Little is said about the Boeing B-50 Superfortress except to refer to it as a middle-of-the-pack runner between two titans, its predecessor, the B-29, and successor, the B-47 Stratojet, which played a significant role in the early years of the Cold War. This aircraft first flew on June 25, 1947, and entered service the following year.
This aircraft first flew on June 25, 1947, and entered service the following year.
The aircraft was a significant step forward, with more powerful Pratt & Whitney R-4360 engines and a stronger wing, together with a larger vertical stabilizer.
The B-50 was completed with a top speed of 385 mph and a range of 4,650 nautical miles. The B-50 became the primary atomic bomber for the U.S. Strategic Air Command (SAC) until it was replaced by the B-47 in the late 1950s.
Its first and greatest claim to fame, however, was the first nonstop around-the-world flight by Lucky Lady II in 1949, completed in more than 94 hours.
The B-50 never saw combat as a bomber despite its impressive capabilities.
The Air Force decided to use the older B-29s in bombing missions during the Korean War, and the B-50 was relegated to use in other areas, such as photographic reconnaissance and weather reconnaissance.
The variant specifically of the RB-50 became infamous for doing photographic reconnaissance missions in aid of the Korean conflict.
Another variant of the B-50 formed the basis for the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter.
This became a workhorse in the U.S. Air Force Military Airlift Transport Service in the early 1950s, with more than 800 built, some as freighters and others as air-to-air refuelers.
The versatility that the B-50 offered also went well beyond its service as a bomber.
It was the pioneer of air-to-air refueling technology-the mother of all long-range military operations.
Equipped with more J-47 turbojet engines, the KB-50 tanker was able to maintain higher speeds and higher altitudes, making it very useful for the refueling of all those jet bombers like the B-47.
B-50 also performed electronic espionage sorties, which were accommodated by the RB-50G version.
Risk was never taken out from these missions, and a 1953 RB-50G, shot down by Soviet MiG-17 fighters over Vladivostok, resulted in the loss of all except one crew member.
The aircraft are in various museums in the United States, including the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino, California, and the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.
Although it never achieved the same level of fame as a large number of other aircraft from the same period, the contributions the B-50 Superfortress provided to military aviation and the theory of Cold War strategy lay invaluable.