two years, all B-36s, except five used for museum display, had been scrapped.{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}}

==Variants==
{{Main|Convair B-36 Peacemaker variants}}
{| class = "wikitable sortable" style = "float:right; font-size:90%; margin-left:15px"
|-
!Variant!!Built
|-
|XB-36|| {{right|1}}
|-
|YB-36|| {{right|1}}
|-
|B-36A|| {{right|22}}
|-
|[[Convair XC-99|XC-99]]|| {{right|1}}
|-
|B-36B|| {{right|62}}
|-
|B-36D|| {{right|22}}
|-
|RB-36D|| {{right|24}}
|-
|B-36F|| {{right|34}}
|-
|RB-36F|| {{right|24}}
|-
|B-36H|| {{right|83}}
|-
|RB-36H|| {{right|73}}
|-
|B-36J|| {{right|33}}
|-
|[[Convair YB-60|YB-60]]|| {{right|2}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #999;"
|'''Total'''|| {{right|'''385'''}}<ref name="knaack1988">{{cite tech report |last1=Knaack |first1=Marcelle Size |title=Encyclopedia of U.S. Air Force aircraft and missile systems |volume=II Post World War II Bombers |url=https://media.defense.gov/2010/May/26/2001330264/-1/-1/0/AFD-100526-026.pdf |publisher=Office of Air Force History |isbn=0912799595 |via=media.defense.gov |date=1988 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230308105438/https://media.defense.gov/2010/May/26/2001330264/-1/-1/0/AFD-100526-026.pdf |archive-date=March 8, 2023 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{rp|53}}
|}

;XB-36
:Unarmed prototype powered by six {{cvt|3000|hp}} R-4360-25 engines, one built.
;YB-36
:Prototype, s/n 42-13571,<ref>[http://www.aero-web.org/specs/convair/yb-36.htm "Convair YB-36 'Peacemaker'."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718092450/http://www.aero-web.org/specs/convair/yb-36.htm |date=18 July 2011 }} AeroWeb. Retrieved: 15 May 2010.</ref> with modified nose and raised cockpit roof, one built, later converted to YB-36A.
;YB-36A
:Former YB-36 with modified four-wheel landing gear, later modified as a RB-36E.
;B-36A
:Unarmed interim production variant, used for training, 22 built, all but one converted to RB-36E.
;[[Convair XC-99|XC-99]]
:A cargo/transport version of the B-36. One built.
;B-36B
:Armed production variant with six {{cvt|3500|hp}} R-4360-41 engines, 73 built, later conversions to RB-36D and B-36D.
;RB-36B
:Designation for 39 B-36Bs temporarily fitted with a camera installation.
;YB-36C
:Projected variant of the B-36B with six {{cvt|4300|hp}} R-4360-51 engines driving tractor propellers, not built.
;B-36C
:Production version of the YB-36, completed as B-36Bs.
;B-36D
:Same as B-36B, but fitted with four J47-GE-19 engines, two each in two underwing pods, 22 built and 64 conversions from B-36B.
;RB-36D
:Strategic reconnaissance variant with two bomb bays fitted with camera installation, 17 built and seven conversions from B-36B.
;GRB-36D
:Same as RB-36D, but modified to carry a [[Republic F-84F Thunderstreak|GRF-84F Thunderstreak]] on a ventral trapeze as part of the FICON program, 10 modified.
;RB-36E
:The YB-36A and 21 B-36As converted to RB-36D standards.
;B-36F
:Same as B-36D, but fitted with six {{cvt|3800|hp}} R-4360-53 engines and four J47-GE-19 engines, 34 built.
;RB-36F
:Strategic reconnaissance variant of the B-36F with additional fuel capacity, 24 built.
;YB-36G
:Original designation of the YB-60.
;B-36H
:Same as B-36F with improved cockpit and equipment changes, 83 built.
;[[NB-36H]]
:One B-36H fitted with a nuclear reactor installation for trials, had a revised cockpit and raised nose. This was intended to evolve into the [[Convair X-6]].
;RB-36H
:Strategic reconnaissance variant of the B-36H, 73 built.
;B-36J
:High altitude variant with strengthened landing gear, increased fuel capacity, armament reduced to tail guns only and reduced crew, 33 built.
;[[Convair YB-60|YB-60]]
:Originally designated the YB-36G, s/n 49-2676 and 49-2684.<ref>[http://www.aero-web.org/specs/convair/yb-36g.htm "Convair YB-36G  (YB-60) 'Peacemaker'."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718104138/http://www.aero-web.org/specs/convair/yb-36g.htm |date=18 July 2011 }} ''AeroWeb''. Retrieved: 15 May 2010.</ref> Project for a jet-powered swept wing variant. Due to the differences from a standard B-36 its designation was changed to YB-60.
;Model 6
:Proposed double-deck airliner marrying the fuselage of the B-36 with the wings and empennage of the YB-60; not built.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hushkit.net/2012/08/07/artists-impressions-of-concept-aircraft-1950-90-a-gallery/convair_model_6_jet_airliner/|title = Convair Model 6 Jet Airliner|date = 7 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://aviationtrivia.blogspot.com/2010/06/people-sometimes-ask-me-how-i-decide.html|title = Tails Through Time: The Convair Model 6: A Jumbo Before Its Time|date = 21 June 2010}}</ref>
;Fairchild M-534
:Proposed conversion of two B-36Js into "Outsize Booster Carrier Aircraft", to transport stages of the Saturn V rocket. The wings, nose, and control surfaces were retained, while a massive fuselage would've been installed with a rear cargo door. The aircraft would've been over 60 feet longer, its wingspan would've been 30 feet larger, and its height would be almost doubled, standing over 92 feet tall. The design never left the drawing board.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fairchild M-534, NASA Plane, color slide film, NASM-NASM-9A09884 |url=https://edan.si.edu/slideshow/viewer/?eadrefid=NASM.1989.0060_ref5857 |website=Smithsonian Online Virtual Archives |publisher=Fairchild Industries, Inc. collection}}</ref>

