The B-47 Stratojet was a long-range, six-engine, jet-powered strategic bomber designed to fly at high subsonic speeds and high altitudes to avoid enemy interception, with a primary mission of delivering nuclear ordnance on designated targets. Its engines, carried in pods under the swept wing, made it a major innovation in post-World War II combat jet design and helped lead to modern jet airliners. The B-47 entered service with the United States Air Force's Strategic Air Command in 1951 and was a mainstay of its bomber strength during the 1950s and early 1960s, remaining in use as a bomber until 1965. It was also adapted for photo reconnaissance, electronic intelligence, and weather reconnaissance, staying in service as a reconnaissance platform until 1969 and as a test bed until 1977. This aircraft spent most of its operational life as a test bed for various projects, most notably the development of fly-by-wire systems, and work performed with it helped make possible the digital control of aircraft surfaces such as flaps and ailerons. It was armed with two M-24 20mm cannons in a tail turret and could carry nuclear bombs or up to 10,000 pounds of conventional bombs, with a maximum bomb size of one 25,000-pound bomb. Powered by six General Electric J47-GE-25 axial flow turbojet engines producing 7,200 pounds of thrust each at maximum power with water injection, it had a maximum speed of 610 miles per hour, a cruising speed of 560 miles per hour, a range of 3,500 miles, a service ceiling of 39,300 feet, a wingspan of 116 feet, a length of 107 feet 1 inch, a height of 28 feet, and a maximum takeoff weight of 226,000 pounds. Its crew consisted of three: pilot, copilot/radio operator/gunner, and bombardier/navigator. Boeing, Douglas, and Lockheed produced 1,591 of the aircraft, and this B-47E is part of the USAF Heritage Program Collection.
