The Boeing B-47 Stratojet was an American military jet bomber that became a major component of Strategic Air Command during the 1950s and early 1960s. Its swept wings, podded engines and compact crew arrangement marked a substantial departure from wartime piston-engined bombers.[1]
Aerodynamic development
The B-47 emerged in 1947 after Boeing engineers investigated German swept-wing research. Testing and development produced a wing swept back 35 degrees, with the engines mounted in pods beneath it. This arrangement influenced later large jet aircraft.[2]
Six General Electric J47 engines powered production B-47Es. The main landing gear was arranged in tandem beneath the fuselage. A crew of three comprised the pilot, copilot and bombardier-navigator. The aircraft carried two defensive tail guns, which could be aimed automatically by radar or controlled by the copilot.[2]
Strategic operations
B-47s began replacing B-29s and B-50s in Strategic Air Command's medium bomber units in May 1951. Their speed greatly exceeded that of the aircraft they replaced, but their range was shorter than that of the B-36 and B-52 heavy bombers.[1]
Consequently, Stratojet units regularly deployed to forward bases overseas. The later Reflex Action programme shortened these deployments to three weeks, keeping bombers closer to potential targets without permanently moving entire units abroad. The aircraft's operational system therefore depended on basing arrangements as well as airborne performance.[1]
Reconnaissance and production
Reconnaissance Stratojets photographed military and industrial installations and collected information about Soviet defences. Weather versions gathered meteorological data and sampled the atmosphere following nuclear tests. Some missions near Soviet territory resulted in interception and aircraft losses.[1]
Boeing, Douglas and Lockheed together built 2,032 B-47s. The Museum of Flight's aircraft began as a B-47E bomber and became one of 34 converted WB-47Es. It continued flying weather reconnaissance until October 1969, illustrating the operational life of specialized conversions after the bomber's main period of service.[2]