Strategic bomber

Strategic Bomber

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Strategic bomber

A strategic bomber is a heavy type aircraft

Aircraft

An aircraft is a vehicle which is able to flight by being supported by the air, or in general, the atmosphere, of a planet. Examples include balloons, airplanes and helicopters....
designed to drop large amounts of ordnance

Bomb

A bomb is any of a range of explosive devices that typically rely on the exothermic chemical reaction of an explosive material to produce an extremely sudden and violent release of energy....
onto a distant target for the purposes of debilitating an enemy's capacity to wage war. Unlike tactical bombers, which are used in the battle zone to attack troops and military equipment, strategic bombers are built to fly into an enemy's heartland to destroy strategic targets e.g.

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Encyclopedia

A strategic bomber is a heavy type aircraft

Aircraft

Bomb

Strategic bombing

Strategic bombing is a military strategy used in a total war with the goal of defeating an enemy nation-state by destroying its economic ability to wage war rather than destroying its land or naval forces....
, strategic bombers can be used for tactical missions

Tactical bombing

Tactical bombing uses aircraft to attack troops and military equipment in the battle zone. This is in contrast to strategic bombing, which attacks an enemy's cities and factories to debilitate the enemy's capacity to wage war as well as the civilian population's will to continue the war....
. Only 4 countries maintain nuclear bombers- US, Russia, India and China.

First and Second World Wars

At the start of the Second World War, most strategic bombing was carried out by medium bomber

Medium bomber

A medium bomber is a bomber aircraft designed to operate with medium bombloads over medium distances; primarily to distinguish them from the much larger heavy bombers and smaller light bombers....
s, typically twin-engined with several gun positions. Bigger two and four-engined designs were being developed and these came to replace the medium bomber designs.

By the end of the Second World War, the heavy bomber

Heavy bomber

A heavy bomber is a bomber aircraft of the largest size, and typically longest ranges. The term was used primarily prior to and during World War II, when engine power was so scarce that designs had to be carefully tailored to their missions....
was the aircraft usually used for bombing the enemy's cities and infrastructure.

Cold war and later

During the Cold War

Cold War

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
on one side and the USSR on the other kept nuclear-armed strategic bombers ready to launch at a moment's notice as part of the deterrent

Deterrence theory

Deterrence theory is a military strategy developed during the Cold War. It is especially relevant with regard to the use of nuclear weapons, and figures prominently in current United States foreign policy regarding the development of nuclear technology in North Korea and Iran....
strategy of Mutual Assured Destruction

Mutual assured destruction

Mutually assured destruction is a doctrine of military strategy in which a full-scale use of nuclear weapons by two opposing sides would effectively result in the destruction of both the attacker and the defender....
. Most strategic bombers of the two superpowers were designed to deliver nuclear weapons. For a time, B-52 Stratofortress

B-52 Stratofortress

Fail-safe

Fail-safe or fail-secure describes a device or feature which, in the event of Failure mode, responds in a way that will cause no harm or at least a minimum of harm to other devices or danger to personnel....
points near the Soviet border. The RAF

Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is the United Kingdom's air force, the oldest independent air force in the world. Formed on 1 April 1918, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history ever since, playing a large part in World War II and in more recent conflicts....
's V-bombers were directed against targets in European Russia and would have been able to reach and destroy cities like Kiev or Moscow before US bombers.

More recent strategic bombers like the Rockwell International (now Boeing

Boeing

The Boeing Company is a major aerospace and defense corporation, originally founded by William Edward Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997....
) B-1B Lancer bomber, Tupolev

Tupolev

Tupolev is a Russian aerospace and defence company, headquartered in Moscow. Officially known as Public Stock Company Tupolev, it is the successor of the famed Tupolev OKB or Tupolev Design Bureau headed by the renowned Soviet aerospace engineer Andrei Tupolev....
Tu-160 Blackjack

Tupolev Tu-160

The Tupolev Tu-160 is a supersonic, swing-wing heavy bomber designed by the Soviet Union. It is similar in configuration to the B-1 Lancer but is significantly faster than the B-1B at altitude with a greater combat range and payload capacity....
and the Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman Corporation is an aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company is the fourth largest defense contractor in the world, and the largest builder of Naval ship....
B-2 Spirit

