Martin was so convinced it had a winner in its advanced and unconventional XB-51 jet bomber that it launched production before even entering a competitive flyoff with the English Electric Canberra. The company invested in tooling and awarded contracts to suppliers for an initial batch of aircraft.

When the U.S. Air Force selected the Canberra over the XB-51, Martin faced having to write off all that investment and the prospect of losing money despite having the license to build the winning B-57. The company mobilized its lobbyists and appealed to the U.S Air Force which, to avoid the risk of losing the aircraft it wanted – the Canberra – agreed to take a batch of 50 B-51s.

This would allow Martin to recover its costs. But there was a catch. To avoid the threat of the U.S. selection of the Canberra being overturned by Congress, the UK had to agree to take half the aircraft produced.

The U.S. Air Force aircraft were designated B-51 Panthers. This was deemed unsuitable for the Royal Air Force (someone in the Ministry of Supply having had too close an encounter with a German Panzer). So the aircraft supplied to the UK were christened Carlisle B(I).1s.

Previous British bombers had been named after cities, such as Halifax, Lancaster and Stirling, so someone thought that the name of small market town (sorry, city!) in Northwest England was suitable for a small fleet of bombers no-one wanted.

The Royal Air Force assigned the bombers to 617 Sqn. The idea was to operate the orphan aircraft for a few years then quietly retire them. But the Carlisle confounded expectations. The famed squadron's crews were determined their aircraft would not be quietly consigned to history and instead mastered how to use the bomber's high speed at low level to devastating effect.

In a nod to the ruthless gangs of sheep and cattle stealers that raided the border country between England and Scotland and around Carlisle in the 15th and 16th centuries, the 617 Sqn crews began calling their aircraft the "Reiver" for its ability to across borders undetected.

In the end, on both sides of the Atlantic, the unorthodox B-51 was far outlived by the conventional Canberra. But, in its short career with the RAF, the Carlisle acquitted itself well.



This is the Mikro Mir 1/72 kit of the Martin XB-51 bomber, which in 1950 lost out to the English Electric Canberra in a US Air Force competition for a night intruder/bomber to replace the B-26 Invader. The Canberra, of course, became the Martin B-57.


The XB-51 was an unusual design, with three engines, swept variable-incidence wing, rotating bomb bay and tandem main landing gear. Two of the engines were in forward pods and one in the rear fuselage that could be shut down in flight, the intake rotating to close off the inlet.


Scheme aside, the kit is built essentially OOB. The only changes are to the later tail with the Kuchemann carrots and the use of RAF 500lb. bombs in the bomb bay. This was a challenging kit to build. Lots of parts, lots of detail, but no positive locating features and a plastic resistant to liquid glue.



A weird one, for sure. But I love the way it looks!


(Oh, and I come from farming stock in Scottish Border country not that far from Carlisle so I'm pretty sure my ancestors were ruthless sheep-stealers.)

Very nice!!
I like the Reiver name. Flashback to the Firefly series.
I put you in for a whiffy.

Oh dear.......this is a stunner!      

Looking very smart in this outfit. Woooow ......

Marvelous job  

David aka 63cpe

Very impressive.  Only one very slight technical error,  Carlisle is a CITY  and has been since at least 1158AD.   (How can one tell, they ask, that Rheged was born and grew up there?)

LOVE it, two minds with similar thoughts, except you're a faster builder than I am. 

I agree about  it being a 'challenging' kit to build, so much so that I've paused mine to give my brain a rest!

Very smart - well done 👍

I like that and the Reiver nickname especially.   I never knew about the closing intake for the shutdown rear engine.  Neat.

David

The design always looked wrong, but a great model - well done!

Once I get my mind past the engine placement that thing is dead sexy!

Great choice of subject but, unfortunately not one I will likely buy. I'd want more than one but. it's just too expensive.

Great job well done.

Quote from: dwomby on March 18, 2024, 03:58:17 PMI never knew about the closing intake for the shutdown rear engine.  Neat.

It rotates anti-clockwise so that it fairs in the hole when the engine's shut down. You get both bots in the kit IIRC.

Of course Martin were into rotating bits as the bomb bay door does it as well!

 

Very nice

That's very, very nice!