Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Bomber shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Bomber offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Bomber at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Bomber? Wrong! If the Bomber is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Bomber then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Bomber? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Bomber and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Bomber wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Bomber then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Bomber site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Bomber, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Bomber, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
is one of the most recognizable and famous bombers of World War II.A
bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground targets, primarily by dropping
bombs.
Classifications of bombers
Strategic bombers are primarily designed for long-range strike missions with bombs against strategic targets such as supply bases, bridges, factories, shipyards, and cities themselves, in order to damage an enemy's war effort. Examples:
B-17 Flying Fortress, B-24 Liberator, B-52 Stratofortress,
General Dynamics F-111 'Aardvark' , Tupolev Tu-16 'Badger',
Tupolev Tu-160 'Blackjack', Gotha G.
Tactical bombers are smaller aircraft that operate at shorter range, typically along with troops on the ground. This role is filled by many designs, including those listed below. In modern terms, any combat aircraft that is not a purpose-designed strategic bomber falls into this category.
Ground attack aircraft or "close air support" aircraft are designed to loiter over a battlefield and attack tactical targets, such as
tanks, troop concentrations, etc. Examples: Junkers Ju 87
Stuka, Ilyushin Il-2
Shturmovik, A-10 Thunderbolt II, Sukhoi Su-25 'Frogfoot'.
Fighter-bombers (also called tactical fighters, strike fighters, and attack fighters) are multi-role combat aircraft which can (at least theoretically) be equipped for either air-to-air combat or air-to-ground combat. Many fighter bombers were also designed to engage in aerial combat immediately after attacking ground targets. Modern multi-role combat aircraft are designed to fulfill multiple roles due to budget restrictions as often as they are for versatility. Examples: Chengdu J-10, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F/A-18 Hornet, Sukhoi Su-32 'Fullback', Dassault-Breguet Mirage 2000 and the Panavia Tornado.
History
Bombers evolved at the same time as the fighter aircraft at the start of World War I. The first use of an air-dropped bomb however, was carried out by the Italians in their 1911 war for Libya. In 1912 Bulgarian Air Force pilot Christo Toprakchiev suggested the use of airplanes to drop "bombs" (as grenades were called in the Bulgarian army at this time) on Turkish positions. Captain Simeon Petrov developed the idea and created several prototypes by adapting different types of grenades and increasing their payload. On October 16, 1912, observer Prodan Toprakchiev dropped two of those bombs on the Turkish railway station of Karaagac (near the besieged Edirne) from an Albatros F.II airplane piloted by Radul Milkov. This was the second use of an airplane as a bomber.Fact|date=April 2007
After a number of tests Petrov created the final design, with improved aerodynamics, an X shaped tail and impact detonator. This version was widely used by the Bulgarian Air Force during the siege of Edrine. Later a copy of the plans was sold to Germany and the bomb, codenamed "Chathaldza" ("Чаталджа") remained in mass production until the end of World War I.
The weight of the bomb was 6 kilograms. On impact it created a crater 4-5 meters wide and about 1 meter deep.
The Germans used Zeppelins as bombers since they had the range and capacity to carry a useful bomb load from Germany to England. With advances in aircraft design and equipment, they were joined by larger multi-engined biplane aircraft on both sides for long range strategic bombing especially by night. The majority of bombing was still done by one-engined biplanes with one or two crew-members flying short distances to attack the enemy lines and immediate hinterland.
The world's 1st four-engined bomber was Russian Il'ya Muromets created in 1914 and successfully used in World War I.
In the past, bombers were a separate type of aircraft, and often looked dramatically different from other aircraft. This was due largely to the lack of power in aircraft engines, meaning that to carry any reasonable payload, the aircraft had to have multiple engines. The result was a much larger aircraft, one with a reasonable useful load fraction for the role.
