Originally Posted by
Mick Stability
At a time when there was conceived to be a real threat from a perceived bomber imbalance, the air to air N option was a sensible counter force.
We can't always review the decisions of the past throught the spectacles we wear today.
At the time they probably committed the sin of assuming the Russians would use the same tactics. The US plan was for a 9-ship cell of B29 with 4 weapons carriers, decoys and counter measures. A single NAA missile would be the perfect counter. If the Russians refused to use 9-ship cells then the ploy would fail
Then came the B47.