===Related models===
[[File:Convair YB-60-1-CF 49-2676.jpg|thumb|Convair YB-60-1-CF (''49-2676'') taking off on a test flight, 1952]]
[[File:Consolidated XC-99 43-52436.jpg|thumb|Convair XC-99 (''43-52436'') being delivered to [[Kelly AFB]], Texas, 23 November 1949]]
In 1951, the USAF asked Convair to build an all-jet B-36. Convair replaced a B-36F's wings with swept wings, from which were suspended eight [[Pratt & Whitney J57|Pratt & Whitney XJ57-P-3]] jet engines. The result was the B-36G, later renamed the [[Convair YB-60]]. The YB-60 was inferior to Boeing's YB-52, and was terminated.<ref name="NMUSAFyb60">[http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=2750 "YB-60 Factsheet."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071115224605/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=2750 |date=15 November 2007 }} National Museum of the United States Air Force. Retrieved: 15 May 2010.</ref> The B-36 was the basis for the [[Convair XC-99]], a double-decked military transport that was the largest piston-engined, land-based transport aircraft built. Its length of {{cvt|185|ft}} made it the longest practical aircraft of its era. The sole example was used for nearly 10 years, especially for Korean War cross-country cargo flights. In 2005, it was dismantled in anticipation of its being moved from the former [[Kelly Air Force Base]], now the Kelly Field Annex of [[Lackland AFB]] in [[San Antonio, Texas]], where it had been stored since 1957. The XC-99 was then moved to the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB for restoration, with C-5 Galaxy transports carrying XC-99 pieces there.<ref name="AFL04">Hill, 1st Lt Bruce R. Jr. [https://www.af.mil/News/story/storyID/123007543/ "XC-99 begins piece-by-piece trip to Air Force Museum."]  ''433rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs'', 22 April 2004.</ref>

A commercial airliner derived from the XC-99, the [[Convair Model 37]], never left the drawing board.<ref name="NMUSAF"/>

