Postwar Aircraft & Jet Age Contributions

Convair’s Leap into the Jet-Powered Future of American Aviation

After World War II, the newly formed Convair emerged from its Consolidated and Vultee origins with a bold mission: to help lead the United States into the Jet Age. The company applied wartime manufacturing expertise to peacetime innovation, producing aircraft that pushed the boundaries of speed, altitude, and aerodynamic design.

From long-range bombers to commercial jetliners, Convair became one of the most influential aerospace companies of the mid-20th century.

A New Era Begins — Peacetime Innovation with Wartime Experience

With millions of military personnel returning home and the wartime economy transitioning, Convair redirected its engineering power toward:

• advanced jet fighters

• high-speed bombers

• commercial transport aircraft

• experimental aerodynamic designs

The engineering discipline developed under Consolidated—emphasizing structural strength, manufacturing precision, and steady innovation—formed the backbone of Convair’s postwar breakthroughs.

The B-36 Peacemaker — The Giant of the Skies

One of Convair’s earliest and most ambitious postwar designs was the B-36 Peacemaker, the world’s largest piston-engine bomber.

Key features included:

• intercontinental range

• immense wingspan (230 ft)

• six pusher-prop engines, later supplemented with four jets

• heavy payload capacity

• high-altitude flight performance

The B-36 established Convair as a leading designer of strategic aircraft during the early Cold War.

The B-58 Hustler — Breaking the Sound Barrier

In the 1950s, Convair revolutionized bomber design with the B-58 Hustler:

• the first operational supersonic bomber

• delta-wing configuration

• Mach 2 performance

• advanced materials and heat-resistant structures

• cutting-edge navigation and bombing systems

The B-58 was a technological leap forward and demonstrated Convair’s strength in high-speed aerodynamics.

The Delta Series — Jet Fighters for a New Era

Convair produced several influential jet fighters:

• F-102 Delta Dagger — the first U.S. fighter to achieve supersonic flight in level flight

• F-106 Delta Dart — regarded as one of the finest interceptors ever built

• XF-92 — an experimental aircraft that proved the viability of the delta-wing configuration

These designs contributed significantly to Cold War aerial defense systems.

Commercial Jets — The Convair 880 and 990

Convair also entered the commercial airliner market with two sleek, fast jetliners:

• Convair 880 — marketed as one of the fastest commercial jets of its time

• Convair 990 Coronado — a refinement with improved performance and reduced drag

Although they faced stiff competition from Boeing and Douglas, these aircraft remain admired for their engineering elegance and aerodynamic sophistication.

Engineering Approaches That Defined the Jet Age

Convair’s postwar designs were shaped by:

• pioneering use of delta wings

• early adoption of area-rule fuselage shaping

• integration of jet and rocket propulsion research

• advanced manufacturing and metallurgical techniques

• modeling and wind-tunnel experimentation

Many of these innovations became standards across the entire aerospace industry.

A Legacy of Bold, Forward-Thinking Design

Convair’s Jet Age contributions reflect a lineage rooted in Consolidated Aircraft’s culture of innovation. Across bombers, fighters, and commercial jets, the company consistently pursued:

• faster speeds

• longer ranges

• higher altitudes

• more efficient structures

• advanced aerodynamics

The results were some of the most iconic aircraft of the 20th century.

A Bridge from Propeller to Jet — and Beyond

From the giant B-36 to the elegant 880 and the supersonic B-58, Convair helped shape the technological arc that carried America from the WWII era into the height of the Cold War.

This work set the stage for the company’s next evolution—into missiles, rockets, and the dawn of human spaceflight.