B-2 Spirit

The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit is a multirole heavy bomber with "low observable" stealth aircraft technology capable of penetration dense anti-aircraft warfare to deploy both conventional weapons and nuclear weapon weapons....
bomber incorporate stealth

Stealth technology

Stealth technology also known as LO technology is a sub-discipline of military electronic countermeasures which covers a range of techniques used with stealth aircraft, stealth ship, submarines, and missiles, in order to make them less visible to radar, infrared, sonar and other detection methods....
features in their design in an effort to avoid detection. Non-stealthy strategic bombers, e.g., the venerable Boeing B-52 Stratofortress

B-52 Stratofortress

The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, subsonic, jet engine, strategic bomber operated by the United States Air Force since 1955.Beginning with the successful contract bid on 5 June 1946, the B-52 went through several design steps; from a straight wing aircraft powered by six turboprop engines to the final prototype YB-52, with ei...
or the equally venerable Tupolev Tu-95 are still relevant through the use of air-launched cruise missiles and other "stand-off" weapons like JSOW and JDAM. Indeed, it is likely that the USAF B-52 fleet will, with continuing upgrades, outlive the B-1B fleet. However, the USAF has recently launched a program for a new strategic bomber to complement the current fleet; it is likely that this bomber will also serve as a replacement for both the B-52 and B-1. In the case of the Russian VVS (Air Forces), new Tu-160 strategic bombers are expected to be delivered on a regular basis over the course of the next 10-20 years. Additionally, the current Tu-95, Tu-142, Tu-26 and Tu-160 fleet will be periodically updated, as it was seen in the 1990s with the Tu-22M fleet.

During the Cold War

Cold War

The Cold War was the continuing state of conflict, tension and competition that existed between a number of world powers, including the United States, the Soviet Union, People's Republic of China, France, United Kingdom and those countries' respective allies from the mid-1940s to the early 1990s....
, strategic bombers were almost certainly armed with nuclear weapons. However, since the end of the Cold War, strategic bombers have exclusively been deployed using non-nuclear, conventional weapons. During Operation Desert Storm, the invasion of Afghanistan

War in Afghanistan (2001–present)

The War in Afghanistan, which began on October 7, 2001 as the U.S. military operation Operation Enduring Freedom, was launched by the United States with the United Kingdom in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks....
, and the 2003 invasion of Iraq

2003 invasion of Iraq

The 2003 invasion of Iraq, from March 20 to May 1, 2003, was spearheaded by the United States, backed by United Kingdom forces and smaller contingents from Australia, Spain, Poland and Denmark....
, American B-52s and B-1s were employed in both strategic and tactical roles. During the 1979-1988 Soviet-Afghan war, many Tu-95 carried out several mass bombings on several regions of the country.

Notable strategic bombers

These were the bombers used in the main or that represented a shift in heavy bomber design. With (Maximum bomb load). In practice, the bomb load carried was dependent on factors such as the distance to target and the type or size of the bombs used.

World War I
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....

Caproni Ca.1 Caproni Ca.3

Caproni Ca.3

The Caproni Ca.3 was an Italy heavy bomber aircraft of the World War I and the post-war era. It was the definitive version of the series of aircraft that began with the Caproni Ca.1 in 1914 in aviation....
(1,700 lb) Gotha G.IV

Gotha G.IV

The Gotha G.IV was a heavy bomber used by the Luftstreitkr?fte during the First World War. Experience with the Gotha G.III showed that the rear gunner could not efficiently operate both the dorsal and ventral positions....
(1,100 lb) Handley Page Type O

Handley Page Type O

The Handley Page Type O was an early bomber aircraft used by United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland during World War I. At the time, it was the largest aircraft that had been built in the UK and one of the largest in the world....
(2,000 lb) Handley Page V/1500

Handley Page V/1500

The Handley Page V/1500 was a United Kingdom heavy night bomber built by Handley Page towards the end of the World War I. It was a large four-engined biplane, which resembled a larger version of Handley Page's earlier Handley Page Type O bombers, intended to bomb Berlin from East Anglian airfields....
(7,500 lb) Sikorsky Ilya Muromets

Sikorsky Ilya Muromets

The Il'ya Muromets was a Russian aircraft created in 1912 that was based on the Bolshoi Baltiski, the first aircraft designed by Igor Sikorsky....
(1,100 lb) Zeppelin Staaken R.VI

Zeppelin Staaken R.VI

The Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI was a four-engined Imperial Germany biplane strategic bomber of World War I, and the only so-called R-planes design built in any quantity....
(4,400 lb) Zeppelin

Zeppelin

For the English rock group, please see Led Zeppelin. For other meanings please see Zeppelin .A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century, based on designs he had outlined in 1874, designs he had detailed in 1893, and that were reviewed by committee in 1894, which h...
(about 5,000 lb)

World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....

