BEARS ‘VOLUNTEERED’ TO TEST JET PILOT EJECTION SYSTEMS

While all the bears survived the tests, they were euthanized immediately afterwards so that autopsies could be performed to determine the extent of any injuries.

REVEALED: HOW AMERICANS USED DRUGGED BEARS TO TEST EJECTOR SEATS FOR FIGHTER PILOTS DURING THE COLD WAR
None of the Himalayan and American black bears used by the U.S. Air Force in the experiments died during the test flights but some did suffer broken bones and internal injuries

Mail Online
December 21, 2012

Live bears were used by the American military to test the safety of the pilot ejection capsule on the world's first supersonic jet bomber, it has emerged.

The B-58 Hustler was created in the 1950s during the height of the cold war.

It was faster than the U.S.S.R jets at the time and was the first ever bomber capable of Mach 2 - the term given to planes flying at twice the speed of sound.

But the plane had several issues - including that the crew could not use the emergency ejection system when the plane was flying at Mach 2.

A new ejection was designed so crew could evacuate at any time but the U.S. Air Force wanted to test the safety of the aircraft's ejection system before letting its elite pilots try it out.

A pre-ejection handle yanked the pilot's legs in close before enclosing him in a shell that still allowed rudimentary control of the plane, i09.com reports.

The actual ejection handle then sent the capsule up with a rocket burst and automatically deployed a parachute. The capsule could float and contained survival supplies in the event of a crash.

Live Himalayan and American black bears were sedated and then sent up in the four jet engine aircraft to test the new ejection system. The bears were ejected at various altitudes and speeds in a various conditions to check its safety.

Upon landing, the bears were checked over for any injuries. Some did suffer broken bones, internal injuries and bruising but no bears died in the test flight ejections.

The ejection tests, which saw bears ejected at speeds up to Mach 1.6 at 45,000 feet, and medical checks after the flights can be seen in an Air Force video.

But i09 reports that a white paper by the National Academy of Sciences National Research Council, called Impact Acceleration Stress, states that the bears were euthanized and underwent an autopsy afterwards.