The B-45 Tornado ~ The Unsung Warrior of the Cold War ~
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B - 45 TORNADO DATA
SPEED: 575 mph class
SERVICE CEILING: Over 45,000 feet
POWER PLANT: Four General Electric J47A jet engines with water injection. First 22 produced with Allison J35 engines.
PAYLOAD: More than 20,000 pounds
ARMAMENT: Two .50-caliber machine guns
CREW: Four
  • Pilot
  • Co-Pilot
  • Bombardier
  • Tail-Gunner
GROSS WEIGHT: 82,600 pounds
NUMBER BUILT: 143

The North American Aviation B-45 was one of America's first operational bombers to employ jet propulsion and was the first four-jet aircraft to fly in the United States. Other versions include the longer-range B-45C with wing-tip tanks and the photo reconnaissance version, the RB-45C. Rated as a light bomber by modern-day standards, it was the first four-jet aircraft to drop an atom bomb and the first to be refueled in midair.