2019年1月11日 · The tail gun of the B-58 boasted many firsts for an aircraft defensive gun including the first fully automatic defensive gun fire control system

The Convair B-58 Hustler, designed and produced by American aircraft manufacturer Convair, was the first operational bomber capable of Mach 2 flight. [1] The B-58 was developed during the 1950s for the United States Air Force (USAF) Strategic Air Command (SAC).

The tail gun consisted of a General Electric T-171E-3 six-barrel 20-mm rotary cannon with a maximum firing rate of 4000 rounds per minute. The gun was mounted on the axis of an articulated cone which consisted of tapered, concentric aluminum rings which were spring-loaded against each other.

The U.S. Air Force's first operational supersonic bomber, the B-58 made its initial flight on Nov. 11, 1956. In addition to the Hustler's delta wing shape, distinctive features included a sophisticated inertial guidance navigation and bombing system, a,

The defensive armament of the B-58 was a six-barrel, 20-mm rotary cannon (Gatling gun) with a maximum firing rate of 4000 rounds per minute. The radar for the tail gun was located in a bullet fairing above the tail cone.

2009年10月27日 · The Convair B-58 Hustler's tail cone that enclosed the tail gun was composed of tapered, concentric aluminum rings nested within each other and spring-loaded against each other to form a flexible aerodynamic shell for the gun system.

2017年2月12日 · The second change was a physical strengthening of the vertical fin and associated fuselage structure just forward of the tail. New aircraft were built with these modifications integral to the flight control system and structure, respectfully. A second B-58 was eventually pulled from the production line and modified to the new standard.

Replacing the Boeing B-47 Stratojet strategic bomber, it was originally intended to fly at high altitudes and supersonic speeds to avoid Soviet fighters. The B-58 Hustler was notorious for its sonic boom, which was often heard by the public as it passed overhead in supersonic flight.

The vertical tail was a swept-back, truncated structure with spars and ribs providing the internal framework. The fin cap was fabricated of laminated fiberglass.

It had four turbojet engines with afterburners, and was the first supersonic aircraft with engine pods mounted outboard on the wings. The wings had a span of 56 feet, 10 inches and were swept 60; the length was 96 feet, 9 inches; the height at the tail was 29 feet, 11 inches; and the maximum takeoff gross weight was 160,000 pounds.