American ten-engine strategic heavy bomber, developed from the earlier B-36B. The main difference was the installation of four additional General Electric J-47 jet engines with a thrust of 5,200 lbf each (23kN), which significantly improved basic characteristics such as speed and range. In the history of aviation, this was almost the only case of building a multi-engine aircraft with mixed power plants. This feature gained it the slogan "Six turning, four burning".
With later modifications, its radar equipment was significantly improved and also its protective weapons optimized. The combat service of almost 300 aircraft built lasted until 1959, when they were completely replaced by the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. None of them ever took part in the any of the military conflicts of its time but the B-36 rightly justified its name as the main preserver of peace in the worls in the fist decade of the cold war.
