B-29MR- One Way Mission

[THE PILGRIM]

Right after WWII, our attention turned to the USSR.
We had the A Bomb but didn't really have a delivery system that could go that far.
So it was decided to modify some B-29 Bombers to deliver A Bombs as far away as the interior of the USSR.
They carried extra fuel and employed an early primitive air to air refueling system.
In most cases, they still didn't have enough gas to recover to friendly territory. So they were flying a one way mission with a planned bailout in Russia. Hard way to make a living boys!
B-29 Superfortress Then and Now.
After you get to the B-29 site, click on the 301 Wing.

 

[steveno]

in Europe in up until the 1980's the fighter bases that had "nuclear Qualified" fighters also had nuclear weapons on base that could be loaded for one way trips. F-4's , F-15's , F-16's , F-100's , F-101's , F-105's and of course the F-111's were nuclear qualified

 

[Trooperdan]

Nuke a country, then bail out over it? Sounds like a good plan!

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Nuke a country, then bail out over it? Sounds like a good plan!

I guess its better than no plan.
This was really a lash up until the B-36 came online.
The B-36 came with massive problems and took a while to get combat ready.
The only nukes we had back then were large and required a Bomber to deliver.
The cute little nukes- B 43, B 61 and etc came along much later.
The F-105 was designed with an internal Bomb bay for the Mk 28.

 

[HOUSTON RICK]

If it came to it, how would friendly country be different from hostile? The roentgens would be about the same.

 

[11B Lifer]

Options

The strategic bombers were tasked to diminish their (Soviet) capability to react to our counter strike-eliminate major cities, ports.
In the event they attacked our assembly areas in Europe (Belgium, Holland, Germany) NATO would authorize selective nuclear release-tactical nuclear weapons on those targets that required near real time targeting-things that could move-major headquarters-supply points-so fighters could carry these systems. The Army had things like Lance.
Now we can effectively cut communications and move fast enough that enemy units can sit and wait for orders-not realizing that we have attacked their communications-and by the time they target us with chemical or tactical nuclear systems we move.
Matters not...its still the 18 year old rifleman who wins the day--a tank surrounded by a squad in the Bavarian forrest would be destroyed.
Its the rifleman who kills the terrorists-
At any rate any pilot involved in defending our nation has to have nerves of steel-where do we find these people who would fly into enemy airspace knowing the odds-and now there are air defense systems that are very very potent. Shake the hand of the next service member you meet-