Martin XB-51

[athpilot]

Cool artwork by Logan Hartke. - Great Plane, great artist!
Regards, Athpilot

 

[blackkite]

Hi!

 

[Stargazer]

Hi!

What a find! Source?

 

[fightingirish]

Hi!

What a find! Source?

Via Internet, but the original source is the book 'Martin XB-51 (Air Force Legends 201)' by Scott Libis.

 

[Vladimir]

Hi,

 

[XP67_Moonbat]

Another freebie article from War Eagles Air Museum, about the XB-51.

http://www.war-eagles-air-museum.com/newsletters/weam_newsletter_2008-2.pdf

 

[Johnbr]

A video of it.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QISo7sIPZzw

 

[Johnbr]

Xb-51 bomb bay

 

[sienar]

From A Complete History of U.S. Combat Aircraft Fly-Off Competitions: Winners, Losers, and What Might Have Been by Erik Simonsen

 

[Johnbr]

Yeager & Martin XB-51, 1951

 

[AeroFranz]

Cool autographed picture. The other names are Pete Everest, Fred Ascani, and I guess the other one is Bob Salinas(?).

 

[Whisperstream]

That last one is Bob Cardenas. He was a longtime test pilot at Edwards and flew lots of cool stuff.

 

[AeroFranz]

Right! Cardenas! the guy who flew the B-29 on Yeager's X-1 flights.

 

[RAP]

Undated Martin drawing of XB-51 with conventional tail.

 

[sienar]

From; https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/The-Glen...Dated-1948-G-A-XB-51-Bombardment/133475187019

 

[FXXII]

The nr 2 engine has a seemingly very small air inlet on the top of the fuselage. One would suspect it would be running at a lower capacity than the other two. Has any-one more info on this small intake?

 

[Silencer1]

The nr 2 engine has a seemingly very small air inlet on the top of the fuselage. One would suspect it would be running at a lower capacity than the other two. Has any-one more info on this small intake?

Engine nr 2 (rear) has revolving (around horizonytal axis) intake, capable to switch from closed to open position during flight.

 

[FXXII]

Yes, I noticed that.The pictures depict the inlet in open position, and then it seems to me rather small.

 

[Orionblamblam]

From; https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/The-Glen...Dated-1948-G-A-XB-51-Bombardment/133475187019

That is relevant to my interests. I'm made dubious, however, due to the high shipping cost. Gah.

 

[TomcatViP]

Yes, I noticed that.The pictures depict the inlet in open position, and then it seems to me rather small.

Tthose were the early days of jet-propulsion. It's probable that they might have had to increase fuselage wall clearance.

 

[GTX]

Cool artwork by Logan Hartke. - Great Plane, great artist!
Regards, Athpilot

Some of Logan's whatif developments are great too.

 

[Richard N]

XB-51 Flying Models

XB-51 model plan: http://www.ffscale.co.uk/plans11.htm

View: https://youtu.be/cCyIJ_lYU24?t=218

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzBw7qfLAPE

 

[Airborne2001]

Iirc it was inspired by this German design (Messerschmitt P.1102):

 

[citizensnip]

XB-51 3d model https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/martin-xb-51-9e82f6095cce42bbb5a8861c0bc6f795

 

[Sundog]

The only thing missing from that model, that's obvious, is the plate at the wing root to cover the opening for the variable incidence wing. Having said that, I'm quite sure whoever modeled this doesn't know anything about that. It's nice looking, none the less.

 

[Mirage4000]

A really beautiful aircraft

 

[citizensnip]

The only thing missing from that model, that's obvious, is the plate at the wing root to cover the opening for the variable incidence wing. Having said that, I'm quite sure whoever modeled this doesn't know anything about that. It's nice looking, none the less.

