XB-46 – The Needle

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Convair's XB-46 prototype has been described as one of the most beautiful looking jets of its time.

It had a sleek, straight-wing design and an innovative pneumatic control system. The jet also had a weapons-load capacity of up to 22,000 lbs. The XB-46 prototype for a jet-powered bomber was a powerful sight to behold.

The Needle, as its test pilots nicknamed it, was initially designed to counter the German Arado Ar 234, the world's first operational jet-powered bomber. But neither luck nor history was ever on this Convair prototype's side. The bomber never saw production or active duty.

The Needle never moved on from the testing stage, as it was largely overshadowed by what later became one of the most popular bombers of the midcentury: Boeing's Stratojet. Though short, its legacy still lives on, and its design served as an example for other bombers of the postwar era.

As budgets shifted, a new priority emerged in its place: one of Convair's most bizarre creations - the forward wing-swept XB-53.

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Видео XB-46 – The Needle канала Dark Skies