<hi style=afpcap>Another radical design from the Martin stable, the XB-48 was a six jet bomber with two aircraft were funded in 1945. Powered by J35 jet engines, the XB-48 was a proof of concept design which first flew in June 1947, and like the XB-51 spent its brief lifetime with the manufacturer at Baltimore and at Edwards AFB. Following the ending of World War Two, the Air Force became a separate organisation from the Army and set about establishing itself as a credible deterrant. To achieve this goal the Air Force issued orders for adventurous designs, the vast majority of which achieved little more than prototype status. </hi>
