Currently, there is no single and generally accepted classification of aircraft, according to which it would be possible to unambiguously and exhaustively outline the range of aircraft falling into the category of strategic bombers. Moreover, the definitions and technical characteristics of this class changed over time in different countries and now the same aircrafts can be considered as strategic, long-range or even tactical bombers. This may occur not only because of different views on the parameters that certain classes of combat aircraft should have, but also because of the political conjuncture.
In the modern sense, strategic bombers are often considered as aircrafts that are capable of delivering nuclear weapons to an intercontinental distance (about 5,000 kilometers and beyond). However, there are alternative classifications, according to which such bombers are called intercontinental and, along with long-range (whose range is less), are considered only one of the subclasses of strategic bombers. But at the dawn of aviation, everything looked completely different.
The first serial multi-engined bomber 'Ilya Muromets', that was created in 1913 in St. Petersburg under the guidance of designer Igor Sikorsky, was fundamentally different in its capabilities from other military aircraft of that time. The considerable flight range and large payload allowed it to be used not only to fight directly with enemy armed forces, but also to assault important targets, such as industrial facilities and transport hubs, far behind the front line. Almost from the same time, there was a separation of a special class of combat aircraft for such tasks, strategic (in a broad sense) bombers, the ancestor of which can quite deservedly be considered the Sikorsky aircraft.
During the First World War, the role of strategic bombers, especially in Germany, was largely performed by airships, but in competition even with primitive aircraft of that time, they quickly lost. After the end of the Great War, in the 20s and early 30s, the development of expensive long-range bomber aircraft was severely limited by the cut of military budgets. The impetus for their development was given by the new World War. The proposed photo review presents 21 bombers of the first half of the XX century. These machines show the main trends in the development of long-range bombers of those years. Almost in full accordance with the Olympic slogan, every year they became faster, higher and stronger. And they could fly further and further.
If the background of the photos prevents you from reading the reference information for the photos, you can hover your mouse over the text. This will darken the text background.
S-22 Ilya Muromets, Russia. The first flight was made in 1913. 76 vehicles were built. The maximum take-off weight was 4.6 tons, the engines were 4 × 140 hp. The flight range was about 500 km, the speed was up to 105 km/h, the armament was 2 machine guns and 350 kg of bombs. Five crew members. Specifications are given for the aircraft of the first IM-B series
Caproni Ca.1, Italy. First flight was in 1914. 162 aircrafts were built. The maximum take-off weight was 4 tons, the engines were 3 × 100 hp. The flight range was up to 550 km, the speed was up to 120 km/h. Armament – two 6.5 mm machine guns, it could carry up to 450 kg of bombs. Crew – 4 people
Handley Page Type O, United Kingdom. The first flight was made in 1915. About 600 aircrafts were built. The maximum take-off weight was 6 tons, the engines were 2 × 360 hp. The flight range was up to 1120 km, the speed was up to 157 km / h, the practical ceiling was 2600 meters. Armament — five 7.7 mm machine guns, up to 907 kg of bombs. Crew – 4-5 people
Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI, Germany. The first flight was made in 1916. 18 planes were built. The maximum take-off weight was 11.8 tons, the engines were 4 × 260 hp. The flight range was up to 800 km, the speed was up to 135 km/h, the practical ceiling was 4320 meters. Armament – four 7.92 mm machine guns, up to 2000 kg of bombs. Crew – 7 people
Caproni Ca.3, Italy. The first flight was made in 1916. From 250 to 300 such aircraft were built. The maximum take-off weight was 3.8 tons, the engines were 3 × 150 hp. The flight range was up to 600 km, the speed was up to 137 km/h, the practical ceiling was 4844 meters. Armament — two 6.5 or 7.7 mm machine guns, up to 800 kg of bombs. Crew – 4 people
