The Shortest Lived Mega Bomber You Never Heard Of - Convair YB-60 

In 1958, when I was in ROTC I was asked if I would like to fly on a weekend. They said it will be one takeoff and one landing and I would need an overnight bag. We went to the airbase on Long Island and got on a B-36 and took off at at 0600 on Sat. and landed back on Sun. at 1200. We flew to the artic down the Pacific coast of Canada back to the US from Washington back to New York and landed only once. It was the biggest thrill of my life until my oldest child was born.

I was a B52G copilot, pilot, instructor pilot, and stan/eval pilot starting with VietNam flying out of Guam, and ending up on Sac Alert during the cold war. It flew elegantly for a plane without ailerons. The biggest mistake of my life is when I quit the Airforce in 1977 because Carter cancelled the B1 program after I had been selected to be in the startup B1 training squadron at Edwards AFB.

The B 52 was an inspired design. With upgrades, it may stay in service close to 100 years. Really incredible.

My favorite B-36 story is the last flight of the plane. It flew from storage to the USAF Museum at Write-Pat AFB. The built the one wall and arched roof and reinforced floor for the building it was going to be in. The plane flew in, landed and parked on the apron just short of it's final home. They emptied out all the tanks and otherwise made it ready for long term storage inside. Then the aircraft was backed in and the final wall built. I was only there one time in the mid 1980's. I remember you walk around and suddenly you would be under a part of a huge aircraft. You had to go up some stairs to an overlook to see the entire B-36. It dwarfed everything else in that building.

My father was the Chief of Bomber Maintenance at Edwards in the early 50s. That's me dressed up as a cowboy...take your son to work day? What a hoot to see that photo right in the middle of the video!

These videos bring me back to being a 12 year old, enamored with everything aircraft. Thank you for a very well edited and curated video.

Ages ago when I was a kid, I remember a book of aircraft mentioning the YB-60, and I noted how similar it looked, at least superficially, to the B-52. This piece filled in a LOT of gaps that were probably not available (or released / declassified) back then. Thanks a lot for yet another enlightening video!

I always loved that massive Peacemaker,a prop plane jet hybrid made to simply instill fear in Soviet Union military officers. The B52 has proved itself to have been a hell of a fine jet,still flying almost 70 years after it's design and manufacture. Great video.

I’m always amazed at the number of designs and aircraft built in the 1930-60s.

Even the B-52 was almost cancelled before it could enter production. In 1951, the Air Force suffering a terrible defeat over North Korea at Namsi, where six of nine B-29s on a daylight bombing mission were lost. This meant that no further daylight raids were attempted, as the "North Korean" MiG-15s (now know to having been flown by Soviet V-VS aircrews, serving under WWII, at the time Colonel (later Marshal) Ivan Kozehdub) could easily evade the P-80 and F-2 "Banshee" jets. Although the F-86 Sabre proved more than capable of dealing with the Soviet-made MiGs, they still couldn't adequately protect the lumbering bombers. Work was already being done on high-altitude, faster jet bombers like Convair's own B-58 "Hustler", and these were seen as the only way a bomber could reliably penetrate enemy airspace, complete the mission, and return home safely. That, too, was shattered in May 1960, with the shoot-down of Francis Gary Powers' U-2, flying at a minimum altitude of 70,000 feet (the true altitude has never been divulged), showing that missiles, rather than high-speed jet interceptors, were now the main threat to bombers. The other thing that did away in time with the large, relatively slow horizontal bomber is that nuclear weapons were rapidly "downsized" in terms of size and weight, and the enormous multi-megaton devices possible (and TESTED by both major nuclear powers) were soon seen as of little practical military value. The "Buff", being that even from relatively "forward" bases in Greenland, Alaska, or the UK, still required a few hours to reach targets in the Soviet Union and/or China, was relegated from a primary strike role, that, in turn, along with the "Triad" model of nuclear deterrence, being assigned to land-based ICBMs, sub-launched SLBMs, and "fast", supersonic bombers like the B-58 and the F-105. Even the B-47, now deemed a medium bomber, and the UK's Canberra (we had a version of that bird, also, as the Martin B-57) also had a "theater" nuclear role in Europe, able to hit targets in Warsaw Pact countries and the western parts of the Soviet Union. It was the ALCM (Air-Launched Cruise Missile) that gave the "Buff" a new lease on life in the nuclear deterrence strategy, being able to "stand off" from enemy air defenses and let the missiles themselves do the evasion.