==Operators==
;{{flag|United States|1912}}
'''[[United States Air Force]]''' – [[Strategic Air Command]]<ref>[http://www.strategic-air-command.com/aircraft/b-36/b36-deployment.htm "B-36 Deployment."] strategic-air-command.com. Retrieved: 14 June 2010.</ref><br>
[[2d Air Force]]
: [[72d Strategic Reconnaissance Wing]] – [[Ramey Air Force Base|Ramey AFB]], Puerto Rico (October 1952 – January 1959)
::60th and 301st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadrons, Tail Code: Square F
[[8th Air Force]]
: [[6th Bombardment Wing]] – [[Walker AFB]], New Mexico (August 1952 – August 1957)
::24th, 39th and 40th Bombardment Squadrons, Tail Code: Triangle R
: [[7th Bombardment Wing]] – [[Carswell AFB]], Texas (June 1948 – May 1958)
::9th, 436th and 492d Bombardment Squadrons, Tail Code: Triangle J
: [[11th Bombardment Wing]] – [[Carswell AFB]], Texas (December 1948 – December 1957)
::26th, 42d and 98th Bombardment Squadrons, Tail Code: Triangle U
: [[28th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing]] – [[Ellsworth AFB]], South Dakota (May 1949 – April 1950)
::77th, 717th and 718th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadrons, Tail Code: Circle X
: [[42d Bombardment Wing]], [[Loring AFB]], Maine (April 1953 – September 1956)
::69th, 70th and 75th Bombardment Squadrons
[[15th Air Force]]
: [[92d Bombardment Wing]] – [[Fairchild AFB]], Washington (July 1951 – March 1956)
::325th, 326th and 327th Bombardment Squadrons, Tail Code: Circle W
: [[95th Bombardment Wing]] – [[Biggs Army Airfield#Biggs Air Force Base (1947–66)|Biggs AFB]], Texas (August 1953 – February 1959)
::334th, 335th and 336th Bombardment Squadrons
: [[5th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing]] – Fairfield-Suisun AFB (later [[Travis AFB]]), California (January 1951 – September 1958)
::5th, 31st and 72d Strategic Reconnaissance Squadrons, Tail Code: Circle X
: [[9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing]] – Fairfield-Suisun AFB, California (May 1949 – April 1950)
::1st Bombardment Squadron
: [[99th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing]] – [[Fairchild AFB]], Washington (August 1951 – September 1956)
::346th, 347th and 348th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadrons, Tail Code: Circle I

Note: SAC eliminated tail codes in 1953.

==Surviving aircraft==
{{as of|2022}} four complete B-36 type aircraft survive from the original 384 produced.<ref name="yenne2004" />{{rp|149}}
;RB-36H
[[File:RB-36H located at Castle Air Museum in Atwater, CA.jpg|thumb|RB-36H 51-13730 at the [[Castle Air Museum]].]]
* AF Ser. No. 51-13730 is at [[Castle Air Museum]] at the former [[Castle Air Force Base]] in [[Atwater, California]]. Previously displayed at the former [[Chanute Air Force Base]] in [[Rantoul, Illinois]] from 1957 to 1991.<ref>[https://www.castleairmuseum.org/collection "B-36 Peacemaker, s/n 51-13730."] Castle Air Museum. Retrieved: 14 December 2017.</ref>

