Military Power

With a first-flight date of March 17, 1947, the North American B-45 Tornado was the first jet-powered bomber to be put into production in the United States and the first to enter operational service with the USAF. As President Truman's budgetary axe slashed Air Force expenditures, the programmed production of B-45s was reduced to a grand total of 142, a decrease of 51 aircraft.

Although continuously plagued by engine problems, component malfunctions, lack of spare parts, and numerous minor flaws, the B-45 regained importance. Like all bombers produced after the end of World War 11, the B-45 was designed to carry both conventional and atomic bombs.

The configuration of the B-45 is reminiscent of a World War II bomber equipped with jet engines instead of propellers driven by reciprocating power plants. The unswept wing had an average airfoil thickness ratio of about 14 percent and was equipped with trailing-edge single-slotted flaps for lift augmentation in landing and takeoff. Lateral control was accomplished with the use of conventional ailerons. All control surfaces were hydraulically boosted, and an electrically actuated tab on the elevator was used to maintain longitudinal trim.

With a gross weight of 110, 050 pounds, the B-45 was in the same weight class as the wartime Boeing B-29 but had a maximum speed advantage over the B-29 of more than 200 miles per hour. A 10 000-pound weapon load could be delivered by the B-45 at a mission radius of 1008 miles. Ferry range of the aircraft was 2426 miles. The maximum lift-drag ratio of the B-45 was 16.3, about the same as that of the B-29, and its zero-lift drag coefficient was a much lower 0.0160 as compared with 0.0241 for the earlier aircraft. The Tornado first entered service with the Strategic Air Command in November 1948, and final retirement of the type from operational service took place in 1958. The Air Force accepted a total of 142 B-45s in various configurations.

From FAS.org

Span 89 ft.
Length 75 ft. 4 in.
Height 25 ft. 2 in.
Weight 110,000 lbs. max.
Armament Two .50-cal. machine guns in the tail;
22,000 lbs. of bombs
Engines Four General Electric J47s of 6,000 lbs. thrust ea.
Maximum speed 570 mph.
Cruising speed 500 mph.
Range 1000 miles
Service Ceiling 37,550 ft.
Cost $1,081,000 [then-year $]

KnightTemplar wrote: As President Truman's budgetary axe slashed Air Force expenditures, the programmed production of B-45s was reduced to a grand total of 142 aircraft.

The breakdown, by model, of these 142 aircraft was as follows:

Three XB-45 Tornado Prototypes
Ninety-Six B-45A Bombers (of which fourteen were later modified as TB-45A target tugs and one as a JB-45A engine testbed)
Ten B45C with General Electric J47 engines and other refinements ( The B-45B was an unbuilt projected version with revised radar and fire control systems).
Thirty-Three RB-45C Photographic reconnaissance aircraft (one was later modified as a JS-45C engine testbed by General Electric)

Thanks for the info Hobiler