The Hustler, concluded - b58 pod gun.jpg (1/1)

I don't know the methods involved. According to Jay Miller's book on the
B-58, Aerograph 4, they did several drop tests at supersonic speed, one
being 1.4 M at 40,000 feet, so, it could be done. It sounds like pod
separation was very flat and stable. There may be more in the book about
mission and attack profiles, but, I haven't come accross them yet.
Ron

"Bruce R" wrote in message
...

"Ron Monroe" wrote in message
ink.net...
Didn't make any difference. The supersonic speed going forward versus the
bullet speed going backwards, meant that it was totally eneffectual.
Luckily, they never were in a position where it was needed. But, it was
radar controlled.
Ron


Did it actually attack at supersonic speeds? If so, how do you drop a
nuke at that speed?

Bruce R

True. But while it could drop its bomb pod at supersonic speeds it quickly
became a suicide mission to penetrate Soviet airspace at high altitude even
at Mach 2. Soviet radar and missiles would blow us out of the sky.
Modifications were made to use low altitude drogue chute retarded bombs to
get below the radar/missile coverage. So the supersonic ability of the
Hustler became somewhat useless as a weapon system.

We did gain a lot of data on supersonic flight from the Hustler.

--
Darrell R. Schmidt
B-58 Hustler Web Site
http://members.cox.net/dschmidt1/
Cadet Class 55-I Web Site
http://pilotclass55india.org/


"Ron Monroe" wrote in message
link.net...
I don't know the methods involved. According to Jay Miller's book on the
B-58, Aerograph 4, they did several drop tests at supersonic speed, one
being 1.4 M at 40,000 feet, so, it could be done. It sounds like pod
separation was very flat and stable. There may be more in the book about
mission and attack profiles, but, I haven't come accross them yet.
Ron

"Bruce R" wrote in message
...

"Ron Monroe" wrote in message
ink.net...
Didn't make any difference. The supersonic speed going forward versus
the bullet speed going backwards, meant that it was totally eneffectual.
Luckily, they never were in a position where it was needed. But, it was
radar controlled.
Ron


Did it actually attack at supersonic speeds? If so, how do you drop a
nuke at that speed?

Bruce R

And that is supposedly what killed the XB-70, as well.
Ron

"Panic" wrote in message
news
True. But while it could drop its bomb pod at supersonic speeds it
quickly became a suicide mission to penetrate Soviet airspace at high
altitude even at Mach 2. Soviet radar and missiles would blow us out of
the sky. Modifications were made to use low altitude drogue chute retarded
bombs to get below the radar/missile coverage. So the supersonic ability
of the Hustler became somewhat useless as a weapon system.

We did gain a lot of data on supersonic flight from the Hustler.

--
Darrell R. Schmidt
B-58 Hustler Web Site
http://members.cox.net/dschmidt1/
Cadet Class 55-I Web Site
http://pilotclass55india.org/


"Ron Monroe" wrote in message
link.net...
I don't know the methods involved. According to Jay Miller's book on the
B-58, Aerograph 4, they did several drop tests at supersonic speed, one
being 1.4 M at 40,000 feet, so, it could be done. It sounds like pod
separation was very flat and stable. There may be more in the book about
mission and attack profiles, but, I haven't come accross them yet.
Ron

"Bruce R" wrote in message
...

"Ron Monroe" wrote in message
ink.net...
Didn't make any difference. The supersonic speed going forward versus
the bullet speed going backwards, meant that it was totally
eneffectual. Luckily, they never were in a position where it was
needed. But, it was radar controlled.
Ron


Did it actually attack at supersonic speeds? If so, how do you drop a
nuke at that speed?

Bruce R