On January 26,1950, when General Curtis E. LeMay, commander of the U.S. Air Force Strategic Air Command, attended yet another conference to discuss the next U.S. long-range heavy bomber, his mind was likely already made up. The Convair B-36 was soon to be obsolete, and a variety of successors had been proposed. But Boeing bombers had served the U.S. military well during World War II, and if LeMay got his way-and he usually did-the next big bomber would be another Boeing product: the B-52 Stratofortress. The potential contract was huge, and U.S. aircraft manufacturers brought ambitious proposals to the table.
展开▼