Avro Lancaster

The Avro Lancaster was a United Kingdom four-engine World War II bomber aircraft made initially by Avro for the British Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley-Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the Royal Canadian Air Force and squadrons from other Commonwealth of Nations...
(22,000 lb) B-17 Flying Fortress

B-17 Flying Fortress

The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engine heavy bomber aircraft developed for the United States Army Air Corps . Competing against Douglas Aircraft Company and Glenn L....
(17,410 lb) B-24 Liberator

B-24 Liberator

The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an United States heavy bomber, built by Consolidated Aircraft. It was produced in greater numbers than any other American combat aircraft of World War II and still holds the record as the most produced U.S....
(8,000 lb) B-29 Superfortress

B-29 Superfortress

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was a four-engine Fixed-wing aircraft#Propeller aircraft heavy bomber that was flown by the United States Military in World War II and the Korean War, and by other nations afterwards....
(20,000 lb) Handley Page Halifax

Handley Page Halifax

The Handley Page Halifax was one of the United Kingdom front-line, four-engine heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force during the World War II. A contemporary of the famous Avro Lancaster, the Halifax remained in service until the end of the war, performing a variety of duties in addition to bombing....
(13,000 lb) Heinkel He 177

Heinkel He 177

The Heinkel He 177 Greif was a long-range bomber aircraft of the Luftwaffe. The troubled aircraft was the only heavy bomber built in large numbers by Nazi Germany during World War II....
(15,870 lb) Petlyakov Pe-8

Petlyakov Pe-8

The Petlyakov Pe-8, also known as TB-7 was a USSR heavy bomber aircraft of World War II, the only four-engined bomber the USSR built during the war....
(11,000 lb) Short Stirling

Short Stirling

The Short Stirling was the first four-engined United Kingdom heavy bomber of the World War II. The Stirling was designed and built by Short Brothers to an Air Ministry specification from 1936, and entered service in 1941....
(18,000 lb)

Cold War
Cold War

The Cold War was the continuing state of conflict, tension and competition that existed between a number of world powers, including the United States, the Soviet Union, People's Republic of China, France, United Kingdom and those countries' respective allies from the mid-1940s to the early 1990s....

Bombload can include nuclear armed missiles as well as conventional bombs

Avro Vulcan

The Avro Vulcan is a delta wing subsonic jet bomber that was operated by the Royal Air Force from 1953 until 1984. The Vulcan was part of the RAF's V bomber force, which fulfilled the role of nuclear deterrence against the Soviet Union during the Cold War....
(21,000 lb) B-36 Peacemaker

Convair B-36

The Convair B-36 was a strategic bomber built by Convair and operated solely by the United States Air Force . The B-36 was the largest mass-produced piston engined aircraft ever made and had the largest wingspan in a combat aircraft ever built , although there have been larger military transports....
(72,000 lb) B-45 Tornado

B-45 Tornado

The North American B-45 Tornado was the United States Air Force's first operational jet bomber, and the first jet aircraft to be refuelled in the air....
(22,000 lb) B-47 Stratojet

B-47 Stratojet

The Boeing B-47 Stratojet jet bomber was a medium-range and medium-size bomber capable of flying at high subsonic speeds and primarily designed for penetrating the airspace of the Soviet Union....
(25,000 lb) B-50 Superfortress

B-50 Superfortress

The Boeing B-50 Superfortress was a post-World War II revision of the wartime United States B-29 Superfortress with larger Pratt & Whitney R-4360 radial engines, a taller vertical stabilizer, and other improvements....
(28,000 lb) B-52 Stratofortress

B-52 Stratofortress

B-58 Hustler

The Convair B-58 Hustler was the first operational jet bomber capable of Mach 2 supersonic flight. The aircraft was developed for the United States Air Force for service in the Strategic Air Command during the late 1950s....
(19,450 lb) Dassault Mirage IV