With engine power as a major limitation combined with the desire for accuracy and other operational factors, bomber designs tended to be tailored to one particular role. By the start of World War II this included
- dive bomber
- light bomber, medium bomber and heavy bomber
- torpedo bomber
- specialized ground attack designs
Bombers have carried armament for defence against enemy aircraft only. They are not intended nor designed to actively engage in combat with other aircraft. The majority have been relatively large and unmaneuverable - although some smaller designs have been used as the basis for specialist fighters such as the night-fighter. Attack aircraft are smaller, faster, and more agile, but when armed for a ground attack mission, less so than a fighter aircraft|fighter. Attack aircraft may carry air-to-air armament, but typically only IR guided weapons (such as the AIM-9 for self-defense.
Cold War
At the start of the Cold War, bombers were the only means to take the nuclear weapons to the enemy and had the role of deterrence theory. With the advent of the guided missile, bombers had to turn to different ways to avoid interception. High speed and high altitude flying became a means of evading detection and attack. Some designs such as the English Electric Canberra could fly faster or higher than contemporary fighters. Surface to air missiles threatened high flying aircraft, and bombers moved to high speed low flying to get under air defences. Since the bombs were now "stand off" designs (effectively large guided missiles themselves) they did not have to climb over the targets to drop them but would have fired and turned away to escape the blast. Nuclear warfare strike aircraft were generally finished in bare metal or anti-flash white to avoid any residual effects.
At the same time the need to drop conventional bombs remained in conflicts with a non-nuclear power such as the Vietnam war or Malayan Emergency.
The development of large strategic bombers stagnated in the later part of the Cold War because of spiraling costs and the advent of the intercontinental ballistic missile which was felt to have equal deterrent value while being much more difficult to intercept. The United States Air Force
XB-70 Valkyrie program was cancelled for that reason in the early 1960s, and the later
B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit aircraft entered service only after protracted political and development problems. Their high cost meant that few were built and the 1950s-designed B-52s continued in use into the 21st century. Similarly, the Soviet Union used the intermediate-range
Tupolev Tu-22M 'Backfire'in the 1970s, but their
Mach number bomber project came to naught. The Mach 2 Tu-160 'Blackjack' was built only in tiny numbers, leaving the earlier Tupolev Tu-16 and
Tupolev Tu-95 'Bear' heavy bombers of 1950s vintage to continue being used into the 21st century. Meanwhile, the
United Kingdom strategic bombing force largely came to an end with the phase-out of the V Bomber force (the last of which left service in 1983. The only other nation that fields a strategic bombing force at present is the
People's Republic of China, which has a number of Chinese-built Tu-16 'Badgers'.
Modern era
In modern air forces, the distinction between bombers, fighter-bombers, and attack aircraft has become blurred. Many attack aircraft, even ones that
look like fighters, are optimized to drop bombs, with very little ability to engage in aerial combat. Indeed, the design qualities that make an effective low-level attack aircraft make for a distinctly inferior air superiority fighter, and vice versa. Conversely, many fighter aircraft, such as the F-16, are often used as 'bomb trucks,' despite being designed for aerial combat. Perhaps the one meaningful distinction at present is the question of range: a bomber is generally a long-range aircraft capable of striking targets deep within enemy territory, whereas fighter bombers and attack aircraft are limited to 'theater' missions in and around the immediate area of battlefield combat. Even that distinction is muddied by the availability of aerial refueling, which greatly increases the potential radius of combat operations.
Plans in the U.S. and Russia for successors to the current strategic bomber force remain only paper projects, and political and funding pressures suggest that they are likely to for the foreseeable future. In the U.S., current plans call for the existing USAF bomber fleet to remain in service until the mid-to-late 2020s, with no replacement in sight.
See also
is one of the most recognizable and famous bombers of
World War II.A
bomber is a
military aircraft designed to attack ground targets, primarily by dropping
bombs.
Classifications of bombers
Strategic bombers are primarily designed for long-range strike missions with bombs against strategic targets such as supply bases, bridges, factories, shipyards, and cities themselves, in order to damage an enemy's war effort. Examples:
B-17 Flying Fortress,
B-24 Liberator,
B-52 Stratofortress, General Dynamics F-111 'Aardvark' ,
Tupolev Tu-16 'Badger',
Tupolev Tu-160 'Blackjack', Gotha G.
Tactical bombers are smaller aircraft that operate at shorter range, typically along with troops on the ground. This role is filled by many designs, including those listed below. In modern terms, any combat aircraft that is not a purpose-designed strategic bomber falls into this category.
