The Peacekeeper by Stan Stokes. (B)

The USAAC became interested in intercontinental bombing in 1941 due to the threat of England falling to the Nazis. The Army Air Corps issued a request for proposals requesting an aircraft with a range of 12,000 miles at an altitude of 25,000 feet and a top speed of 450-MPH. Later these specifications were downgraded, but the Air Corps still wanted an aircraft capable of carrying a 10,000 bomb load for a 4,000 mile combat radius. Boeing, Consolidated and Douglas submitted proposals. Consolidated Aircraft won the initial award for the development of two prototypes, and work on this project began in San Diego, but was later shifted to Ft. Worth, Texas. In mid-1943, with the Boeing B-29 project facing development problems, General Hap Arnold ordered into production 100 B-36s, with deliveries expected to commence in 1946. When the war ended in 1945 many military programs were cut severely, but Cold War concerns kept the B-36 program alive. In August of 1946 the first B-36 (Peacemaker) took to the air. It was the largest combat aircraft ever flown up to that point in time; with a wingspan of 230 feet, a length of 167 feet, and a height of nearly 47 feet. A year of intensive flight-testing was undertaken leading to a number of important modifications to the production aircraft. The addition of jet engines to supplement the Peacemakers piston engines took place in 1949. B-36s were produced in both bombing and reconnaissance versions. The former were typically manned by a crew of fifteen and the latter were manned with a crew of twenty-two. One interesting experiment with the B-36 in 1955-57 was the fighter/conveyor program. The concept was to marry a fighter aircraft to the B-36, giving it additional protection and potentially greater reconnaissance capabilities. Another oddity was the modification of one B-36 to carry an onboard nuclear reactor to test the feasibility of developing nuclear powered aircraft. The final variant of the Peacemaker was the J model. It entered service in 1953, and the final aircraft was delivered to the Air Force in 1954. By this time B-52 production was underway, and the operational life of the B-36 was numbered. The B-36s were operational with the Strategic Air Command from November 1948 until February 1959. Very few B-36s carried any interesting markings, as they were generally all aluminum hence earning one of their nicknames, the aluminum cloud. During this period in history they represented the backbone of Americas nuclear deterrent force. More than 400 of these huge aircraft were produced, and they served their country well. In Stan Stokes painting entitled Peacekeeper, a B-36 aluminum cloud flys over the Grand Canyon.

Just two of this print edition now available.

Limited edition of 100 giclee artr prints.

Size 21 inches x 14 inches (53cm x 36cm)