Talyn
SAINT
Originally designed as a medium bomber, the B-47 also had a lesser known and more secretive role in the Cold War, serving in a reconnaissance role as the RB-47 to monitor the Soviet military and its Warsaw Pact allies. Shot down just two months after the famous U-2 incident, the RB-47 also made overflights behind the Iron Curtain, some experiencing combat their bomber stablemates never did.
theaviationist.com
A Boeing RB-47H. Clearly visible is the tandem bicycle main gear, the outrigger wheels under the inner twin-engine nacelles, the fighter-like cockpit canopy, as well as the underwing auxiliary fuel tanks placed between the engine pods on each wing. It was thought the added weight of the three engines and the fuel tanks actually improved the performance of the thin wing design, assisting in preventing the wings from fluttering and preventing stress on the structures. (Image credit: United States Air Force)
Boeing’s B-47 Stratojet Goes Cold War Spying: The story of the RB-47
Originally designed as a medium bomber, the B-47 also had a lesser known and more secretive role in the Cold War, serving in a reconnaissance role as the
theaviationist.com
A Boeing RB-47H. Clearly visible is the tandem bicycle main gear, the outrigger wheels under the inner twin-engine nacelles, the fighter-like cockpit canopy, as well as the underwing auxiliary fuel tanks placed between the engine pods on each wing. It was thought the added weight of the three engines and the fuel tanks actually improved the performance of the thin wing design, assisting in preventing the wings from fluttering and preventing stress on the structures. (Image credit: United States Air Force)