The B-36 is one of my all-time favourite aeroplanes. I can thoroughly recommend the book ‘Magnesium Overcast’ which covers the whole B-36 story.

The Convair YB-60 although a very interesting alternative to the B-52 was basically a B-36 with swept wings and jet engines. Sharing 70% of the B-36 it was cheaper and carried a more hefty load but slower than the YB-52. Unfortunately it had many issues and had significant handling problems, due to its controls having been designed for slower operating speeds. Thanks for sharing this very interesting video.....

One of the drawbacks to the YB-60 was it used the same airfoil of the B-36. The wing generated a pretty fair amount of lift, but drag was a problem at higher speeds.

USAF General tasked with making final decision on the new bomber. " Damnit! I don't care what it says on paper or which plane can carry a bigger payload. the B-52 just LOOKS like a bomber of the future. " APPROVED!

While my father was stationed at El Toro MCFS, I was caught up in the amazing pace of aircraft development. Especially all the jet fighters. I was 10 and 11 years old. Thank you for your video.

During a coutesy visit of a B52 to the UK it was followed by a British Vulcan bomber. The B52 landed first of course. During the return courtesy trip to the US the Vulcan was told to wait while the B52 landed. The Vulcan then did a low level barrel roll along the runway, perfectly safe for the Vulcan but needless to say the 'henhouse' erupted. 'Manners maketh man' - OOPS!

My uncle was career Air Force. He was a navigator in the ETO and a bombardier in Asia. In 1960, he was stationed at Westover AFB near Springfield, MA, about an hour and a half from my home. As a 6 year old, perhaps the biggest thrill of my life was a chance to sit in the pilot's seat of a B-52. But there was no seat cushion, just a square sheet metal bucket!

Convair designed some incredible aircraft, the beautiful and powerful B-58 Hustler that came along after the YB-60 was a huge departure from the lumbering design of its predecessor. Even though it had a short life with the USAF, I think that if it had come along a bit later that wouldn't have been the fact. This bomber was fast.

Those turrets looked pretty advanced for the time

I had the Monogram 1/72 scale B-36 kit when I was young. At the time it was the largest plastic model airplane produced.

I remember the YB-60 from the period ca. 1951-52 when I was living with my family near Azle Texas. Azle is located a few miles North of White Settlement where the B-36s were made. I used to watch the YB-60 fly over every few days. it was always escorted by two jet fighters. My father worked at the plant that made the B-36s and the YB-60. I guess that is why I knew about it. I do remember being very disappointed when it was cancelled. I thought it was a great Aircraft.

On Prime Video, there is a James Stewart movie called Strategic Air Command. You get to see a lot of Convair B-36s and the interim Boeing B-47 bombers with lots of takeoffs, landings, and interior shots of the B-36 and some of the B-47. Worth a watch.

The Airforce wanted faster, so Convair built the B-58.

This is perhaps the best title for the video. I certainly never knew the YB-60 even existed. I'm glad to learn something new!

Yeah, the BUFF was tough to beat and she has more than proved her worth. Thank you for this and all of your “Dark” series videos. Do take care, amigo.

I was with the 509TH SAC, stationed at Pease AB in New Hampshire from 1967 to 70. I had gone TDY to Guam, Thailand & Okinawa where bombing missions were conducted over Vietnam. I flew bombing missions with the BUFF from Okinawa. This Was & STILL is an Awesome Bomber to Recover, Inspect, Refuel & Launch during the time I was in the USAF.

