Old page wikitext, before the edit (old_wikitext) | '{{Short description|Type of military aircraft}}
[[File:B-1B air refueling.jpg|thumb|300px|A contemporary [[U.S. Air Force]] strategic bomber, the [[Rockwell B-1 Lancer]]]]
A '''strategic bomber''' is a medium- to long-range [[Penetrator (aircraft)|penetration]] [[bomber]] aircraft designed to drop large amounts of [[air-to-ground weaponry]] onto a distant target for the purposes of debilitating the enemy's capacity to wage war. Unlike [[tactical bombing|tactical bomber]]s, [[Penetrator (aircraft)|penetrator]]s, [[fighter-bomber]]s, and [[attack aircraft]], which are used in [[air interdiction]] operations to attack enemy combatants and military equipment, strategic bombers are designed to fly into enemy territory to destroy strategic targets (e.g., [[infrastructure]], [[logistics]], [[Military base|military installations]], factories, etc.). In addition to [[strategic bombing]], strategic bombers can be used for [[tactical bombing|tactical mission]]s. There are currently only three countries that operate strategic bombers: the [[United States]], [[Russia]]<ref>Paul, T. V.; Wirtz, James J.; Fortmann, Michael. [https://books.google.com/books?id=9jy28vBqscQC&pg=PA332 ''Balance of power: theory and practice in the 21st century''], Stanford University Press, 2004, p. 332. {{ISBN|0-8047-5017-3}}</ref> and [[China]].
The modern strategic bomber role appeared after [[Strategic bombing during World War II|strategic bombing was widely employed]], and [[Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki|atomic bombs were first used in combat]] during [[World War II]]. Nuclear strike missions (i.e., delivering [[Nuclear weapon|nuclear]]-armed [[Air-to-surface missile|missile]]s or [[Aerial bomb|bomb]]s) can potentially be carried out by most modern [[fighter-bomber]]s and [[strike fighter]]s, even at intercontinental range, with the use of [[aerial refueling]], so any nation possessing this combination of equipment and techniques theoretically has such capability. Primary delivery aircraft for a modern strategic bombing mission need not always necessarily be a [[heavy bomber]] type, and any modern aircraft capable of nuclear strikes at long range is equally able to carry out [[tactical bombing|tactical missions]] with [[conventional weapon]]s. An example is [[France]]'s [[Dassault Mirage IV|Mirage IV]], a small strategic bomber replaced in service by the [[Air-Sol Moyenne Portée|ASMP]]-equipped [[Dassault Mirage 2000N/2000D|Mirage 2000N]] [[fighter-bomber]] and [[Dassault Rafale|Rafale]] [[Multirole combat aircraft|multirole fighter]].
==History==
===First and Second World Wars===
[[File:Самолет "Илья Муромец".jpg|thumb|right|The [[Sikorsky Ilya Muromets]] was designed by [[Igor Sikorsky]] as the first ever [[airliner]], but it was turned into a bomber by the [[Imperial Russian Air Force]].]]
The [[Strategic bombing during World War I|first strategic bombing efforts]] took place during [[World War I]] (1914–18), by the [[Russian Empire|Russia]]ns with their [[Sikorsky Ilya Muromets]] bomber (the first heavy four-engine aircraft), and by the [[German Empire|German]]s using [[Zeppelin]]s or long-range multi-engine [[Gothaer Waggonfabrik|Gotha]] [[Fixed-wing aircraft|aircraft]]. Zeppelins reached [[England]] on bombing raids by 1915, forcing the British to create extensive defense systems including some of the first [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft gun]]s which were often used with searchlights to highlight the enemy machines overhead. Late in the war, [[United States|American]] fliers under the command of Brig. Gen. [[Billy Mitchell]] were developing multi-aircraft "mass" bombing missions behind German lines, although the [[First Armistice at Compiègne|Armistice]] ended full realization of what was being planned.
Study of strategic bombing continued in the interwar years. Many books and articles predicted a fearful prospect for any future war, paced by political fears such as those expressed by [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|British Prime Minister]] [[Stanley Baldwin]] who told the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] early in the 1930s that "[[the bomber will always get through]]" no matter what defensive systems were undertaken. It was widely believed by the late 1930s that [[Aerial bombing of cities|strategic "terror" bombing of cities]] in any [[war]] would quickly result in devastating losses and might decide a conflict in a matter of days or weeks. But theory far exceeded what most air forces could actually put into the air. Germany focused on short-range tactical bombers. [[Great Britain|Britain]]'s [[Royal Air Force]] began developing four-engine long-range bombers only in the late 1930s. The [[United States Army Air Corps|U.S. Army Air Corps]] ([[United States Army Air Forces|''Army Air Forces'']] as of mid-1941) was severely limited by small budgets in the late 1930s, and only barely saved the [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress|B-17]] bomber that would soon be vital. The equally important [[Consolidated B-24 Liberator|B-24]] first flew in 1939. Both aircraft would constitute the bulk of the American bomber force that made the [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] [[Strategic bombing during World War II#US bombing in Europe|daylight bombing]] of [[Nazi Germany]] possible in 1943–45.
