B-58 Hustler In Action
(Softcover)
SS10239

By David Doyle.
Sleek, sporting a delta wing, four big engines, and an external
payload, the Convair B-58 was the first operational bomber
capable of Mach 2. In service for only a decade, the supersonic
bomber was dubbed the ?Hustler? ? a tribute to its impressive
performance. The effort that resulted in the B-58, which saw its
heyday in the 1960s, began back in February 1949 the Air Research


and Development Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
initiated the second Generalized Bomber Study (GEBO II). While a
number of manufacturers responded, Convair?s design, which drew
heavily on that firm?s previous delta wing fighter stylings, was
favored. During its career, the B-58 equipped two Strategic Air
Command (SAC) bomb wings. The first of these, the 43d Bomb Wing,
was based from 1960 into 1964 at Carswell Air Force Base in Fort
Worth, Texas, adjacent to the factory where the B-58s were built,


then moved in 1964 to Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas,
where it remained until the Hustler?s retirement in 1970. The
second unit was the 305th Bomb Wing, based at Bunker Hill Air
Force Base (later known as Grissom AFB), Indiana from 1961
through 1970. While the initial operational use of the B-58 was
beset with delays, and in fact at one time SAC outright opposed
the aircraft, as the decade of the 1960s began the B-58 brought
SAC much desired prestige as it set a successive number of
records involving speed and altitude. Among these were the 1961
Thompson Trophy, the Mackay Trophy, the Harmon Trophy, and the
Bleriot Trophy. Despite its impressive performance, the B-58 was
not without shortcomings. For one thing, its 1,740-mile
unrefueled range was relatively modest. For another, the Soviets
developed the SA-2 Guideline surface-to-air missile that could
strike the Hustler at its 63,400 foot ceiling. Finally, the
operational cost of the bomber was extremely high. Accordingly,
in 1965, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara ordered the B-58
phased out by 1974. Then, as the Nixon Administration made one
last attempt to bring the Vietnam War to a successful end,
Defense Secretary Melvin Laird advanced this phase-out to Fiscal
Year 1970 to cut defense expenditures. Accordingly, the aircraft
were, except for a few display specimens, shuttled off to
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, where they lingered in storage
until 1977, at which time they were sold for scrap to
Southwestern Alloys.

Illustrated with over 200 photographs, 72 pages. ISBN =
978-0-89747-802-1.