Did anyone else notice the big huge computers they used? AKA, .big open office space filled with engineers and draftsman. Now that is a sight to behold!

The B-52 really impressed me the first time I watched a group fly into Kelly AFB while I was in Basic Training at Lackland. Amazing aircraft. I'd be scared to death seeing it come after me.

During the final years of Chanute AFB it was decided that a B-36 there would be disassembled and moved to George AFB or at least it was then. I was taking a class on heat treating different metals there. One of my jobs as a machinist was to help get stuck or stripped screws out of panels and other airframe parts. After class I would go out on the ramp and watch the crew taking the forlorn old bird apart. While watching I got into a conversation with one of the crew and told them who I was and what I did. Before I knew it I was helping wherever I was needed. It sure helped kill the time in the evenings but was only for 2 weeks. I was itching to get up in the cockpit but as the aircraft was on jacks it wasn't allowed. I know it left Chanute but I have no idea where it got to as George shit down soon after. I hope the old warhorse is on display somewhere. Cheers Terry

I was stationed at Chanute AFB in 1986 to attend airframe repair school and we assembled for physical training near the B36. I remember it is as being truly impressive and gigantic in size. We would walk around it in awe and wonder what it must have been like to see it fly.

It was essentially Convair's attempt to keep the B-36 production line going. But the B-52 was technically a vastly superior plane, especially with its lower weight and higher top speed.

Very interesting history. I grew up in SAC, and while it was a somewhat precarious time at times, it’s was an area of magnificent achievement by Strategic Air Command… in my opinion the greatest organization the world has ever known. I was two young to have known the B-36, I’d did grow up around the B-47, B-58, B-52 and did see the XB-70.

Taking thick B-36 wings and sweeping them with the necessary fillets to make it work still nets you a wing designed before WWII. The B-60 never stood a chance.

I'm so glad that you've highlighted the YB-60! To be honest, I had completely forgotten about this prototype. My Dad was an Air Force veteran going back to 1946. His flight crew friends always complained about the many maintenance problems they had with the B-36, so the cancellation of the YB-60 by the Air Force was not any real surprise.

Another awsome video dark skies. I've recently finished a book called whirlwind by Barrett Tillman. A fantastic read that documents the American Air raids against the Japanese mainland. On the early stages of the book, it covers the development of both technology and doctrine of US heavy bombers before the second world war. One aircraft that it mentions is the Douglas XB-19. A gargantuan aircraft, with a crew of 16, a length of 132 feet and a wingspan of 212 feet. Dwarfing the biggest bomber of ww2, the B-29. Only a single prototype was built, and it was scrapped shortly after the war in 1946. Maybe you could cover the XB-19 in a future video. Keep up the great work mate. 👍👍

When I go to the Air Force Museum at WPAFB, seeing the B-36 is the highlight of my visit. It is such a beast.

The larger payload of the B-36 would have been useful for what the B-52 has been doing since Vietnam - that is dropping large quantities of conventional bombs on area targets. For that purpose, its slower speed would not be detrimental.

Its hard to appreciate how big a plane we are talking about. The SAC museum near where I live has a b-36 and a b-52. We all consider the b-52 to be big, but the b-36 is truly enormous.

Fitz Fulton, the guy my grandpa, Vic Horton, flew backseat for on the NASA Blackbirds and 747 Shuttle Carrier, flew this beast. I've been told he was not that impressed with it.

These videos provide a space for all of our "what if" ideas to come out and play. I love every one of them because they also provide information and a great source of learning.