;B-36J
[[File:B-36J located at Strategic Air and Space Museum in Ashland, NE.jpg|thumb|B-36J 52-2217 at the [[Strategic Air and Space Museum]].]]
[[File:NMAF B-36.jpg|thumb|B-36J 52-2220 at the [[National Museum of the United States Air Force]].]]
[[File:Convair B-36J Peacemaker located at Pima Air & Space Museum..JPG|thumb|B-36J 52-2827 at the [[Pima Air & Space Museum]].]]
[[File:B-36J PASM 20060603 054o20b Wiki.jpg|thumb|Consolidated B-36J "City of Fort Worth" unrestored flight deck.]]
* AF Ser. No. 52-2217 is at the [[Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum]], formerly at [[Offutt Air Force Base]], and now off base near [[Ashland, Nebraska]].<ref>[http://www.sasmuseum.com/aircraft/b-36j-peacemaker/ "B-36 Peacemaker, s/n 52-2217."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140531043645/http://www.sasmuseum.com/aircraft/b-36j-peacemaker/ |date=31 May 2014 }} SAC Museum. Retrieved: 15 May 2010.</ref>
* AF Ser. No. 52-2220 is at the [[National Museum of the United States Air Force]] at [[Wright-Patterson Air Force Base]]. Its flight to the museum from Davis–Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona on 30 April 1959 was the last flight of a B-36. This B-36J replaced the former Air Force Museum's original YB-36. This was the first aircraft placed in the museum's new display hangar. It is displayed alongside the massive {{cvt|9|ft}} lower main gear strut, single wheel and tire from the XB-36.<ref>[https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/197636/convair-b-36j-peacemaker/ "B-36 Peacemaker, s/n 52-2220."]  National Museum of the United States Air Force. Retrieved: 14 December 2017.</ref>
* AF Ser. No. 52-2827 is at the [[Pima Air and Space Museum]], adjacent to Davis–Monthan Air Force Base in [[Tucson, Arizona]]. This aircraft was the final B-36 built, named ''The City of Fort Worth'', and lent to the city of Fort Worth on 12 February 1959. It sat on the field at the [[Greater Southwest International Airport]] until that airfield was closed and the property was redeveloped adjacent to [[Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport]]. Some attempts were made to begin restoration at that location through the early 1970s. It then moved to the short-lived [[Southwest Aerospace Museum]], between the former [[Carswell Air Force Base]] (now [[Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth]]) and the former [[General Dynamics]] (now [[Lockheed Martin]]) assembly plant, where it was originally built. Some restoration took place there. As Lockheed Martin had no room to display it, and efforts in Fort Worth to build a facility fell short, the NMUSAF repossessed the aircraft and it was transported to Tucson for loan to the Pima Air and Space Museum. It was fully restored and reassembled at that museum, just south of Davis–Monthan AFB, and is displayed there.<ref>[http://www.pimaair.org/visit/aircraft-by-name/item/convair-b-36j-peacemaker "B-36 Peacemaker, s/n 52-2827."]  Pima Air & Space Museum. Retrieved: 9 April 2012.</ref>

==Notable incidents and accidents==
Though the B-36 had a good overall safety record, well above average for the class and time, 10 B-36s were involved in accidents between 1949 and 1954 (three B-36Bs, three B-36Ds, and four B-36Hs).<ref name="B-36 wrecks">Lockett, Brian. [https://web.archive.org/web/20010619213502/http://www.air-and-space.com/b-36%2Bwrecks.htm "Convair B-36 Crash Reports and Wreck Sites."] Goleta Air and Space Museum, air-and-space.com. Retrieved: 15 May 2010.</ref> A total of 32 B-36s were written off in accidents between 1949 and 1957 of 385 built.<ref name="jenkins2002" />{{rp|238}} When a crash occurred, the [[magnesium]]-rich airframe burned easily.<ref>Lockett, Brian. [http://www.air-and-space.com/b-36%20wrecks.htm "Synopsis of the Air Force Accident Report for RB-36H, 51-13722."] Goleta Air and Space Museum, air-and-space.com, 30 July 2003. Retrieved: 23 September 2007.</ref>

On 14 February 1950 off the northwest coast of [[British Columbia]] on [[Princess Royal Island]], 17 crew [[1950 British Columbia B-36 crash|parachuted from their blazing B-36B]]; 12 crewmen were found with one injured, and five were  missing.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gendisasters.com/british-columbia/14168/mount-kologet-bc-bomber-crash-feb-1950 |title=Gen disasters |access-date=10 December 2020 |archive-date=5 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200705191043/http://www.gendisasters.com/british-columbia/14168/mount-kologet-bc-bomber-crash-feb-1950 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On Labor Day, Monday, 1 September 1952, a tornado hit Carswell Air Force Base, Fort Worth, damaging aircraft of the 7th and 11th Bomber Wings' complement of B-36s. Some two-thirds of the USAF's entire B-36 fleet was damaged, as well as six aircraft being built at that point at Convair's Fort Worth plant. The base was shut down and operations transferred to [[Meacham Field]]. Joint repairs by Convair and the USAF had repaired 18 of the 19 heavily damaged aircraft (and the six damaged and unfinished aircraft at Convair) by May 1953. One example was to be scrapped, but was used as a nuclear testing site ground target. Another heavily damaged aircraft was rebuilt as the [[NB-36H]] Nuclear Reactor Testbed aircraft.<ref>[http://www.cowtown.net/proweb/tornado/tornado.htm "B-36 fleet destroyed by tornado."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301174913/http://www.cowtown.net/proweb/tornado/tornado.htm |date=1 March 2012 }} cotown.net, 27 August 2007. Retrieved: 4 April 2012.</ref>
[[File:B36 crash.jpg|thumb|B-36 wreckage site, Goose Bay, Labrador]]

On February 2, 1953 Convair B-36H Serial No 51-5729 crashed 16 miles southwest of [[CFB Goose Bay]], [[Labrador]], after a transatlantic flight from [[RAF Fairford]]. The aircraft crashed in hilly wooded terrain. The investigation determined that a [[Ground-controlled approach]] failure was at fault. Two of the 17 crew perished.

