Boeing XB-59
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The XB-59, Boeing model number 701, was designed as a competitor to the Convair B-58 Hustler, in a 1951 competition to replace the B-47 Stratojet in USAF service.
Developed under weapons system designation MX-1965, the XB-59 was to have a crew of three, and would be powered by four Pratt & Whitney J57 or General Electric J73 turbojet engines, mounted in the roots of the 73 foot span wings. The landing gear would be similar to the bicycle arrangement found on the B-47 and B-52 Stratofortress.
The XB-59 was cancelled when the XB-58 was declared the winner of the design competition in August 1952. This was partially due to a lack of funding to develop both projects, and also due to the (disputedly false) perception that high-speed/high-altitude penetration was no longer viable in an age of surface-to-air missiles.
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