Inside The Convair B-58 Hustler

A Closer Look at America’s First Mach 2 Bomber

The Convair B-58 Hustler wasn’t just fast, it was revolutionary. On display today at the Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum in Ashland, Nebraska, this sleek delta-wing bomber was the world’s first operational aircraft capable of sustaining speeds beyond Mach 2, or twice the speed of sound.

Entering U.S. Air Force service in 1960, the Hustler embodied the height of Cold War engineering. Designed to deliver nuclear payloads at extreme altitudes and blistering speeds, it was built to outrun Soviet defenses rather than outfight them. Its sharply angled wings, slender fuselage, and polished aluminum skin gave it a futuristic look that still turns heads decades later.

Though its time in service was short—retired in 1970 and replaced by the more versatile B-52 Stratofortress—the B-58 remains a powerful symbol of American innovation. It proved that speed and style could coexist in one breathtaking design.

Was the B-58 Hustler the most beautiful bomber ever built? Many aviation enthusiasts would say yes. What do you think?