Gotha G.V, Germany. The first flight was made in 1917. 205 planes were built (and 230 similar Gotha G.IV). The maximum take-off weight was 3.9 tons, the engines were 2 × 260 hp. The flight range was up to 840 km, the speed was up to 140 km / h, the practical ceiling was 6500 meters. Armament — two or three 7.92 mm machine guns, up to 350 kg of bombs. Crew – 3 people
Caproni Ca.4, Italy. The first flight was made in 1917. About 50 planes were built. The maximum take-off weight was 7.5 tons, the engines were 3 × 400 hp. The flight range was up to 700 km, the speed was up to 140 km / h, the practical ceiling was 3000 meters. Armament — four 6.5 mm machine guns, up to 1450 kg of bombs. Crew – 4 people
Handley Page V/1500, United Kingdom. The first flight was made in 1918. 63 aircrafts were built. The maximum take-off weight was 14 tons, the engines were 4 × 375 hp. The flight range was up to 2090 km, the speed was up to 159 km/h, the practical ceiling was 3350 meters. Armament — three 7.7 mm machine guns, up to 3,400 kg of bombs. Crew – 8-9 people
TB-3, USSR. The first flight was made in 1930. 818 planes were built. The maximum take-off weight was 19.5 tons, the engines were 4 × 715 hp. The flight range was up to 2000 km, the speed was up to 197 km/h, the practical ceiling was 3800 meters. Armament — 4-8 7.62 mm machine guns, up to 2000 kg of bombs. Crew – 6-8 people
Farman F.222, France. The first flight was made in 1932 (a variant of the Farman F.220). About 70 vehicles were built. The maximum take-off weight was 18.7 tons, the engines were 4 × 950 hp. The flight range was up to 1995 km, the speed was up to 320 km/h, the practical ceiling was 8460 meters. Armament — three 7.5 mm machine guns, up to 5190 kg of bombs. Crew – 5-6 people
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, USA. The first flight was made in 1935. 12,731 planes were built. The maximum take-off weight was 24.5 tons, the engines were 4 × 1200 hp. The flight range was up to 3200 km, the speed was up to 462 km/h, the practical ceiling was 10,850 meters. Armament — thirteen 12.7 mm machine guns, up to 7800 kg of bombs. Crew – 10 people
Pe-8 (TB-7), USSR. The first flight was made in 1936. 93 vehicles were built. The maximum take-off weight was 27 tons, the engines were 4 × 1340 hp. The flight range was up to 3700 km, the speed was up to 443 km/h, the practical ceiling was 9300 meters. Armament — two 20 mm cannons, two 12.7 mm machine guns, two 7.62 mm machine guns, up to 7800 kg of bombs. Crew – 11 people
Handley Page Halifax, United Kingdom. The first flight was made in 1939. 6146 planes were built. The maximum take-off weight was 24.7 tons, the engines were 4 × 1615 hp. The flight range was up to 3000 km, the speed was up to 454 km/h, the practical ceiling was 7315 meters. Armament — nine 7.7 mm machine guns, up to 5900 kg of bombs. Crew – 7 people
Heinkel He 177 Greif, Germany. The first flight was in 1939. About 1100 vehicles were built. The maximum take-off weight was 32 tons, the engines were 2 × 2950 hp. The flight range was 1540 km, the speed was 565 km/h, the practical ceiling was 8000 meters. Armament – 2× 20 mm guns, 4× 13 mm and 1×7.92 mm machine gun, up to 7,200 kg of bombs. Crew – 7 people
Short Stirling, United Kingdom. The first flight was made in 1939. 2371 planes were built. The maximum take-off weight was 21.3 tons, the engines were 4 × 1375 hp. The flight range was up to 3750 km, the speed was up to 454 km/h, the practical ceiling was 5030 meters. Armament — nine 7.7 mm machine guns, up to 5900 kg of bombs. Crew – 7 people
Piaggio P.108, Italy. The first flight was made in 1939. 24 vehicles were built. The maximum take-off weight was 29.9 tons, the engines were 4 × 1500 hp. The flight range was up to 3520 km, the speed was up to 430 km/h, the practical ceiling was 8500 meters. Armament – 5×12.7 mm machine guns, 2×7.7 mm machine guns, up to 3,500 kg of bombs. Crew — 6-7 people
Consolidated B-24 Liberator, USA. The first flight was made in 1939. 19,256 planes were built. The maximum take-off weight was 25 tons, the engines were 4 × 1200 hp. The flight range was up to 3,300 km, the speed was up to 488 km / h, the practical ceiling was 8,500 meters. Armament — ten 12.7 mm machine guns, up to 3600 kg of bombs. Crew – 11 people
