The problems of intercepting high-altitude bombers best summed up some of the intricacies of aerial warfare during the early jet age. This burst of over 6,500 lbs, created by two J34-WE-34, 3,250 lb thrust turbojets fitted on the F2H-2 Banshee, demonstrated the inadequacies. At combat weight and 45,000 feet, the Banshee’s rate of climb varied from 1,000 to 1,600 feet per minute depending on whether or not it had tip tanks. The service ceiling hovered somewhere around 51,000 feet, but the question was how much time it took to reach that height and how long one could hang out up there once you engaged the target.
Fuel consumption was a major issue. At full power, the F2H-2 consumed between 114 to 117 pounds of fuel per minute. With a combat fuel load of 3,157 pounds, that meant a paltry 26-28 minutes of actual flight if pilots disregarded all safety protocols or 17-18 minutes if they obeyed the regulation demanding a 1,200-pound fuel reserve for landing.
It was a figurative race against time to operational altitude. At 14 minutes, the banshee could achieve around 47,900 feet, but this left little time before critical fuel reserves for engagement. More fuel would extend flight time but that took cuts in weight elsewhere – like armament and armor, which was compensated for by inefficient combat capabilities and the survivability of the aircraft.
Once at altitude, the dynamics of aerial combat changed. Easy prey to the F2H-2 at low altitudes, the huge B-36 bomber could easily outturn it at high altitudes. Where the MiG-15 at a lower wing loading would require six minutes and a 30,000-foot radius to complete a 360-degree turn at 50,000 feet, the B-36 could complete the same in three minutes with a 17,500-foot radius. The resulting disparity emphasized the limitation of cannon armament and thus led to the development of air-to-air missiles.
B-58 Hustler Speaking further about the strategic bombers and already being a wonder for its time extended, the B-58, went that little bit further. Its performance was breathtaking; however, Hustler’s costs were somewhat debatable. Quite opposite to the general talk on the streets, it was a little cheaper to operate than the B-52, at least according to those words, “creative accounting”. These wings held three times as many aircraft as a typical B-52 wing and were unfairly compared in the cost analyses that led to Hustler’s misconceptions of their projected operational costs.
Service for a relatively short career, the Hustler was proof of how fast things were moving in military aviation at that time. Though groundbreaking, is Rupert supersonic for the very first time, it proved unsuitable for longer-range strategic requirements. That oft-quoted adage of “speed is life” certainly did seem to ring true, but again, the delicate balance of performance and cost against strategic value cheated it of a more rewarding service career.
The technological and tactical challenges of trying to intercept bombers during the jet age were huge, probably only matched by the altitude and speed of the game at that time. The lessons drawn from planes like these, the F2H-2 Banshee, and the B-58 Hustler still echo in modern aerial combat strategies, and a relentless pursuit of innovation keeps military aviation on its toes.