Boeing was selected from among this group and given a contract on 1 July 1948 to conduct further engineering studies. Boeing's initial approach was to mount four
turboprop engines on an airframe similar to its B-47: the wing would have less sweepback; the
Allison T40-A-2 engines would drive three-blade
contra-rotating propellers (i.e. six blades total per engine); the engines to be mounted in
nacelles hung from the wings, two per side; the landing gear to be similar to the B-47's tandem gear with outriggers retracting into the outboard engine nacelles.