NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Strategic bomber

A strategic bomber is a large aircraft designed to drop large amounts of ordnance 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. major military installations, factories and cities. In addition to strategic bombing strategic bombers can of course be used for tactical missions. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2428x1736, 357 KB) Boeing B52H (code 0052) taking off from the Royal International Air Tattoo, RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, England. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2428x1736, 357 KB) Boeing B52H (code 0052) taking off from the Royal International Air Tattoo, RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, England. ... The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, jet strategic bomber flown by the United States Air Force (USAF) since 1954. ... The B-17 Flying Fortress 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. ... Look up aircraft in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) bomb produced in the United States. ... The city heart of Rotterdam after being terror bombed by Nazi Germany in 1940, the ruin of the (now restored) Laurens Kerk is the only building that reminds people of Rotterdams medieval architecture. ... Tactical bombing uses aircraft to attack troops and military equipment in the battle zone. ...

Cold war and later

During the Cold War both the U.S. and USSR kept strategic bombers ready to launch at a moment's notice as part of the deterrent strategy of Mutual Assured Destruction. Most strategic bombers of the two superpowers were designed to deliver nuclear weapons. For a time, B-52 Stratofortress bombers were kept in the air around the clock, orbiting fail-safe points near the Soviet border. For other uses, see Cold War (disambiguation). ... Deterrence theory is a defensive strategy developed after World War II and used throughout the Cold War. ... Mutual assured destruction (MAD) is a doctrine of military strategy in which a full-scale use of nuclear weapons by one of two opposing sides would effectively result in the destruction of both the attacker and the defender. ... A superpower is a state with the ability to influence events or project power on a wide scale. ... The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 km (11 mi) above the epicenter. ... The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, jet strategic bomber flown by the United States Air Force (USAF) since 1954. ... Fail Safe is an episode from Season 5 of the science fiction television series Stargate SG-1. ...

More recent strategic bombers like the Rockwell International (now Boeing) B-1B Lancer bomber, Tupolev Tu-160 Blackjack and the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit bomber incorporate stealth features in their design in an effort to avoid detection. Non-stealthy strategic bombers, e.g., the venerable Boeing B-52 Stratofortress 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), no new strategic aircraft will likely enter service in the next 20 or so years and the current Tu-95, Tu-142, Tu-26 and Tu-160 fleet will be periodically updated, as it was seen in the 1990's with the Tu-22M fleet. The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA, TYO: 7661 ) is a major aerospace and defense corporation, originally founded by William Boeing. ... The Boeing IDS (formerly Rockwell) B-1B Lancer is a long-range strategic bomber in service with the USAF. Together with the B-52 Stratofortress, it is the backbone of the United Statess long-range bomber force. ... Tupolev (Russian: Ð¢ÑƒÐ¿Ð¾Ð»ÐµÐ²) is a Russian aerospace and defence company. ... The Tupolev Tu-160 (NATO reporting name Blackjack) is a supersonic, variable-geometry heavy bomber designed by the Soviet Union. ... The Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) is an aerospace and defense conglomerate that is the result of a 1994 merger between Northrop and Grumman. ... The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit is a multi-role stealth bomber able to drop conventional and nuclear weapons. ... F-117 Stealth Fighter Stealth technology covers a range of techniques used with aircraft, ships and missiles, in order to make them less visible (ideally invisible) to radar, infrared and other detection methods. ... The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, jet strategic bomber flown by the United States Air Force (USAF) since 1954. ... The Tupolev Tu-95 (NATO reporting name Bear) is the most successful Tupolev strategic bomber and missile carrier from the times of the Soviet Union. ... A Tomahawk cruise missile A cruise missile is a guided missile which uses a lifting wing and most often a jet propulsion system to allow sustained flight. ... Stand-off, as regards warfare and weaponry, is the distance that one can safely attack an enemy while still being beyond the effective-range of their opponent. ... AGM-154A Joint Standoff Weapon [JSOW] Briefly The Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) is a joint venture of the United States Navy and Air Force to deploy a standardized medium range precision guided weapon, especially for engagement of defended targets at ranges outside that of standard anti-aircraft defenses, thereby increasing... The Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) is a guidance tail kit that converts existing unguided free-fall bombs into accurate, adverse weather smart munitions. ...

During the Cold War, 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, and the 2003 invasion of Iraq, 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. For other uses, see Cold War (disambiguation). ... The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 km (11 mi) above the epicenter. ... Combatants U.S.-led coalition Iraq Commanders George H. W. Bush, Norman Schwarzkopf, Colin Powell Saddam Hussein, Ali Hassan Al-Majid, Hussein Kamel Strength 660,000 ~545,000 Casualties 345 dead, 1,000 wounded 25,000 - 100,000 dead, 100,000 - 300,000 wounded The 1991 Gulf War (also Persian... Combatants Taliban al-Qaeda IMU (2001) Hezbi Islami Afghanistan UIF (2001) United Nations: ISAF NATO, including: United States United Kingdom Canada Netherlands and others United States (separate) Commanders Mohammed Omar Obaidullah Akhund Dadullah â˜ Jalaluddin Haqqani Osama bin Laden Ayman al-Zawahiri Juma Namangani â˜ Gulbuddin Hekmatyar Bismillah Khan Mohammed Fahim Ton... The subject of this article is the 2003 invasion of Iraq. ... The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was a 10-year war which wreaked incredible havoc and destruction on Afghanistan. ...