On the night of 17 March 1953 RB-36H-25, 51-13721 departed the Canary Islands to test North American air defenses. Change in weather conditions drove the aircraft off course, and early in the morning on 18 March the aircraft collided with a mountain on the west side of Trinity Bay ({{Coord|48.184352|N|53.664271|W|display=inline|name=RB-36H-25}}) just north of [[Burgoyne's Cove]], Newfoundland, Canada. All 23 crew, including Brigadier General [[Richard E. Ellsworth|Richard Ellsworth]], were killed.<ref>[https://www.hiddennewfoundland.ca/burgoynes-cove-b36-crash "Burgoyne's Cove B-36 Crash Site"] Retrieved: 21 Mar 2024.</ref>

[[File:Crash 3-15-53.jpg|thumb|left|Official US Air Force accident incident photo of the 18 March 1953 crash]]
B-36s were involved in two "[[Broken Arrow incident|Broken Arrow]]" incidents. On 13 February 1950, B-36 serial number [[1950 British Columbia B-36 crash|44-92075, crashed in an unpopulated region]] of [[British Columbia]], resulting in the first loss of an American atom bomb. The inert bomb's [[plutonium core]] had been replaced with lead, but it did have [[Trinitrotoluene|TNT]], and it detonated over the ocean before the crew bailed out.<ref>Pyeatt, Don. [http://www.cowtown.net/proweb/brokenarrow3.htm "Interview with copilot."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090118032640/http://www.cowtown.net/proweb/brokenarrow3.htm |date=18 January 2009 }} cotown.net, 31 August 1998. Retrieved: 15 May 2010.</ref> Locating the crash site took some effort.<ref>Ricketts, Bruce. [http://www.mysteriesofcanada.com/BC/broken_arrow.htm "Broken Arrow, A Lost Nuclear Weapon in Canada".] Mysteries of Canada, 11 January 2006. Retrieved: 17 August 2007.</ref> On 4 November 2016, however, an object similar to the bomb was reported to have been found by a diver near the [[Haida Gwaii]] archipelago, {{cvt|80|km|order=flip}} off the coast of British Columbia. The [[Royal Canadian Navy]] deployed vessels to investigate.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/04/canada-lost-nuke-found-cold-war-bomb |title=Diver may have found 'lost nuke' missing since cold war off Canada coast |newspaper=The Guardian |date=4 November 2016 |access-date=4 November 2016}}</ref> After investigation, the Royal Canadian Navy determined that it was not the lost bomb.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38112808 |title=Object found off British Columbia coast not missing nuke |work=BBC News |date=25 November 2016 |access-date=26 November 2016}}</ref> Later in 1954, the airframe, stripped of sensitive material, was substantially destroyed ''[[in situ]]'' by a U.S. military recovery team.

On 22 May 1957, a B-36 accidentally dropped a [[Mark 17 nuclear bomb|Mark 17]] [[Thermonuclear weapon|thermonuclear bomb]] {{cvt|4.5|mi}} away from the control tower while landing at [[Kirtland Air Force Base]] in [[Albuquerque]], [[New Mexico]]. The weapon had come loose from its mounts and fell through the bomb bay doors, and sending the aircraft into an uncontrollable climb due to the sudden and unexpected weight shift. Only the conventional explosives detonated, as the bomb was unarmed. The aircraft made a safe landing. These incidents remained classified for decades. See [[list of military nuclear accidents]].<ref name="B-36 wrecks"/><ref>Adler, Les. [http://www.hkhinc.com/newmexico/albuquerque/doomsday/ "Albuquerque's Near-Doomsday."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190515060717/http://www.hkhinc.com/newmexico/albuquerque/doomsday/ |date=15 May 2019 }} ''Albuquerque Tribune'', 20 January 1994. Retrieved: 10 August 2009.</ref>

