I was stationed at Grissom AFB(formerly Bunker Hill AFB) in Peru, Indiana between Jan 1968 - Feb 1969. This was SAC (Strategic Air Command) extremely high security base In the middle of rural "cornfield" Indiana.
The B-58 was a single mission Delta wing bomber. Before the B-70 and the F-111 bombers, the B-58 was a 4 engine Mach 2 (1400 mph) High altitude monster. Each engine produced 20,000 hp! It set speed and altitude records that still stand today. Only bested by the famous "BlackBird" SR-71 spy plane.
The B-58 was capable of sustained 900mph afterburner speeds for 1/2hr at a time before going back subsonic. It was capable of mach 1 at 600ft above the ground!!!
It's service ceiling was 80,000ft and operational ceiling was 65,000ft.
Unfortunately it could get you there FAST, though you would never return!
It's sole mission was to deliver one 15 megaton air burst thermonuclear (H bomb) device.
Because of high maintainance costs and its limited mission it quickly outlived its mission.The russians had nothing that could keep up with it, nor missles able to reach it at the speeds it flew.
I worked on the flightline in Mission planning... nuf said... when those suckers fired up those 4 GE monsters nothing stood still. Everything rattled like a giant subwoofer!!! It stayed that way until they passed the 5000ft marker and went Airborne. The flames from those beauties could be seen for about 3 miles in the night sky.
The Coup deGrace was when SAC pulled a launch alert (which happened frequently, like in the movies) and then you had 50 bombers lined up on the runway in the mixed Triad configuration - 32 of those bombers had live Nukes in their bellies taxiing and taking off at 10 second intervals... All those engines!!!! Still gives me goose bumps.We did have one fatal accident, when a total flameout occured on take off and the aircraft crashed on its belly, with live weaponry. All 3 crew members were killed. Bases was cloed for over a week until everyone was debriefed.
In terms of sonic booms,they were never allowed to go supersonic over or near the base. Only after the Reached 40,000ft over Lake Michigan. Then remainded so over the the TOP of the world on their way to Russia. They were deactivated in 1972 and replaced with the F-111 Bomber.