I added plate and camouflage

 

[ermeio]

There are about 20 photo's of the XB-51 on the air force web site.
http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/se...agesearch.asp&site=Museum&btnG.x=30&btnG.y=12

Sadly, it seems they habe been removed

 

[robunos]

IView attachment 656856View attachment 656857View attachment 656858View attachment 656859 added plate and camouflage

I missed this before, excellent . . .
A minor point, assuming this is meant to be a B-51 serving in Vietnam in place of the Real World B-57 Canberra, the undersurfaces would be black, in view of it's night time role . . .

cheers,
Robin.

 

[Scott Kenny]

IView attachment 656856View attachment 656857View attachment 656858View attachment 656859 added plate and camouflage

Those early jets with tiny inlets always look so weird to me...

 

[Justo Miranda]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toward_the_Unknown

 

[Pioneer]

I just stumbled across this interesting article by by Tony R. Landis on the Air Force Materiel Command History Office (AFMC) website regarding Martin's proposed XB-51 carrying two of their MX-771 Matador winged missiles, on each wingtip.

Regards
Pioneer

https://www.afmc.af.mil/News/Articl...artin-xb-51-with-two-mx-771-matador-missiles/

 

[fightingirish]

I just stumbled across this interesting article by by Tony R. Landis on the Air Force Materiel Command History Office (AFMC) website regarding Martin's proposed XB-51 carrying two of their MX-771 Matador winged missiles, on each wingtip.
Regards
Pioneer
https://www.afmc.af.mil/News/Articl...artin-xb-51-with-two-mx-771-matador-missiles/

Hello everyone,
here are some additional pictures I discovered on the website of the German aviation magazine "Flug Revue."
Some of these might have shared in this topic previously, so I kept the resolution small.
Sources (German, and behind a paywall):
https://www.flugrevue.de/klassiker/...dreistrahler-als-cruise-missile-mutterschiff/https://www.flugrevue.de/klassiker/...-xb-51-high-tech-dreistrahler-ohne-chance-v1/

 

[NMaude]

This short video about the XB-51 was uploaded on YT early today:

The Martin XB-51 was one of the most unique and experimental jet aircraft ever built in the U.S. Designed at the dawn of the jet age, this American trijet ground-attack aircraft was faster than many fighters of its time, featuring radical design choices like variable-incidence wings, rotating bomb bay, and a tandem landing gear system.​

This video dives deep into the design, development, flight history, crash incidents, and the ultimate fate of the Martin XB-51, comparing it to its Cold War contemporaries and explaining why it was rejected in favor of the English Electric Canberra.If you're passionate about rare aircraft, Cold War aviation, or forgotten experimental jets, this video is for you. Learn how this incredible jet nearly changed U.S. military aviation history—then disappeared.​

00:00 - Intro Retro Transport
00:05 - Martin XB-51 History
03:33 - Outro Retro Transport

#RetroTransport #MartinXB51 #JetAircraft #Aviation #ExperimentalJet #Trijet #MilitaryAviation #USAF #Aircraft #AviationHistory #JetAge #Military #History

 

[apparition13]

There are about 20 photo's of the XB-51 on the air force web site.
http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/se...agesearch.asp&site=Museum&btnG.x=30&btnG.y=12

Gone, not even on archive.org. Did anyone save them?

From A Complete History of U.S. Combat Aircraft Fly-Off Competitions: Winners, Losers, and What Might Have Been by Erik Simonsen

Is there anything else on this apparent B-51B proposal?

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

Gone, not even on archive.org. Did anyone save them?

O RLY?

https://web.archive.org/web/2012101...eum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?fsID=2663

 

[hesham]

Hi,

why we didn't talk about its competition and the tenders,one of them was
Douglas Model-743 ?!.

 

[hesham]

Hi,

why we didn't talk about its competition and the tenders,one of them was
Douglas Model-743 ?!.

That's from this book,but I can't display the drawing,because it's still available.

 

[Pioneer]

That's from this book,but I can't display the drawing,because it's still available.

So, not having the said book, and appreciating your reason for not displaying the drawing....
Is it fair to say that the Douglas competitive design was based on a similar layout to their XB-43 Jetmaster?

Regards
Pioneer

 

[Michel Van]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32SbnLVVwt8