==Specifications (B-36J-III)==
[[File:B36 convair plan.gif|frameless|upright=1.6|right|3-view line drawing of the Convair B-36]]
[[File:B-36 bomber.ogg|thumb|Video clip of the construction and features of the B-36 bomber]]
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=National Museum of the U.S.  Air Force<ref name="B36J factsheet">[http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=2544 "Factsheet:Convair B-36J"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090806073801/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=2544 |date=6 August 2009 }}. National Museum of the United States Air Force. Retrieved: 8 October 2010.</ref>
|prime units?=imp
|crew=13
|length ft=162
|length in=1
|span ft=230
|span in=0
|height ft=46
|height in=9
|wing area sqft=4772
|wing area note=<ref name="knaack1988" />{{rp|54–55}}
|airfoil='''root:''' [[NACA airfoil|NACA 63(420)-422]]; '''tip:''' [[NACA airfoil|NACA 63(420)-517]]<ref name="Selig">{{cite web |last1=Lednicer |first1=David |title=The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage |url=https://m-selig.ae.illinois.edu/ads/aircraft.html |website=m-selig.ae.illinois.edu |access-date=16 April 2019}}</ref>
|empty weight lb=166165
|max takeoff weight lb=410000
|max takeoff weight note=
|fuel capacity=

<!--  Powerplant  -->
|eng1 number=6
|eng1 name=[[Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major|Pratt & Whitney R-4360-53 Wasp Major]]
|eng1 type=28-cylinder 4-row air-cooled radial piston engines
|eng1 hp=3800
|eng1 note=for take-off

|eng2 number=4
|eng2 name=[[General Electric J47]]
|eng2 type=[[turbojet]] engines
|eng2 lbf=5200
|eng2 note=in pylon mounted pods outboard of piston engines

|prop blade number=3
|prop name=[[Curtiss Electric]] constant-speed fully-feathering pusher propellers
|prop dia ft=
|prop dia in=
|prop dia note=

<!--  Performance   -->
|max speed mph=435
|cruise speed mph=230
|range miles=
|range note=
|combat range miles=3985
|ferry range miles=10000
|ferry range note=<ref name="knaack1988" />{{rp|54–55}}
|endurance=<!-- if range unknown -->
|ceiling ft=43600
|ceiling note=
|climb rate ftmin=1995
|climb rate note=
|wing loading lb/sqft=
|wing loading note=
|fuel consumption lb/mi=
|power/weight=
|thrust/weight=
<!--  Armament -->
|guns=1 remotely operated tail turret with 2 × [[20 mm caliber|{{cvt|20|mm|3}}]] [[Hispano-Suiza HS.404#United States|M24A1 autocannon]]<ref name="knaack1988" />{{rp|54–55}}
|bombs={{cvt|86000|lb|kg}} with weight restrictions, {{cvt|72000|lb}} normal<ref name="knaack1988" />{{rp|54–55}}
|avionics=
}}

==Notable appearances in media==
<!-- All content about the aircraft in fictional and gaming use has been moved to [[Aircraft in fiction]], please see [[WP:AIRPOP]] -->
{{Main|Aircraft in fiction#B-36 Peacemaker}}
In 1949, the B-36 was featured in the documentary film, ''Target: Peace'', about the operations of the 7th Bombardment Wing at [[Carswell AFB]]. Other scenes included B-36 production at the Fort Worth plant.

''[[Strategic Air Command (film)|Strategic Air Command]]'' is a 1955 American film starring [[James Stewart]] as a [[Major League Baseball]] star and World War II veteran who is called back to active duty to become a B-36 pilot and flight commander for SAC.

The documentary ''[[Lost Nuke]]'' (2004) chronicles a 2003 Canadian expedition to find the first lost nuclear weapon which traveled to the mountain site of the 1950 [[British Columbia]] B-36 crash.<ref>Jorgenson, Michael, producer. [http://www.telefilm.gc.ca/data/production/prod_3152.asp?lang=en&cat=tv&g=doc&y=2004 "Lost Nuke".] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090818082921/http://www.telefilm.gc.ca/data/production/prod_3152.asp?lang=en&cat=tv&g=doc&y=2004 |date=18 August 2009 }} Myth Merchant Films, Spruce Grove, Alberta, 2004.</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Aviation}}
{{aircontent
|related=
* [[Convair YB-60]]
* [[Convair XC-99]]
|similar aircraft=
* [[Nakajima G10N]]
* [[Tupolev Tu-95]]
* [[Boeing XB-55]]
|lists=
* [[List of military aircraft of the United States]]
* [[List of bomber aircraft]]
|see also=
* [[B-36 Peacemaker Museum]]
* [[Convair B-36 variants]]
* [[Lycoming XR-7755]]
* "[[Victory Bomber]]"
* [[Kégresse track]]
}}

