In the spring of 1951, the Air Force decided to cancel the production of the last 24 B-50Ds on the contract, ordering instead an equal number of TB-50H trainers. Company designation for the TB-50H was Model 345-31-26.
The TB-50H was an unarmed bomber-navigation trainer that was intended to familiarize crews with the use of the new "K-system" radar bombing and navigation equipment that was being developed for the B-47 Stratojet. Additional crew stations were provided for two students plus an instructor. The rear bomb bay was packed with electronic gear, but the forward bay could still carry bombs. However, bombs were rarely actually dropped during training missions.
Since the training missions were expected to be of relatively short duration, there was no provision for inflight refuelling and no drop tanks could be carried under the outer wings. Because of its lighter loaded weight (only 120,000 pounds), the TB-50H was the fastest production B-50, with a top speed of 418 mph at 31,000 feet. Normal crew complement was 12, consisting of pilot, copilot, engineer, bombardier, navigator instructor, left navigator trainee, right navigator trainee, right scanner, K-system trainee, K-system instructor, radio operator, and left radar trainee.
The first TB-50H was flown on April 29, 1952. All TB-50Hs were delivered between September 1952 and March 1953. Unlike the previous aircraft in the B-50 series, the TB-50Hs did not use block numbers. The delivery of the last of 24 TB-50Hs in March of 1953 marked the end of the B-50 production run.
The TB-50H entered operational service in September of 1952 with the 3236th Observer Training Squadron of the 3235th Observer Training Wing based at Mather AFB in California. They were used primarily to train B-47 crews. The service of the TB-50H with the Air Training Command was relatively brief, the planes being phased out of ATC service in June of 1955. The TB-50Hs were all later converted to aerial tankers under the designation KB-50K.
Serials of TB-50H:
51-0447/0470 Boeing TB-50H-BO Superfortress
c/n 16465/16488
unarmed bomber-navigation trainer.
all converted to KB-50K
Sources:
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American Combat Planes, Third Enlarged Edition, Ray Wagner, Doubleday,
1982.
-
Post World War II Bombers, Marcelle Size Knaack, Office of Air Force
History, 1988.
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Boeing Aircraft Since 1916, Peter M. Bowers, Naval Institute Press,
1989.
- United States Military Aircraft Since 1909, Gordon Swanborough and Peter M. Bowers, Smithsonian, 1989.
