[Fred Hayek]

The biggest downfall of the B-58 was that it was a one trick pony. It was designed around the weapons pod, making it highly inflexible and not able to deliver other loadouts. I could not see the B-58 being able to handle standoff weapons, either nuclear or conventional. No internal stowage due to being designed around a weapons pod, and no accommodation for external pylons. Its Soviet equivalent, the Tu-22 Blinder, did not have such a limitation.

[Hulka]

That was the plan back then. . .all jet bombers were designed to be primarily nuclear delivery platforms.

At the start of the Vietnam War, we really didn’t have our jets kitted out for conventional wars, from B-52’s to 105’s, they all had to be updated to perform conventional (non-nuclear) missions.

[doorgunner69]

The B-58 did have the capability to carry external ordnance. Four Mk43 nukes could be carried externally along with the big honker in the pod.

Sorry about the image size, but it would be a sin to reduce such magnificence.