B-45 Tornado Bomber
The North American Aviation B-45 was one of America's first operational bombers to employ jet propulsion. Designed during 1944 and 1945, the straight-wing Tornado was the first jet bomber in service with the U.S. Air Force and was the first four-jet aircraft to fly in the United States.
Other versions include the longer-range B-45C with wing-tip tanks and the photoreconnaissance version, the RB-45C.
Rated as a light bomber by modern-day standards, it was the first four-jet aircraft to drop an atom bomb and the first to be refueled in midair.
| First flight: | Feb. 24, 1947 |
|---|---|
| Span: | 89 feet |
| Length: | 75 feet 11 inches |
| Gross weight: | 82,600 pounds |
| Power plant: | Four General Electric J47A jet engines with water injection. First 22 produced with Allison J35 engines. |
| Speed: | 575 mph class |
| Crew: | Four |
| Service ceiling: | Over 45,000 feet |
| Armament: | Two .50-caliber machine guns |
| Payload: | More than 20,000 pounds |
| Number built: | 143 |