Convair B-58 Hustler - A Short History (US Air Force Aircraft History)

Video from the channel A Short History about Convair, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 4:22. Language: English. Video type: Documentary.

The video tells the story of the Convair B-58 Hustler, a supersonic delta-wing bomber. It emerged from a 1949 study on a long-range supersonic bomber; Convair's design, with weapons and most of the fuel in a large external pod, was selected in August 1952.

It flew on November 11, 1956 and exceeded Mach 1 that December. It had four General Electric J79 engines and a three-man crew in tandem cockpits; in later versions each crew member had an ejectable capsule usable up to Mach 2. Operational from August 1, 1960, it was difficult to fly and expensive to maintain, and lost 26 aircraft in accidents, almost a quarter of production.

Soviet missiles forced it to fly low, at lower speed and range. Robert McNamara ordered its retirement in 1965; the last ones were retired on January 31, 1970, and it was replaced by the FB-111A.