The B-58 Hustler supersonic bomber was designed alongside its weapon. Unlike many bombers which were designed as generalized “trucks,” which could haul any of a number of different weapons, the B-58 was designed to carry a single specific payload, a large, sleek underslung pod. The MB-1 pod was much longer than the thermonuclear weapon it held; the extra volume contained fuel used to get to the target. The idea was a clever on, but the MB-1 was plagued with fuel leaking from the tanks into the weapon bay. The MB-1 was eventually replaced with a two Component Pod, which have a narrow weapon pod semi-submerged within a larger fuel pod, which could be jettisoned separately. A proposed version of the MB-1 would have had a rocket engine in the tail of the pod, turning it into a standoff weapon (but reducing the range of the B-58).
Illustration from a B-58 maintenance manual.
