What Was The First Jet Bomber In The USAF?
The stealthy Northrup Grumman B-21 Raider is the most recent manned jet aircraft to join the United States Air Force’s bomber fleet. Compared to the first jets over 80 years ago, it’s almost alien in appearance — fitting for today’s high tech battlefield.
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However, in 2025, Cold War planes like the B-52 Stratofortress still see active service. That bomber has been the mainstay of the U.S. Air Force’s bombing fleet for decades, and it isn’t retiring anytime soon. With an introduction year of 1955, the early variants of the B-52 were some of the first Air Force jet-powered bombers to ever see service. However, the B-52 was not the Air Force’s first jet powered bomber.
That honor would go to the North American B-45 Tornado. According to the National Museum of the United States Air Force, the Tornado was not just the first jet bomber in Uncle Sam’s air force, it was also the first jet bomber fitted for an atomic bomb, as was common for Cold War aircraft.
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The first ever sneaky jet bomber
The B-45 is primitive compared to the stealth bombers in service today, but it was bleeding edge when it first hit the skies in 1947. From its four General Electric J47 jet engines, it could produce a combined 24,000 pounds of thrust, and reach a top speed of 570 miles per hour. It had a total payload of 22,000 pounds worth of bombs.
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For comparison, the B-1 Lancer supersonic long range bomber that’s in service today puts out more than 120,000 pounds of thrust from its four engines, and can reach a top speed of over 900 miles per hour (exact numbers for thrust and top speed are classified). Additionally, it has a maximum payload of 75,000 pounds. The B-45 Tornado also saw use as a reconnaissance jet under the designation RB-45.
All told, the Tornado didn’t serve for very long, from 1947-1959, and only 142 were ever produced. It was phased out for bigger and heavier bombers, like the aforementioned B-52. The Tornado’s service history is essentially a footnote, as it only provided limited support in the Korean War, and was entirely out of service by the time the Vietnam War started. However, despite the less-than-decorated combat record, the Tornado still paved the way for bigger and faster planes in the new Jet Age.
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