Ground attack aircraft or "close air support" aircraft are designed to loiter over a battlefield and attack tactical targets, such as
tanks, troop concentrations, etc. Examples: Junkers Ju 87
Stuka, Ilyushin Il-2
Shturmovik, A-10 Thunderbolt II, Sukhoi Su-25 'Frogfoot'.
Fighter-bombers (also called tactical fighters, strike fighters, and attack fighters) are multi-role combat aircraft which can (at least theoretically) be equipped for either air-to-air combat or air-to-ground combat. Many fighter bombers were also designed to engage in aerial combat immediately after attacking ground targets. Modern multi-role combat aircraft are designed to fulfill multiple roles due to budget restrictions as often as they are for versatility. Examples: Chengdu J-10, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F/A-18 Hornet, Sukhoi Su-32 'Fullback', Dassault-Breguet Mirage 2000 and the Panavia Tornado.
History
Bombers evolved at the same time as the fighter aircraft at the start of World War I. The first use of an air-dropped bomb however, was carried out by the Italians in their 1911 war for Libya. In 1912 Bulgarian Air Force pilot Christo Toprakchiev suggested the use of airplanes to drop "bombs" (as grenades were called in the Bulgarian army at this time) on Turkish positions. Captain Simeon Petrov developed the idea and created several prototypes by adapting different types of grenades and increasing their payload. On October 16, 1912, observer Prodan Toprakchiev dropped two of those bombs on the Turkish railway station of Karaagac (near the besieged Edirne) from an Albatros F.II airplane piloted by Radul Milkov. This was the second use of an airplane as a bomber.Fact|date=April 2007
After a number of tests Petrov created the final design, with improved aerodynamics, an X shaped tail and impact detonator. This version was widely used by the Bulgarian Air Force during the siege of Edrine. Later a copy of the plans was sold to Germany and the bomb, codenamed "Chathaldza" ("Чаталджа") remained in mass production until the end of World War I.
The weight of the bomb was 6 kilograms. On impact it created a crater 4-5 meters wide and about 1 meter deep.
The Germans used Zeppelins as bombers since they had the range and capacity to carry a useful bomb load from Germany to England. With advances in aircraft design and equipment, they were joined by larger multi-engined biplane aircraft on both sides for long range strategic bombing especially by night. The majority of bombing was still done by one-engined biplanes with one or two crew-members flying short distances to attack the enemy lines and immediate hinterland.
The world's 1st four-engined bomber was Russian Il'ya Muromets created in 1914 and successfully used in World War I.
In the past, bombers were a separate type of aircraft, and often looked dramatically different from other aircraft. This was due largely to the lack of power in aircraft engines, meaning that to carry any reasonable payload, the aircraft had to have multiple engines. The result was a much larger aircraft, one with a reasonable useful load fraction for the role.
With engine power as a major limitation combined with the desire for accuracy and other operational factors, bomber designs tended to be tailored to one particular role. By the start of World War II this included
- dive bomber
- light bomber, medium bomber and heavy bomber
- torpedo bomber
- specialized ground attack designs
Bombers have carried armament for defence against enemy aircraft only. They are not intended nor designed to actively engage in combat with other aircraft. The majority have been relatively large and unmaneuverable - although some smaller designs have been used as the basis for specialist fighters such as the night-fighter. Attack aircraft are smaller, faster, and more agile, but when armed for a ground attack mission, less so than a fighter aircraft|fighter. Attack aircraft may carry air-to-air armament, but typically only IR guided weapons (such as the AIM-9 for self-defense.
Cold War
At the start of the Cold War, bombers were the only means to take the nuclear weapons to the enemy and had the role of deterrence theory. With the advent of the guided missile, bombers had to turn to different ways to avoid interception. High speed and high altitude flying became a means of evading detection and attack. Some designs such as the English Electric Canberra could fly faster or higher than contemporary fighters. Surface to air missiles threatened high flying aircraft, and bombers moved to high speed low flying to get under air defences. Since the bombs were now "stand off" designs (effectively large guided missiles themselves) they did not have to climb over the targets to drop them but would have fired and turned away to escape the blast. Nuclear warfare strike aircraft were generally finished in bare metal or anti-flash white to avoid any residual effects.
