The Convair B-36 (nicknamed Peacemaker) was the largest mass-produced piston engined aircraft ever made and the largest combat aircraft ever built. With a range of over 6,000 miles, some of these aircrafts needed special protection, so they were employed in "parasite" programs in which the B-36 carried smaller interceptors or reconnaissance aircraft.
The FICON (Fighter Conveyor) program was conducted by the United States Air Force in the 1950s to test the feasibility of a B-36 Peacemaker bomber carrying an F-84 parasite fighter in its bomb bay.
A production B-36 Peacemaker was modified with a special trapeze mechanism in its bomb bay, and a production F-84E Thunderjet was fitted with a retractable hook in the nose in front of the cockpit. The hook would link the fighter to the trapeze which would hold the aircraft in the bomb bay during flight, lower it for deployment, and raise it back in after the mission.
This tests were all soon abandoned, partly because air refueling appeared as a much safer solution to extend the range of fighters. The first parasite experiments with B-36 employed a XF-85 Goblin escort fighter, but it proved to be a failure and a dangerous experience for pilots.
