An
experimental plane
intended to test the
feasibility of
nuclear-powered aircraft.
Convair was desperately trying to maintain
U.S. Air Force interest in the
B-36 platform, and in the
1950s, "
nuclear" was the
magic word. A proposal was to convert the
swept-wing,
jet-powered B-36G (later designated the
YB-60) to
nuclear power.
Thankfully, the X-6 never actually materialized. The Air Force did, however, supply a modified NB-36H with a 35,000 pound, 1,000 kilowatt nuclear reactor to test the effects of radiation on aircraft instruments and components. The crew was sealed off in a lead-lined compartment, looked out foot thick leaded glass windows, watched the reactor via closed-circuit TV, and if that weren't enough, they threw a 4 ton lead disc in the middle of the fuselage. A total of 47 flights were conducted, each accompanied by a C-97 transport full of armed Marines ready to parachute in and surround the aircraft in case it crashed.
By 1957, it was obvious to all parties involved that atomic-powered flight was impractical, and the project was cancelled. The NB-36H was scrapped, the radioactive parts being burned.