[Milsurplus] B-45 radios

[Mike Morrow]

Jack wrote:

>Anyone know what the radio fit was on the North American B-45 bomber?

That's an interesting question about the USAF's first jet bomber.

I would **conjecture** that radio gear was an AN/ARC-3, -36, or -49 VHF and a AN/ARC-8 [combo of AN/ARR-11 (BC-348) and AN/ART-13A], HF.  I think it was too early for UHF...I don't think the ubiquitous AN/ARC-27 UHF set was available then, nor do I think the USAF ever used the US Navy's AN/ARC-1 VHF or AN/ARC-12 UHF sets.  AFAIK, the only high-powered pilot-controlled HF radio set in the late 1940s was the US Navy's AN/ARC-25 [combo of AN/ARR-15 and AN/ART-13], and I doubt that the new USAF was installing these in their aircraft.  It seems most USAF aircraft of any decent size from that era, like early B-36s, had one or more AN/ARC-8 sets.  The AN/ARC-8 survived on some older USAF aircraft at least as late as 1970 (personal observation).

I'd suspect that the AN/ARC-21 remote-controlled HF AM set made it into some of the RB-45s before they were retired in the late 1950s.

>Spent some time at the Castle AFB museum today, and looking at
>the B-45 there got me to wondering, given the time frame it entered
>service, did they design in a radio operator position and an AN/ARC-8...

Can you see anything that looks like an HF antenna?  Every picture I've seen of a B-45 was not clear enough to tell if there was some obvious HF antenna installed.  The B-45 was capable of speeds above 600 mph, so I think there would have had to be something quite different from the traditional longwire.

The B-45s had a crew of four.  On the RB-45C, at least, there was a crew position for a "co-pilot/radio operator."

The USAF Museum in Dayton, OH, has a B-45C, but apparently it is not on display.

Maybe someone who can do better than just theorize will provide a real answer.  It's too bad that *most* of those who write books about, run web sites on, or do restorations of historic military aircraft seem to have little interest in details of the original radio gear.

Mike / KK5F