==References==
===Notes===
{{Reflist|group=N}}

===Citations===
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography===
* Barlow, Jeffrey G. ''Revolt of the Admirals: The Fight for Naval Aviation, 1945–1950''. Washington, D.C.: Naval Historical Center, 1994. {{ISBN|0-16-042094-6}}.
* Ford, Daniel. [https://web.archive.org/web/20060615201002/http://www.airspacemag.com/ASM/Mag/Index/1996/AM/bacr.html "B-36: Bomber at the Crossroads".] ''Air and Space/Smithsonian'', April 1996. Retrieved: 3 February 2007.
* Grant, R.G. and John R. Dailey. ''Flight: 100 Years of Aviation''. Harlow, Essex, UK: DK Adult, 2007. {{ISBN|978-0-7566-1902-2}}.
* Jacobsen, Meyers K. ''Convair B-36: A Comprehensive History of America's "Big Stick"''. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Military History, 1997. {{ISBN|0-7643-0974-9}}.
* Jacobsen, Meyers K. ''Convair B-36: A Photo Chronicle''. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Military History, 1999. {{ISBN|0-7643-0974-9}}.
* Jacobsen, Meyers K. "Peacemaker." ''Airpower'', Vol. 4, No. 6, November 1974.
* Jacobsen, Meyers K. and Ray Wagner. ''B-36 in Action (Aircraft in Action Number 42)''. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications Inc., 1980. {{ISBN|0-89747-101-6}}.
* Jenkins, Dennis R. ''B-36 Photo Scrapbook''. St. Paul, Minnesota: Specialty Press Publishers and Wholesalers, 2003. {{ISBN|1-58007-075-2}}.
* Jenkins, Dennis R. ''Convair B-36 Peacemaker''. St. Paul, Minnesota: Specialty Press Publishers and Wholesalers, 1999. {{ISBN|1-58007-019-1}}.
* Jenkins, Dennis R. ''Magnesium Overcast: The Story of the Convair B-36''. North Branch, Minnesota: Specialty Press, 2002., {{ISBN|978-1-58007-129-1}}.
* Johnsen, Frederick A. ''Thundering Peacemaker, the B-36 Story in Words and Pictures''. Tacoma, Washington: Bomber Books, 1978.
* Knaack, Marcelle Size. ''Encyclopedia of U.S. Air Force aircraft and missile systems '' Volume II: Post-World War II Bombers, 1945–1973. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History, 1988. {{ISBN|0-16-002260-6}}.[https://media.defense.gov/2010/May/26/2001330264/-1/-1/0/AFD-100526-026.pdf Online - via media.defense.gov]
* Leach, Norman S. ''Broken Arrow: America's First Lost Nuclear Weapon''. Calgary, Alberta: Red Deer Press, 2008. {{ISBN|978-0-88995-348-2}}.
* Miller, Jay and Roger Cripliver. "B-36: The Ponderous Peacemaker." ''Aviation Quarterly'', Vol. 4, No. 4, 1978.
* Miller, Jay. "Tip Tow & Tom-Tom". ''[[Air Enthusiast]]'', No. 9, February–May 1979, pp.&nbsp;40–42. {{ISSN|0143-5450}}.
* Morris, Lt. Col. (ret.) and Ted Allan. [http://www.zianet.com/tmorris/b36.html "Flying the Aluminum and Magnesium Overcast".] ''The collected articles and photographs of Ted A. Morris'', 2000. Retrieved: 4 September 2006.
* Orman, Edward W. "One Thousand on Top: A Gunner's View of Flight from the Scanning Blister of a B-36." ''Airpower'', Vol. 17, No. 2, March 1987.
* Peacock, Lindsay. "B-36: Convair's "Big Stick": Part One". ''[[Air International]]'', Vol. 39, No. 4, October 1990. pp.&nbsp;230–234. {{issn|0306-5634}}.
* Peacock, Lindsay. "B-36: Convair's "Big Stick": Part Two". ''Air International'', Vol. 39, No. 5, November 1990. pp.&nbsp;279–286, 306. {{issn|0306-5634}}.
* Puryear, Edgar. ''Stars in Flight''. Novato, California: Presidio Press, 1981. {{ISBN|0-89141-128-3}}
* Pyeatt, Don. ''B-36: Saving the Last Peacemaker (Third Edition)''. Fort Worth, Texas: ProWeb Publishing, 2006. {{ISBN|0-9677593-2-3}}.
* Shiel, Walter P. [https://web.archive.org/web/20040621081814/http://cessnawarbirds.com/articles/PDF/peacemaker.pdf "The B-36 Peacemaker: 'There Aren't Programs Like This Anymore'".] ''cessnawarbirds.com''. Retrieved: 19 July 2009.
* Taylor, John W.R. "Convair B-36." ''Combat Aircraft of the World from 1909 to the present''. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969. {{ISBN|0-425-03633-2}}.
* Thomas, Tony. ''A Wonderful Life: The Films and Career of James Stewart''. Secaucus, New Jersey: Citadel Press, 1988. {{ISBN|0-8065-1081-1}}.
* Wagner, Ray. ''American Combat Planes''. New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1968. {{ISBN|0-385-04134-9}}.
* Wilson, Stewart. ''Combat Aircraft since 1945.'' London: Aerospace Publications, 2000. {{ISBN|1-875671-50-1}}.
* Winchester, Jim. "Convair B-36". ''Military Aircraft of the Cold War (The Aviation Factfile)''. Rochester, Kent, UK: The Grange plc., 2006. {{ISBN|1-84013-929-3}}.
* Wolk, Herman S. ''Fulcrum of Power: Essays on the United States Air Force and National Security''. Darby, Pennsylvania: Diane Publishing, 2003. {{ISBN|1-4289-9008-9}}.
* Yenne, Bill. "Convair B-36 Peacemaker." ''International Air Power Review'', Vol. 13, Summer 2004. London: AirTime Publishing Inc., 2004. {{ISBN|1-880588-84-6}}.