Avro Lancaster, United Kingdom. The first flight was made in 1941. 7377 vehicles were built. The maximum take-off weight was 32.7 tons, the engines were 4 × 1280 hp. The flight range was up to 4073 km, the speed was up to 454 km / h, the practical ceiling was 6500 meters. Armament – eight 7.7 mm machine guns, up to 6350 kg of bombs. Crew – 7 people
Boeing B-29 Superfortress, USA. The first flight was made in 1942. 3970 vehicles were built. The maximum take-off weight was 60.5 tons, the engines were 4 × 2200 hp. The flight range was up to 5200 km, the speed was up to 574 km/h, the practical ceiling was 9710 meters. Armament – 8-10 12.7 mm machine guns, up to 9,000 kg of bombs. Crew – 11 people
Consolidated B-32 Dominator, USA. The first flight was made in 1942. 118 vehicles were built. The maximum take-off weight was 56 tons, the engines were 4 × 2200 hp. The flight range was up to 6100 km, the speed was up to 575 km/h, the practical ceiling was 9360 meters. Armament – ten 12.7 mm machine guns, up to 9,000 kg of bombs. Crew – 10 people
Nakajima G8N «Renzan», Japan. The first flight was made in 1944. 4 vehicles were built. The maximum take-off weight was 26.8 tons, the engineswere 4 × 2000 hp. The flight range was up to 7250 km, the speed was up to 576 km / h, the practical ceiling was 10,200 meters. Armament – 2×20 mm cannon, 4 × 13 mm machine gun, up to 4000 kg of bombs. Crew – 10 people
Currently, there is no single and generally accepted classification of aircraft, according to which it would be possible to unambiguously and exhaustively outline the range of aircraft falling into the category of strategic bombers. Moreover, the definitions and technical characteristics of this class changed over time in different countries and now the same aircrafts can be considered as strategic, long-range or even tactical bombers. This may occur not only because of different views on the parameters that certain classes of combat aircraft should have, but also because of the political conjuncture.
In the modern sense, strategic bombers are often considered as aircrafts that are capable of delivering nuclear weapons to an intercontinental distance (about 5,000 kilometers and beyond). However, there are alternative classifications, according to which such bombers are called intercontinental and, along with long-range (whose range is less), are considered only one of the subclasses of strategic bombers. But at the dawn of aviation, everything looked completely different.
The first serial multi-engined bomber 'Ilya Muromets', that was created in 1913 in St. Petersburg under the guidance of designer Igor Sikorsky, was fundamentally different in its capabilities from other military aircraft of that time. The considerable flight range and large payload allowed it to be used not only to fight directly with enemy armed forces, but also to assault important targets, such as industrial facilities and transport hubs, far behind the front line. Almost from the same time, there was a separation of a special class of combat aircraft for such tasks, strategic (in a broad sense) bombers, the ancestor of which can quite deservedly be considered the Sikorsky aircraft.
During the First World War, the role of strategic bombers, especially in Germany, was largely performed by airships, but in competition even with primitive aircraft of that time, they quickly lost. After the end of the Great War, in the 20s and early 30s, the development of expensive long-range bomber aircraft was severely limited by the cut of military budgets. The impetus for their development was given by the new World War. The proposed photo review presents 21 bombers of the first half of the XX century. These machines show the main trends in the development of long-range bombers of those years. Almost in full accordance with the Olympic slogan, every year they became faster, higher and stronger. And they could fly further and further.
If the background of the photos prevents you from reading the reference information for the photos, you can hover your mouse over the text. This will darken the text background.