At the same time the need to drop conventional bombs remained in conflicts with a non-nuclear power such as the Vietnam war or Malayan Emergency.
The development of large strategic bombers stagnated in the later part of the Cold War because of spiraling costs and the advent of the intercontinental ballistic missile which was felt to have equal deterrent value while being much more difficult to intercept. The United States Air Force
XB-70 Valkyrie program was cancelled for that reason in the early 1960s, and the later
B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit aircraft entered service only after protracted political and development problems. Their high cost meant that few were built and the 1950s-designed B-52s continued in use into the 21st century. Similarly, the Soviet Union used the intermediate-range
Tupolev Tu-22M 'Backfire'in the 1970s, but their Mach number bomber project came to naught. The Mach 2 Tu-160 'Blackjack' was built only in tiny numbers, leaving the earlier Tupolev Tu-16 and
Tupolev Tu-95 'Bear' heavy bombers of 1950s vintage to continue being used into the 21st century. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom strategic bombing force largely came to an end with the phase-out of the V Bomber force (the last of which left service in 1983. The only other nation that fields a strategic bombing force at present is the
People's Republic of China, which has a number of Chinese-built Tu-16 'Badgers'.
Modern era
In modern air forces, the distinction between bombers, fighter-bombers, and attack aircraft has become blurred. Many attack aircraft, even ones that
look like fighters, are optimized to drop bombs, with very little ability to engage in aerial combat. Indeed, the design qualities that make an effective low-level attack aircraft make for a distinctly inferior air superiority fighter, and vice versa. Conversely, many fighter aircraft, such as the F-16, are often used as 'bomb trucks,' despite being designed for aerial combat. Perhaps the one meaningful distinction at present is the question of range: a bomber is generally a long-range aircraft capable of striking targets deep within enemy territory, whereas fighter bombers and attack aircraft are limited to 'theater' missions in and around the immediate area of battlefield combat. Even that distinction is muddied by the availability of aerial refueling, which greatly increases the potential radius of combat operations.
Plans in the U.S. and Russia for successors to the current strategic bomber force remain only paper projects, and political and funding pressures suggest that they are likely to for the foreseeable future. In the U.S., current plans call for the existing USAF bomber fleet to remain in service until the mid-to-late 2020s, with no replacement in sight.
See also
RAF History - Bomber Command 60th Anniversary
RAF History - Bomber Command 60th Anniversary ... The Anatomy of a typical Bomber Command Aircraft. Just click on the links below to view the internal details of a typical ...
RAF History - Bomber Command 60th Anniversary
RAF History - Bomber Command 60th Anniversary ... Welcome to the 60th Anniversary of RAF Bomber Command website. On 22nd February 1942, Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris ...
Bob Baxter's Bomber Command Index
RAF Bomber Command and Lancaster Bomber related site. Aircraft and aircrew loss records, squadron codes, operations photos, and memoirs.
Bomber - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground targets, primarily by dropping bombs.
Jet Bomber Pilot
Jet Bomber Pilot Book Signing - posts ... Please follow the link for Robby's lates talk about V-force life for the VRT at Southend.
BBC - History - Sir Arthur 'Bomber' Harris (1892 - 1984)
One of the most controversial figures of World War Two, Harris was in charge of the massive Allied air campaign against Nazi Germany from 1942 to 1945.
Bomber Crew
Site follows the Channel 4 series Bomber Crew: five grandchildren of Bomber Command veterans experience authentic 1940s training and crew genuine World War II aircraft. Also ...
Vulcan to the Sky Trust - Avro Vulcan Bomber XH558 - Vulcan Operating ...
The company has been formed to return to display flight the last flying example of the famous Avro Vulcan jet bomber XJ558.
Untitled Document
RAF BOMBER COMMAND IN WW2
This website tells the story of the Royal Air Force's bomber aircrews, airmen and airwomen and their contribution to victory in the Second World War (WW2) 1939-45.