Those days when we were converting from piston to jet were interesting. I worked with a guy who helped test a piston bomber that had jet engines mounted inboard of those engines. From the side you could not see much of the jet engines. On a test they flew to altitude on propellers and then lit the jets. Next they feathered the propellers to reduce drag and flew with the propellers stopped. One day they passed a commercial airplane while doing this. The pilot saw them passing him with the propellers stopped and about had a heart attack! He kept grabbing his co-pilot and pointing!🤣

With the YB-60 being 100 knots slower than the B-52, I'm surprised that they didn't add on another single or double turbo-jet pod outboard of the two on each wing that they already had! (They probably would have to move the already existing pods move a tad inboard, about the location of the inner engines on the B-36...) Also, this plane still had the "Giantism" issue, too "darn" big to fit in hangers! And the weight did limit it more than the B-52s (added in edit) to which runways it could use, in addition to having enough room so it's wingtips wouldn't hit anything during Take-Offs and Landings. Boeing did a great job in designing (such as having 8 main wheels under the fuselage which could pivot so you can get the plane's nose into the wind even if the runaway isn't directly into the wind, and an outrigger under each wing to help clearence) and building their B-52!!!

I think the YB-60 was a beautiful aircraft!!!! It would make a very interesting model of another aircraft that was never produced. Love Dark Skies, keep up the awesome work.

I wish though that the YB-60 would've been more of a concept airplane, having eight jet engines, and an improved, and faster version of the XB-36. This designed airplane would've been great being preserved, showing itself to aviation geeks worldwide the similarities it had with the successful B-52.

It looks a lot like the Chair Force (we do most of our best work sitting down) has forgotten the idea of having a backup aircraft they should have learned from WWII. We had the B-17, arguably the best strategic bomber of the time, but we also had the B-24, the mid sized B-26 and B-25, The P-38 (called the Forked Tail Devil by the Germans), probably the best all around fighter/bomber of WWII although the P-47 was pretty close. The P-51, which was so tail heavy when loaded for long distance missions that the pilots used the big internal tank behind the pilot's position before using the fuel in the drop tanks. It was bought because it was cheaper, not because it was better. I think it was Stalin who said, "there is a quality to quantity all it's own" and so P-51s were bought in great quantities. All the backups and they've completely forgotten the lesson. So the B-60 wasn't as good as the B-52, but what if they'd given the company enough of a contract to keep developing it and modifying the design to make it faster and longer ranged? Wouldn't that have been good?

My uncle, (rip), flew in a B36 in Korea. He told me as a kid about the YB60, and wished he could have flown in it as well. Very interesting, keep them coming.

I believe it would have been easier to accommodate high bypass turbofan engines on B-60 than B-52 as the engines is positioned higher from the ground. One of the factors that led to the cancellation of RB211 engine adoption in B-52 in late 1990s was the fact that the outer engine pods would have been very low above the ground.

When I was a kid I lived near Larson AFB in Moses Lake. This was late 50's and early 60's. The B36's flying at high altitude looked like little silver plus signs in the sky.

B-52 was the better design for sure. It has proven that as it will no doubt be around for many years to come. The expected retirement date is 2050 -- just incredible!

Cold war design 👍 I like it. Long live for B-52 👍👍👍🥰

The Mark 6 bomb had a variable yield. Various models and pit options gave nuclear yields of 18, 26, 80, 154, and 160 kilotons for Mark 6 models.

I always thought this was a British bomber. Thanks for the correct information. I watch your channel nearly everyday. 😊

I am a retired MSgt AF and I loved the aircraft in SAC.

I had heard or read about the B-60's slower speed relative to the B-52 several years ago. It's not surprising that it wasn't chosen.

They chose.......wisely.The venerable B-52 will fly till 2050, becoming an aviation legend along the way.

The YB-60 never stood a chance. Being that Convair was starting with an air frame that essentially was built to a WWII spec, they were trying to graft newer technology onto an airplane that was already obsolete by the early 1950's. The B-52 was a clean-sheet design that didn't need to make so many compromises and was therefore able to achieve a much higher level of performance. At best, Convair's attempt to extend the life of the B-36 kept their factory open for a few more years. They only managed to delay the inevitable.

If these were produced on a mass scale and used in Nam for Linebacker our losses would have been more horrendous. The BUFFs were more suited and had better ECMs against Soviet SAMs. But or loses were still high, the YB60 was 1940s technology.