S-22 Ilya Muromets, Russia. The first flight was made in 1913. 76 vehicles were built. The maximum take-off weight was 4.6 tons, the engines were 4 × 140 hp. The flight range was about 500 km, the speed was up to 105 km/h, the armament was 2 machine guns and 350 kg of bombs. Five crew members. Specifications are given for the aircraft of the first IM-B series
Caproni Ca.1, Italy. First flight was in 1914. 162 aircrafts were built. The maximum take-off weight was 4 tons, the engines were 3 × 100 hp. The flight range was up to 550 km, the speed was up to 120 km/h. Armament – two 6.5 mm machine guns, it could carry up to 450 kg of bombs. Crew – 4 people
Handley Page Type O, United Kingdom. The first flight was made in 1915. About 600 aircrafts were built. The maximum take-off weight was 6 tons, the engines were 2 × 360 hp. The flight range was up to 1120 km, the speed was up to 157 km / h, the practical ceiling was 2600 meters. Armament — five 7.7 mm machine guns, up to 907 kg of bombs. Crew – 4-5 people
Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI, Germany. The first flight was made in 1916. 18 planes were built. The maximum take-off weight was 11.8 tons, the engines were 4 × 260 hp. The flight range was up to 800 km, the speed was up to 135 km/h, the practical ceiling was 4320 meters. Armament – four 7.92 mm machine guns, up to 2000 kg of bombs. Crew – 7 people
Caproni Ca.3, Italy. The first flight was made in 1916. From 250 to 300 such aircraft were built. The maximum take-off weight was 3.8 tons, the engines were 3 × 150 hp. The flight range was up to 600 km, the speed was up to 137 km/h, the practical ceiling was 4844 meters. Armament — two 6.5 or 7.7 mm machine guns, up to 800 kg of bombs. Crew – 4 people
Gotha G.V, Germany. The first flight was made in 1917. 205 planes were built (and 230 similar Gotha G.IV). The maximum take-off weight was 3.9 tons, the engines were 2 × 260 hp. The flight range was up to 840 km, the speed was up to 140 km / h, the practical ceiling was 6500 meters. Armament — two or three 7.92 mm machine guns, up to 350 kg of bombs. Crew – 3 people
Caproni Ca.4, Italy. The first flight was made in 1917. About 50 planes were built. The maximum take-off weight was 7.5 tons, the engines were 3 × 400 hp. The flight range was up to 700 km, the speed was up to 140 km / h, the practical ceiling was 3000 meters. Armament — four 6.5 mm machine guns, up to 1450 kg of bombs. Crew – 4 people
Handley Page V/1500, United Kingdom. The first flight was made in 1918. 63 aircrafts were built. The maximum take-off weight was 14 tons, the engines were 4 × 375 hp. The flight range was up to 2090 km, the speed was up to 159 km/h, the practical ceiling was 3350 meters. Armament — three 7.7 mm machine guns, up to 3,400 kg of bombs. Crew – 8-9 people
TB-3, USSR. The first flight was made in 1930. 818 planes were built. The maximum take-off weight was 19.5 tons, the engines were 4 × 715 hp. The flight range was up to 2000 km, the speed was up to 197 km/h, the practical ceiling was 3800 meters. Armament — 4-8 7.62 mm machine guns, up to 2000 kg of bombs. Crew – 6-8 people
Farman F.222, France. The first flight was made in 1932 (a variant of the Farman F.220). About 70 vehicles were built. The maximum take-off weight was 18.7 tons, the engines were 4 × 950 hp. The flight range was up to 1995 km, the speed was up to 320 km/h, the practical ceiling was 8460 meters. Armament — three 7.5 mm machine guns, up to 5190 kg of bombs. Crew – 5-6 people
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, USA. The first flight was made in 1935. 12,731 planes were built. The maximum take-off weight was 24.5 tons, the engines were 4 × 1200 hp. The flight range was up to 3200 km, the speed was up to 462 km/h, the practical ceiling was 10,850 meters. Armament — thirteen 12.7 mm machine guns, up to 7800 kg of bombs. Crew – 10 people
