Made in 1946 to commemorate 20 years of the Strategic Air Command, this silent film shows the various aircraft used to carry atomic weapons. It begins with images of the B-29, which carried the first and only atomic bombs ever used in anger and which served as nuclear weapons platforms in 1946-47. The B-50 is shown at the 1:40 mark, and this modified version of the B-29 served until 1955 in this role. Next, the F-84 Thunderjet is shown, in service from 1950-57. At the 2:45 mark these aircraft are seen being refueled in mid-air. The B-36, the largest aircraft to carry an atomic bomb, is shown at the 3:15 mark. It was in service from 1948-1959. The B-47 Stratojet is shown at 4:30, and this aircraft was in deterrent service from 1951-1966. Great shots of these massive planes taking off in huge plumes of smoke. The KC-97 Stratofreighter is shown in its role as refueling aircraft at the 6:45 mark. The SM-62 SNARK intercontinental cruise missile is shown at the 8 minute mark being launched by JATO bottles, followed by the SM-65 Atlas ballistic missile, and the SM-68 Titan I missile that replaced it.
The Boeing B-50 Superfortress strategic bomber is a post–World War II revision of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, fitted with more powerful Pratt & Whitney R-4360 radial engines, stronger structure, a taller fin, and other improvements. It was the last piston-engined bomber designed by Boeing for the United States Air Force. Not as well known as its direct predecessor, the B-50 was in USAF service for nearly 20 years.
After its primary service with SAC ended, B-50 airframes were modified into aerial tankers for Tactical Air Command (KB-50) and as weather reconnaissance aircraft (WB-50) for the Air Weather Service. Both the tanker and hurricane hunter versions were retired in March 1965 due to metal fatigue and corrosion found in the wreckage of KB-50J, 48-065, which crashed on 14 October 1964.
The Convair B-36 "Peacemaker" was a strategic bomber built by Convair and operated solely by the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1949 to 1959. The B-36 was the largest mass-produced piston engine aircraft ever made. It had the longest wingspan of any combat aircraft ever built at 230 ft (70.1 m). The B-36 was the first bomber capable of delivering any of the nuclear weapons in the U.S. arsenal from inside its four bomb bays without aircraft modifications. With a range of 10,000 mi (16,000 km) and a maximum payload of 72,000 lb (33,000 kg), the B-36 was the world's first manned bomber with an unrefueled intercontinental range. Until it was replaced by the jet powered Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, which first became operational in 1955, the B-36 was the primary nuclear weapons delivery vehicle of the Strategic Air Command (SAC), and the B-36 set the standard for range and payload for subsequent U.S. intercontinental bombers.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
