(STL.News) Over the years, the design of strategic bombers has changed as technology and weaponry improved.
The strategic bombing role came to the fore during WW2 with increased needs for military aircraft to carry large ordnance loads over medium-long ranges, into hostile territory reducing the targets operational abilities.
By the end of WW2, conventional free-fall weaponry had been superseded by the atomic age, with the peak of strategic bombing missions culminating in the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Unleashing levels of devastation never seen before, it started a global arms race to develop more advanced aircraft capable of flying higher, faster, and further with heavy loads.
Basic designs have reached a stage physically where any future updates tend to be electronic affairs improving the aircraft’s navigation, radar, and precision while air-frames remain unchanged.
- North American XB-70 Valkyrie
- Boeing B52 Stratofortress
- Rockwell B1 Lancer
- Northrop Grumman B2 Spirit
YouTube video provided courtesy of Military News YouTube Channel
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