Pe-8 (TB-7), USSR. The first flight was made in 1936. 93 vehicles were built. The maximum take-off weight was 27 tons, the engines were 4 × 1340 hp. The flight range was up to 3700 km, the speed was up to 443 km/h, the practical ceiling was 9300 meters. Armament — two 20 mm cannons, two 12.7 mm machine guns, two 7.62 mm machine guns, up to 7800 kg of bombs. Crew – 11 people
Handley Page Halifax, United Kingdom. The first flight was made in 1939. 6146 planes were built. The maximum take-off weight was 24.7 tons, the engines were 4 × 1615 hp. The flight range was up to 3000 km, the speed was up to 454 km/h, the practical ceiling was 7315 meters. Armament — nine 7.7 mm machine guns, up to 5900 kg of bombs. Crew – 7 people
Heinkel He 177 Greif, Germany. The first flight was in 1939. About 1100 vehicles were built. The maximum take-off weight was 32 tons, the engines were 2 × 2950 hp. The flight range was 1540 km, the speed was 565 km/h, the practical ceiling was 8000 meters. Armament – 2× 20 mm guns, 4× 13 mm and 1×7.92 mm machine gun, up to 7,200 kg of bombs. Crew – 7 people
Short Stirling, United Kingdom. The first flight was made in 1939. 2371 planes were built. The maximum take-off weight was 21.3 tons, the engines were 4 × 1375 hp. The flight range was up to 3750 km, the speed was up to 454 km/h, the practical ceiling was 5030 meters. Armament — nine 7.7 mm machine guns, up to 5900 kg of bombs. Crew – 7 people
Piaggio P.108, Italy. The first flight was made in 1939. 24 vehicles were built. The maximum take-off weight was 29.9 tons, the engines were 4 × 1500 hp. The flight range was up to 3520 km, the speed was up to 430 km/h, the practical ceiling was 8500 meters. Armament – 5×12.7 mm machine guns, 2×7.7 mm machine guns, up to 3,500 kg of bombs. Crew — 6-7 people
Consolidated B-24 Liberator, USA. The first flight was made in 1939. 19,256 planes were built. The maximum take-off weight was 25 tons, the engines were 4 × 1200 hp. The flight range was up to 3,300 km, the speed was up to 488 km / h, the practical ceiling was 8,500 meters. Armament — ten 12.7 mm machine guns, up to 3600 kg of bombs. Crew – 11 people
Avro Lancaster, United Kingdom. The first flight was made in 1941. 7377 vehicles were built. The maximum take-off weight was 32.7 tons, the engines were 4 × 1280 hp. The flight range was up to 4073 km, the speed was up to 454 km / h, the practical ceiling was 6500 meters. Armament – eight 7.7 mm machine guns, up to 6350 kg of bombs. Crew – 7 people
Boeing B-29 Superfortress, USA. The first flight was made in 1942. 3970 vehicles were built. The maximum take-off weight was 60.5 tons, the engines were 4 × 2200 hp. The flight range was up to 5200 km, the speed was up to 574 km/h, the practical ceiling was 9710 meters. Armament – 8-10 12.7 mm machine guns, up to 9,000 kg of bombs. Crew – 11 people
Consolidated B-32 Dominator, USA. The first flight was made in 1942. 118 vehicles were built. The maximum take-off weight was 56 tons, the engines were 4 × 2200 hp. The flight range was up to 6100 km, the speed was up to 575 km/h, the practical ceiling was 9360 meters. Armament – ten 12.7 mm machine guns, up to 9,000 kg of bombs. Crew – 10 people
Nakajima G8N «Renzan», Japan. The first flight was made in 1944. 4 vehicles were built. The maximum take-off weight was 26.8 tons, the engineswere 4 × 2000 hp. The flight range was up to 7250 km, the speed was up to 576 km / h, the practical ceiling was 10,200 meters. Armament – 2×20 mm cannon, 4 × 13 mm machine gun, up to 4000 kg of bombs. Crew – 10 people