Dassault Mirage IV

The Dassault Mirage IV is a France jet engine-propelled supersonic strategic bomber aircraft and reconnaissance aircraft. For many years it was the linchpin of the Force de frappe, France's nuclear deterrent programme....
(3,000 lb) FB-111A, a nuclear capable variant of the F-111 'Aardvark'

General Dynamics F-111

The General Dynamics F-111 is a medium-range interdictor and fighter bomber aircraft that also fills the roles of strategic bomber, reconnaissance and electronic warfare in its various versions....
Handley Page Victor

Handley Page Victor

The Handley Page Victor was a United Kingdom jet bomber aircraft produced by the Handley Page Aircraft Company. It was the third and final of the "V bombers" which provided Britain's nuclear deterrent....
Myasishchev M-4

Myasishchev M-4

The Myasishchev M-4 Molot is a four-engined strategic bomber, designed by Vladimir Mikhailovich Myasishchev and manufactured by the Soviet Union in the 1950s to provide a bomber capable of attacking targets in North America....
(52,910 lb) Tupolev Tu-4

Tupolev Tu-4

The Tupolev Tu-4 was a piston-engined Soviet Union strategic bomber aircraft which served the Soviet Air Force from the late 1940s to mid 1960s....
, reversed engineered version of B-29 Superfortress (Also used by ) Tupolev Tu-16

Tupolev Tu-16

The Tupolev Tu-16 was a twin-engine jet bomber used by the Soviet Union. It has flown for more than 50 years and, as the Xian H-6, remains in service with the People's Liberation Army Air Force....
(20,000 lb) Tupolev Tu-95

Tupolev Tu-95

The Tupolev Tu-95 is a large, four-engine turboprop powered strategic bomber and missile platform.First flown in 1952, the Tu-95 was put into service by the former Soviet Union in 1956 and is expected to serve the Russian Air Force until at least 2040.....
(33,000 lb) Tupolev Tu-22M

Tupolev Tu-22M

The Tupolev Tu-22M is a supersonic, swing-wing, long-range strategic and maritime strike bomber developed by the Soviet Union. Significant numbers remain in service with the Russian Air Force....
(46,300 lb) Tupolev Tu-142

Tupolev Tu-142

The Tupolev Tu-142 is a Russian maritime reconnaissance/anti-submarine warfare turboprop aircraft. It is based on the Tupolev Tu-95 strategic bomber....
(Only used by ) Vickers Valiant

Vickers Valiant

The Vickers-Armstrongs Valiant was a United Kingdom four-jet bomber, once part of the Royal Air Force's V bomber force.The Valiant was originally developed for use as high-level strategic bomber....
Xian H-6

Xian H-6

The Xian H-6 is a license-built copy of the Soviet Tupolev Tu-16 twin-engine jet bomber, built for the China People's Liberation Army Air Force....
(Licenced copy of Tupolev Tu-16
Tupolev Tu-16

The Tupolev Tu-16 was a twin-engine jet bomber used by the Soviet Union. It has flown for more than 50 years and, as the Xian H-6, remains in service with the People's Liberation Army Air Force....
)

Post Cold War

B-1 Lancer

The B-1 Lancer is a strategic bomber used by the United States Air Force. Its origins began in the 1960s as a supersonic bomber with sufficient range and payload to replace the B-52 Stratofortress, but developed primarily into a low-level, subsonic penetrator with long range....
(75,000 lb) B-2 Spirit

B-2 Spirit

B-52 Stratofortress

Tupolev Tu-22M

Tupolev Tu-95

Tupolev Tu-160

Xian H-6

Future

A future USAF bomber to at least complement the current fleet (and likely to supplant a portion or all of the B-52 or even B-1 fleet); a deployment time frame goal of 2018 has been established.

PAK DA

The PAK DA , is a next generation strategic bomber which is being developed by Russia. It stands for Perspektivnyi Aviatsionnyi Kompleks Dalney Aviatsyi which means Future Air Complex for Strategic Air Forces....
Xian H-8 Chinese Stealth bomber

Strategic bomber

First and Second World Wars

Cold war and later

Notable strategic bombers

World War IWorld War IWorld War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....

World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....

Post Cold War

Future

See also

World War I
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....

World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....