Have you done a video on the B-47, and how it’s nuclear payload delivery tactic of throwing the bomb while doing an inside loop to bug out quicker ended up fatiguing the wings and airframe? The YB-60 reminds me of a larger cousin to the B-47.

That was an amazing period in aircraft design. So much ingenuity and willingness to experiment. Unfortunately, things seem to have pretty much stalled since the 1970's. UAV's are among the few exceptions.

Excellent presentation of fascinating historical facts! I'm a history buff, especially military history, but never knew about this. The story also illustrates perfectly why Capitalism will always be superior to Socialism. If you eliminate competition (risk), you eliminate the incentive to excel (reward). Human nature is best served by both. Hats off to the Convair team, who were just as important to the establishment of American air superiority as the Boeing team.

Excellent video. Keep up the great work. Did not know about this B-36 variant.

The fatter wing of the YB-60 could produce a lot more lift than the B-52's wings, the bomb load was significantly higher.

I want to thank you for making videos that are not only entertaining and informative, but don't take half a day to view.

YB-60 is a very interesting aircraft. Good production. I like the music too.

Early 1950's, East Bakersfield. Occasionally a B36 from Edwards would pass over town and my grade school, make a u-turn West of Bakersfield and head back to Edwards. In hindsight, maybe a bombing training run.

Again, like most of your videos, I've been schooled on a topic I never knew existed. Thank you.

Muito Bom! Não sabia da existência dessa versão do B36, obrigado por compartilhar. Saudações do Brasil.

Great clip on a great aircraft really love the look of this classic might have been.

What a beautiful airplane it was. I wonder if any still exist in a museum or hanger somewhere?

Incredible is the configuration of the double 20mm canon a piece of ingeniering

I sure wish you had an app like on apple tv so i could binge watch your videos! Wish they were longer though!

Even though this was a setback for Convair, they still managed to design & produce the world's First supersonic bomber... The B-58 'Hustler'... It was accepted by the USAF... I really like the civilian airliners they designed & Produced. Real fast planes... The 880's and the 990's... Thank you for this video!!!

Such cool music. And always high product quality. One of the best show on RU-vid.

Perhaps with it's larger load capacity, a refueling tanker could have been an alternative role.

@4:02: Extending the tail section doesn't "allow" the plane to remain horizontal for longer during takeoff, it _forces_ it to remain horizontal. A longer tail means you can't just pull back on the yoke to 15° or whatever as soon as you reach takeoff speed, you'd have to pull back gradually so that the back doesn't hit the ground. This is a handicap, not an advantage.

They still used black and white video when the b52 was launched .. mind boggling

I'm wondering how much the "your bomber is too slow" affected Convair's 880 project, since that thing was (for its time) a speed demon.

I have heard of the Convair XB-60 Strategic Bomber with its swept wings and eight engines in twin pods slung under the wing. It was a B-36 that worked out to develop a better physique. Then its younger, smaller cousin from Boeing took its place.

Jet bombers for nuclear use at the same time as this development - maybe Vickers should have sold them the Valiant?

Thank you for the video on the conjure aight I had thought that they had a disintegration problem that one of them fell apart in the air but apparently we really got her money's worth on the B-52 didn't we I still feel bad about the Flying Wing

At approximately 10:05, it shows workers leaving a factory, that I presume is a plant building these huge aircraft. The narrator discusses Convair's efforts to maintain at least one YB-60 flying as a test-bed. However, this was unacceptable. "...At a cost of $14,300,000.00 in development costs, alone. August of 1952 the project was cancelled, and what was currently in construction would continue. The contract for 72 B-52s was to continue. The two Convair B-36 were 'Formerly' accepted by U.S. The Air Force, having completed their contract's satisfactorily. What caught my attention at the "10:00" point is due to the workers leaving the factory, possibly for the last time. This is why, among other reasons, that large projects like this continue to stay funded even in financially difficult times. I'm talking large scale projects like building war ships. If the skill sets that these individuals possess are not fostered, we will see a decline in something extremely important: Wisdom. Those who understand, will.

