ARMED FORCES: Chemical Bomber

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Until the day when its missile capability is completely foolproof, the U.S. Air Force intends to rely on bombers—the faster and higher-flying the better—controlled by alert crews whose accuracy and judgment are as yet superior to those of unmanned vehicles. Last week the Air Force announced that it would contract with Los Angeles' North American Aviation, Inc. for development of the WS (for weapon system) -110A, an intercontinental bomber hopefully designed to fly at Mach 3 (three times the speed of sound) at altitudes ranging to 125,000 ft. The so-called "chemical bomber" will use not the ordinary fuels such as kerosene and gasoline but materials probably composed, in part, of boron, an element of the familiar household cleansing chemical borax.

The WS-110A, in the works for more than two years, is the natural successor to the Boeing B-52 (now replacing the long-range B-36) and an advance on Convair's B58 Hustler, a Mach 2 medium bomber (not yet operational). Both the B-52 and B58 require refueling on intercontinental missions, while the WS-110A should be able to fly from Chicago to Moscow and back without refueling. If the WS-110A prototype proves its worth, the plane could be in production in about five years, an important ace in the sky in the event that untried, untested intercontinental missiles do not live up to their advance billing—and perhaps even if they do.