The WS-125 was a proposed super long range bomber

Bomber

A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...

, designed by the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 during the cold war

Cold War

The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...

. It was supposed to be a nuclear aircraft

Nuclear aircraft

A nuclear aircraft is an aircraft powered by nuclear energy. Research into them was pursued during the Cold War by the United States and the Soviet Union as they would presumably allow a country to keep nuclear bombers in the air for extremely long periods of time, a useful tactic for nuclear...

 and was scheduled to be named as B-72.

In 1954, the USAF issued a weapons system requirement for a nuclear-powered bomber, designated WS-125. In 1956, GE teamed up with Convair (X211

General Electric X211

The General Electric J87 was a nuclear-powered turbojet engine designed to power the proposed WS-125 long-range bomber. The program was started in 1955 in conjunction with Convair for a joint engine/airframe proposal for the WS-125...

 program) and Pratt & Whitney with Lockheed in competitive engine/airframe development to address the requirement.

In 1956, the USAF decided that the proposed WS-125 bomber was unfeasible as an operational strategic aircraft. Finally, after spending more than 1 billion dollars, the project was canceled on March 28, 1961.

In popular culture

• The novel Steam Bird (1984) by Hilbert Schenck
  Hilbert Schenck
  Hilbert van Nydeck Schenck, Jr. is a science fiction writer and engineer.Several of his short fiction works have been nominated for Hugos and Nebulas...
  
   explored the possibilities if the WS-124/B-72 had actually been built and put in service.

See also

• Planes That Never Flew
  Planes That Never Flew
  Planes That Never Flew is a Discovery Channel documentary series about experimental aircraft projects that never flew. Over four one-hour episodes, the series examined the history behind aborted projects to build two jet fighters, a supersonic transport , and a nuclear powered long range...
  
  , Discovery Channel
• Project Pluto
  Project Pluto
  Project Pluto was a United States government program to develop nuclear powered ramjet engines for use in cruise missiles. Two experimental engines were tested at the United States Department of Energy Nevada Test Site in 1961 and 1964.-History:...
  
  
• Convair B-36
  Convair B-36
  The Convair B-36 "Peacemaker" was a strategic bomber built by Convair and operated solely by the United States Air Force from 1949 to 1959. The B-36 was the largest mass-produced piston engine aircraft ever made. It had the longest wingspan of any combat aircraft ever built , although there have...
  
   (the "Experiments" section)
• Nuclear aircraft
  Nuclear aircraft
  A nuclear aircraft is an aircraft powered by nuclear energy. Research into them was pursued during the Cold War by the United States and the Soviet Union as they would presumably allow a country to keep nuclear bombers in the air for extremely long periods of time, a useful tactic for nuclear...
  
  
• Convair X-6
  Convair X-6
  -See also:*Project Pluto*Project Rover*NERVA*WS-125Comparable aircraft* Tupolev Tu-119-External links:* original published on Aviation History, March 1995.* Section devoted to NB-36H...
  
  
• Convair NB-36
  Convair NB-36
  -See Also:Related Development* Convair X-6Comparable Aircraft* Convair B-36* Tupolev Tu-119* WS-125- References :CitationsBibliography...