Convair XB-46 image - Aircraft Lovers Group

The Convair XB-46 was a single example of an experimental medium jet bomber developed in the mid-1940s but which never saw production or active duty. In 1944 the U.S. War Department was aware of aviation advances in Nazi Germany and issued a requirement for a range of designs for medium bombers weighing from 80,000 to more than 200,000 pounds (36,000 to over 90,000 kg). Consolidated Vultee Aircraft (Convair) responded with their Model 109, a 90,000 pounds (41,000 kg) design which was accepted by the USAAF in November 1944 and designated as the B-46. Other designs resulting from this competition included the North American XB-45, the Boeing XB-47 and the Martin XB-48. Now retired, prototype scrapped.