What was learned by Convair and the pilots of the YB-60 was successfully transferred to the once great B-58 Hustler. If only the Hustler wan't so expensive to operate and maintain, and some say useless by the time it was introduced.

The YB-60 has a very cool retro look. It could have starred in one of those late 50s sci-fi movies where giant mantises or giant ants or [fill in the blank] invade the U.S. and the Air Force is instantly mobilized.

My father-in-law worked for Convair->General Dynamics Fort Worth from the B-36 through the F-16. That included work on the YB-60. He said that Gen. Curtis LeMay, commander of the Strategic Air Command, was biased in favor of Boeing. Could be that even if the YB-60 was superior to the B-52, the Air Force would have adopted the B-52 anyway.

Those were the halcyon days for Boeing, they could do no wrong. Sadly they were the sunset days for Convair. Thanks DS, I didn't know much about the YB-60.

I bet not one of the Boeing designers could have imagined the B52 still flying in USAF front line service in 2022.

When I see those turrets I can’t but help think of Daleks!

*I remember it as a kid in the early 60's ...*

Love your videos man, keep it up!

Wing empennage? That means wing tail!

...thick winged monster, 100 mph slower than the XB52. It never stood a chance. A waste of time and money. The B52 is still in active service today!...70 years later! 👍👍👍

In the air it's Convair!

Who else used to make things like that from left over plastic model parts?

Yeah, sorry but I never liked Convair's bomber options. The B-36 in particular was a joke - "4 turnin, 2 smokin, 2 choking, 2 mia" was a terrifyingly unstable strategic bomber platform. I am glad the B-60 never got off the ground compared to the BUFF, a plane so stable and powerful it flies to this very day and will have a flying lifetime that not even the greatest sailing ship design of the age of sail ever held.

I think turboprop engines would have been a better idea to keep the B-36 modernized. It worked for the TU-95 for the Soviets.

Intriguing. But can you imagine the B 60 still flying today, and likely being in the air for another generation?🤔

Various models and pit options for Mark 6 model bombs gave nuclear yields of 8, 26, 80, 154, and 160 kilotons.

5:39 I'm pretty sure the guy to the far right is Don Germeraad, who became chief of flight test for Convair a while later on the 880 and 990 programs when my dad was flying as a flight test engineer.

The technology front of this airplane was to beat out the XB-36, and the B-52 design. It was an interesting design and rather sleek looking before the B-52 became an instant success.. The production of only two J57 turbojet powered XB-60s is all that became. It was way too late for Convair to consider something like this to compete with the B-52. What Boeing did with the design of the B-52 was exact. It came, and was planned together exactly right. The Air Force was not about to loose out on this opportunity, because the B-52 sought their needs for a long-range jet bomber. The B-47 Strato-Jet was a "ready" bomber that was a successful "sleek" airplane also, and the Air Force seeked it before the B-52, which itself became the world's greatest bomber up until this day, and beyond with the newer engine retrofit forthcoming. I do believe that the B-52 with all newer improvements, will fly past 100 years, making the very best built aircraft in history.

I fly for an all cargo airline based in Memphis which shall remain nameless [Fedex] and one of our former pilots, Wally Soplata, had a father who collected old airplanes. I flew with Wally Soplata. Most of his dad's planes were just hulks or portions of airframes, nevertheless his dad had them laying around in Ohio. Well, Wally's dad had the forward fuselage of a B-36 bomber, and he sold a section of the scrap metal [since that is really all it was] to a group called planetags. I have a luggage tag on my rollaway bag that is made from a part of that plane, and it is numbered and on the back is engraved my name and phone number, I think it cost about $59 or so. Since it is magnesium, it will last forever and has a very good wire connector that I've looped through the zipper tang. Which means that wherever I go, I have a bit of B-36 with me.... [I also bring a Swiss-Gear backpack, and it has a 767 planetag; Thing is, that does me nothing since I FLY 767's....] Great video!