Bomber Aircraft
Bomber Aircraft (only for combat)
  1. B-1 Lancer

  2. B-2 Spirit

  3. Martin B-10

  4. B-17 Flying Fortress

  5. B-24 Liberator

  6. B-25 Mitchell

  7. B-26 Marauder

  8. B-29 Superfortress

  9. B-36 Peacemaker

  10. B-47 Stratojet

  11. B-52 Stratofortress

  12. B-57 Canberra

  13. B-58 Hustler

  14. Mirage IV

  15. F-111

  16. IL-28 Beagle

  17. SU-24 Fencer

  18. TU-16 Badger

  19. TU-160 Blackjack

  20. TU-22 Blinder

  21. TU-22M Backfire

  22. TU-95 Bear

Medium Bombers
Heavy Bombers
Torpedo Bombers
Dive Bombers
B-1 Lancer
B-2 Spirit
B-52H Stratofortress
Canberra
Mirage IV
F-111
IL-28 Beagle
SU-24 Fencer
TU-16 Badger
TU-160 Blackjack
TU-22 Blinder
TU-22M Backfire
TU-95 Bear

B-52 Stratofortress

A B-52H from Barksdale AFB flying over the desert

B-52H modified to carry two D-21 drones

Retired B-52s are stored at the 309th AMARG (formerly AMARC), a desert storage facility often called the "Boneyard" at Davis-Monthan AFB near Tucson, Arizona.
Crew Positions (6) : - all in ejection seats
Aircraft Commander
Pilot
Radar Navigator
Navigator
Electronic Warfare Officer (ECM)
Former Gunner's Position

Provisions for Additional Crew Positions (4) - no ejection seats
Instructor Pilot
Instructor Navigator
Instructor Electronic Warfare Officer (ECM)
Instructor Gunner
Crew: five (aircraft commander, pilot, radar navigator, navigator and electronic warfare officer)
Primary function: heavy bomber
Power plant: Eight Pratt & Whitney engines TF33-P-3/103 turbofan
Thrust: each engine up to 17,000 pounds
Length: 159 feet, 4 inches (48.5 meters)
Height: 40 feet, 8 inches (12.4 meters)
Weight: Approximately 185,000 pounds (83,250 kilograms)
Maximum takeoff weight: 488,000 pounds (219,600 kilograms)
Fuel Capacity: 312,197 pounds (141,610 kilograms)
Fuel Capacity: 48,000 gallons
Payload: 70,000 pounds (31,500 kilograms)
Speed: 650 miles per hour (Mach 0.84)
Range (unrefuled): 8,800 miles (7,652 nautical miles)
Ceiling: 50,000 feet (15,151.5 meters)
Armament: approximately 70,000 pounds (31,500 kilograms) mixed ordnance -- bombs, mines and missiles. (modified to carry air-launched cruise missiles)
Initial operating capability: April 1952
Inventory: active force, 58; ANG, 0; Reserve, 18
Wingspan: 185 feet (56.4 meters)

Bomber Aircraft
In the early days of the Great War, the bomber was a relatively new concept. Like all Great War era aircraft, it had many problems, the majority of them crippling. As Canadian ace Billy Bishop once stated: "They gave us these bombs, and told us to drop them on someone". Early bombing was a very archaic practice. Rickety biplanes were not strong enough to hold bombs underwing until later on in time. Sometimes, the sheer weight of the bombs prevented the planes from even getting off the ground, and in order to accommodate the bombs, instruments, or even the invaluable machine guns, might be removed. The pilot would have to load his bombs, fly to his target, and throw them out of the plane, guiding them to their target with equal measures luck and prayer. As one could expect, this form of bombing never made a significant dent in the war machines of the Allies or the Entente. It did provide pilots, however, with valuable lessons on the art of bombing.

Advantages of bombing

•Deadly psychological warfare. Infrequent raids frightened civilians, as they had no idea when the bombers were coming, the damage they would inflict, and who would be killed.
•Allowed for targets out of the reach of artillery or ground forces to be strafed or destroyed. •Huge amounts of damage could be inflicted upon targets.
•Bombers could be modified to assume a wide variety of roles.

Disadvantages of bombing

•Frequent bombing sometimes ceased to have a terrifying psychological effect on the victims. In the battle of Britain, London bombings became as normal as the weather, and in certain cases, civilians even went about their daily routine during raids. In plainer speech, bombing victims sometimes gained morale as opposed to losing it.
•Civilian casualties are impossible to avoid.
•Bombers are vulnerable to attack, and the rise of the interceptor in the 1960's proved that one does not need to see his enemy to engage it.
•Bombers are extremely expensive to build, expensive to maintain, and very vulnerable to interceptors and missiles.
Last Updated: November 3, 2017