Notable strategic bombers

World War I

â€œThe Great War â€ redirects here. ... The Gotha G were a series of heavy bombers used by the LuftstreitkrÃ¤fte (Imperial Air Service) during the First World War. ... The Handley Page Type O was an early bomber aircraft used by Britain 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. ... Handley Page V/1500 heavy bomber The Handley Page V/1500 was an uprated design from the O/400 with the intention of bombing Berlin from England. ... The Ilya Muromets (Илья Муромец in Russian) was the first mass produced bomber aircraft in the world, a massive four-engined biplane that could penetrate deep into the enemy territory and drop a significant load of bombs. ... The Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI was a four-engined German biplane strategic bomber of World War I. The R.VI was the most-produced model of the R (Riesenflugzeug) bombers built by Germany (18 built), and also one of the first closed-cockpit military aircraft. ... This is an article about Zeppelin airships. ...

World War II

Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The Avro Lancaster was a British four-engine Second World War bomber aircraft made initially by Avro for the British Royal Air Force (RAF). ... The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engine heavy bomber aircraft developed for the US Army Air Corps (USAAC). ... The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber that was produced in greater numbers than any other American combat aircraft during World War II and still holds the record as the most produced allied aircraft. ... The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was a four-engine heavy bomber propeller aircraft flown by the United States Army Air Forces in World War II and other military organizations afterwards. ... The Handley Page Halifax was one of the British front-line, four-engine heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. ... The Petlyakov Pe-8, also known as TB-7 was a Soviet bomber aircraft of World War II, the only four-engined bomber the USSR used during the war. ... The Stirling was a World War II heavy bomber design built by Short Brothers. ...

Cold War

For other uses, see Cold War (disambiguation). ... The Avro Vulcan was a British delta wing subsonic bomber, operated by the Royal Air Force from 1953 until 1984. ... The Convair B-36 was a strategic bomber built by Convair for the United States Air Force, the first to have truly intercontinental range. ... The Boeing B-47 Stratojet jet bomber was a medium range and size bomber capable of flying at high subsonic speeds and primarily designed for penetrating the Soviet Union. ... The Boeing B-50 Superfortress was basically a post-World War II revision of the wartime B-29 Superfortress with new, more powerful 3,500-HP Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major radial engines, a taller vertical stabilizer, and numerous detail improvements. ... The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, jet strategic bomber flown by the United States Air Force (USAF) since 1954. ... The Convair B-58 Hustler was a American high-speed jet bomber capable of Mach 2 supersonic flight. ... The Dassault Mirage IV is a French jet-propelled supersonic strategic bomber and reconnaissance aircraft. ... A U.S. Air Force F-111 The General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark (the nickname was unofficial for most of its lifespan, but it was officially named Aardvark at its retirement ceremony for the United States Air Force) is a long-range strategic bomber, reconnaissance, and tactical strike aircraft. ... The Handley Page Victor was a British jet bomber aircraft, one of the V bombers intended to carry Britains nuclear arsenal. ... The Myasishchev M-4 Molot (Russian: Hammer, NATO reporting name Bison) is a four-engined strategic bomber, designed by Vladimir Myasishchev and developed by the Soviet Union in the 1950s to provide a bomber capable of attacking targets in North America. ... The Tupolev Tu-4 (NATO reporting name: Bull) was a piston-engined Soviet strategic bomber which served the Soviet Air Force from the late 1940s to mid 1960s. ... Tupolev Tu-16 3-view The Tupolev Tu-16 (NATO codename: Badger) was a twin-engine jet bomber used by the Soviet Union. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Tupolev Tu-22M (NATO reporting name Backfire) is a supersonic, swing-wing, long-range strategic bomber developed by the Soviet Union. ... The Vickers Valiant was a British four-jet bomber, once part of the RAFs V bomber force. ... Tupolev Tu-16 3-view The Tupolev Tu-16 (NATO codename: Badger) was a twin-engine jet bomber used by the Soviet Union. ...

Post Cold War

The Boeing (formerly Rockwell International) B-1B Lancer is a long-range strategic bomber in service with the United States Air Force (USAF). ... The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit is a multi-role stealth bomber able to drop conventional and nuclear weapons. ... The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, jet strategic bomber flown by the United States Air Force (USAF) since 1954. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Tupolev Tu-22M (NATO reporting name Backfire) is a supersonic, swing-wing, long-range strategic bomber developed by the Soviet Union. ... The Tupolev Tu-160 (NATO reporting name Blackjack) is a supersonic, variable-geometry heavy bomber designed by the Soviet Union. ... Tupolev Tu-16 3-view The Tupolev Tu-16 (NATO codename: Badger) was a twin-engine jet bomber used by the Soviet Union. ...

Future

2018 (MMXVIII) will be a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Contents

Cold war and later

Notable strategic bombers

World War I

World War II

Cold War

Post Cold War

Future

See also

Contents

Cold war and later GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Notable strategic bombers

World War I

World War II

Cold War

Post Cold War

Future

See also

Cold war and later