B-45 Tornado: The Forgotten Air Force Bomber?

B-45 Tornado: A Relatively Unsung Piece of USAF Cold War Bomber History – People think of old-school when they think of it. Cold War Bombers, B-52 Stratofortress AKA “BUFF (Big Ugly Fat ……”) is most likely the first one to come to mind, especially since it’s still kicking butt and taking names All these years later.

You might also consider the B-47 StratojetThe first jet strategic bomber was built by a pure jet engine. It also received a lot of Hollywood attention thanks to the 1955 movie Strategic Air Command starring Jimmy Stewart.

You might also think about the behemoth B-36 PeacemakerIt had the longest wingspan of any combat plane in history. The B-45 Tornado is still largely overlooked.

This is a shame because the B-45 Tornado was history-making in many ways.

Let’s not give this unsung warbird its proverbial moment in the sun.

Breathing the Tornado

The North American B-45 Tornado – NOT to be confused with the Panavia Tornado fighter-bomber that carried out daring low-level air raids against Saddam Hussein’s airfields during Operation Desert Storm and suffered frightening losses in the process – made her maiden flight on St. Patrick’s Day 1947 – six months before the U.S. Air Force became an independent branch of service –  and entered into U.S. Air Force operational service on 22 April 1948.

Constructed by North American Aviation (NAA) – most famous for producing the B-25 Mitchell Medium bomber and P-51D Mustang fighter plane during WWII – the B-45 made history in several aspects:

– She was the first American four-engine jet bomber Take flight

– She was the first American production jet bomber.

– The B-45 was the first jet bomber capable of carrying an atomic bomb.

– The B-45 Tornado was the first multi-jet reconnaissance aircraft to refuel in mid-air.

Specifications for the Tornado – courtesy of the Boeing Historical Snapshot info page – include a fuselage length of 89 feet – making it a light bomber by modern-day standards – a wingspan of 75 feet 11 inches, and a gross weight of 82,600 pounds.

Maximum airspeed was 575 mph, with a maximum service ceiling of 45,000 ft, powered by four General Electric J47A Jet engines with water injection

The payload consisted of 20,000+ pounds of bombs and self-defensive armment consisted only of two tail-turret-mounted armaments. M3 .50 caliber machine guns.

There was a crew of four, including the pilot, copilot, bombier-navigator, tail gunner, and co-pilot.

Operational History: B-45

The B-45 served as both a bomber and a reconnaissance aircraft – designated the RB-45 for the latter role – during the Korean War.

Unfortunately, the Tornado did not make history, and was placed in an unenviable position on 4/12/50, when Soviet MiG-15 “Fagot” Aleksandr F. Andrianov, pilot, shot down an RB-45C aircraft over Red China. It was thus the first time a jet fighter had successfully intercepted a jet bomber. None of the RB-45’s four-man crew lived to tell their tale.

B-45 bomber and RB45 recon variants both ended up serving in World War II. Strategic Air Command (SAC) fleet between 1950 and 1959. There were 143 total airframes built.

The United Kingdom was the only foreign customer that used the Tornado. Three RB-45s leased to Royal Air Force (RAF), in July 1951. There were three of them. “Special Duties Flight” RAF Sculthorpe carried out the following Operation Ju JitsuThis included daring deep-level reconnaissance missions above the Soviet Union to collect electronic or photographic intelligence. These Special Duties Flights were in existence from 1952 to 1954.

The RAF Sculthorpe Heritage Centre info site noted that “Due to the growing tensions between the West and East, President Truman forbid any kind of overflights, so SAC turned to Britain for help. The RAF, keen to show their worth in the “Special Relationship,” Crew members of the American-loaned RB-45s were willing to accept. The RAF was evaluating the RB-45’s mid-air refuelling capabilities. This was the story. Both countries needed vital intel on the Soviet infrastructure, defences and offences… Only Col Hack Mixson, commander of the 91st [Strategic Reconnaissance Wing], [Squadron Leader John] Crampton and [Squadron Leader Rex] Sanders knew the true nature of the operation.”

Where are They Now?

Today, there are three Tornados left. They all exist as static displays rather than airworthy specimens. One at the Castle Air Museum In Atwater, California. Korean War Gallery of the National Museum of the United States Air Force Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio; one at the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum in Ashland, Nebraska.

Christian D. Orr was a former Air Force Security Forces Officer, Federal law enforcement officer and private military contractor. He has had assignments in Iraq, Kuwait, Kosovo, Japan and Germany. Chris holds a B.A. A B.A. and M.A. are both held by Chris in International Relations at the University of Southern California. American Military University (AMU) in Intelligence Studies (concentration In Terrorism Studies). He was also published in The Daily Torch The Journal of Intelligence and Cyber Security. Last, but not least: he is a Companion of the order of the Naval Order of the United States (NOUS). He likes to shoot, dine out, cigars. If you’d like to pick his brain in-person about his writings, chances are you’ll be able to find him at the Green Turtle Pasadena In Maryland, Friday night singing his favorite karaoke tracks.