==External links==
{{Commons category multi|Convair B-36 Peacemaker}}
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* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070310042108/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=2584 USAF Museum: XB-36]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGKGTceC40E&ab/ Documentary about the Convair b-36 Peacemaker]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071115224556/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=2537 USAF Museum: B-36A]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wvEzhyY9F4 Video of The B-36 from Strategic Air Command. 5:32]
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=Nd8DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA98 "I Flew with the Atomic Bombers"], ''[[Popular Mechanics]]'', April 1954, pp.&nbsp;98–102, 264.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090112203629/http://www.aero-web.org/locator/manufact/convair/b-36.htm AeroWeb: B-36 versions and survivors]
* [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/bomb/filmmore/reference/interview/edmund10.html "Race For the Superbomb: Lt. Gen. James Edmundson interview transcript: Flying B-36 and B-47 planes"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110131172413/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/bomb/filmmore/reference/interview/edmund10.html |date=31 January 2011 }}. [[PBS]] Online.
* [http://www.zianet.com/tmorris/b36.html ZiaNet: B-36 operations Walker AFB Roswell New Mexico 1955–1957]
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=mdgDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA98 "I Flew Thirty-One Hours in a B-36"], ''Popular Mechanics'', September 1950
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1V9CWQNZRF8 ''Size 36'', 1950-produced "first public film" on the B-36, in detail]
* [https://digitalcollections.museumofflight.org/nodes/view/2857 Handbook flight operating instructions : USAF series B-36A aircraft] – [https://digitalcollections.museumofflight.org/ The Museum of Flight Digital Collections]

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{{Convair aircraft}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}

[[Category:Convair B-36 Peacemaker| ]]
[[Category:Consolidated aircraft|B-36]]
[[Category:Convair aircraft|B-36]]
[[Category:1940s United States bomber aircraft|Convair B-36]]
[[Category:Six-engined pusher aircraft]]
[[Category:Aircraft with auxiliary jet engines]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Shoulder-wing aircraft]]
[[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1946]]
[[Category:Ten-engined aircraft]]
[[Category:Aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear]]
[[Category:Six-engined piston aircraft]]