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By March, 1953, area rule and leading edge chamber had been incorporated
to create the MX-1964 configuration illustrated by this transonic
wind tunnel model. The configuration was to have a 60° delta wing
with the trailing edge swept forward 10°. It was to have four
engines with the two inboard units mounted on pylons under the wing
and the outboard engines mounted on the wing upper surface. The fuselage
was to have a 'coke bottle' shape and a small amount of leading edge
camber to reduce drag due to lift. |
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By September, 1953, the B-58 had evolved into a virtually new design
with a separate pod, Siamese nacelles, wing-mounted drop tanks, and
the relocation of the search radar from the pod nose to the fuselage
nose. These changes helped realize a considerable weight saving with
virtually no drag penalty. |
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By August, 1954, the final B-58 configuration, four individually pylon-mounted
engines and all fuel contained internally and in the podded lower
component, had evolved and the design was frozen. Few major changes
would transpire between the completion of the August, 1954, B-58 full-scale
mock-up study and the roll-out of the actual prototype aircraft. |
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