At the start of [[World War II]], so-called "strategic" bombing was initially carried out by [[medium bomber]] [[Fixed-wing aircraft|aircraft]] which were typically twin-engined, armed with several defensive guns, but only possessed limited [[Aerial bomb|bomb]]-carrying capacity and [[Range (aeronautics)|range]]. Both [[Great Britain|Britain]] and the [[United States|US]] were developing larger two- and four-engined designs, which began to replace or supplement the smaller aircraft by 1941–42. After American entry into the war in December 1941, the U.S. [[8th Air Force]] began to develop a [[Strategic bombing during World War II#US bombing in Europe|daylight bombing capacity]] using improved [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress|B-17]] and [[Consolidated B-24 Liberator|B-24]] four-engine aircraft. In order to assemble the formations to carry out these bombing campaigns, [[assembly ships]] were used to quickly form defensive [[combat box]]es. The [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] [[Strategic bombing during World War II#The British later in the war|concentrated its efforts on night bombing]]. But neither force was able to develop adequate [[bombsight]]s or tactics to allow for often-bragged "pinpoint" accuracy. The post-war U.S. [[Strategic Bombing Survey]] studies supported the overall notion of strategic bombing, but underlined many of its shortcomings as well. Attempts to create pioneering examples of "[[Precision-guided munition#Radio-controlled weapons|smart bomb]]s" resulted in the [[Azon]] ordnance, deployed in the [[European Theater of Operations United States Army|European Theater]] and [[China Burma India Theater|CBI Theater]] from B-24s.
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-668-7161-31A, Flugzeug Heinkel He 177.jpg|thumb|left|The only operational strategic bomber with the ''[[Luftwaffe]]'' in [[World War II]] was the troubled [[Heinkel He 177]].]]
Following the untimely death of the top German advocate for strategic bombing, ''General'' [[Walther Wever (general)|Walther Wever]] in early June 1936, the focus of Nazi Germany's [[Luftwaffe]] bomber forces, the so-named ''[[Kampfgeschwader]]'' (bomber wings) became the battlefield support of the [[German Army (Wehrmacht)|German Army]] as part of the general [[Blitzkrieg]] form of warfare, carried out with both medium bombers such as the [[Heinkel He 111]], and ''[[Schnellbomber]]s'' such as the [[Junkers Ju 88]]A. ''General'' Wever's support of the [[Ural bomber]] project before WW II's start dwindled after his passing, with the only aircraft design that could closely match the Allied bomber force's own aircraft – the early November 1937-origin [[Heinkel He 177]]A, deployed in its initial form in 1941–42, hampered by a [[Reich Air Ministry|RLM]] requirement for the He 177A to also perform medium-angle [[dive bombing]], not rescinded until September 1942 – unable to perform either function properly, with a powerplant selection and particular powerplant installation design features on the 30-meter wingspan ''Greif'', that led to endless problems with engine fires. The March 1942-origin, trans-Atlantic ranged ''[[Amerika Bomber]]'' program sought to ameliorate the lack of a seriously long-ranged bomber for the ''Luftwaffe'', but resulted with only three [[Messerschmitt Me 264|Messerschmitt]]-built and a pair of [[Junkers Ju 390|Junkers]]-built prototypes ever flown, and no operational "heavy bombers" for strategic use for the Third Reich, outside of the roughly one thousand examples of the He 177 that were built.
By the end of the Second World War in 1945, the "heavy" bomber, epitomized by the British [[Avro Lancaster]] and American [[Boeing B-29 Superfortress]] used in the [[Pacific Ocean theater of World War II|Pacific Theater]], showed what could be accomplished by [[Area Bombardment|area bombing]] of [[Japan]]'s cities and the often small and dispersed factories within them. Under Major General [[Curtis LeMay]], the U.S. [[20th Air Force]], based in the [[Mariana Islands]], undertook low-level [[incendiary bomb]]ing missions, results of which were soon measured in the number of square miles destroyed. The [[air raids on Japan]] had withered the nation's ability to continue fighting, although the Japanese government delayed surrender, resulting in the [[atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki|atomic bombs dropped]] on [[Hiroshima]] and [[Nagasaki]] in August 1945.
===The Cold War and its aftermath===
During the [[Cold War]], the [[United States]] and [[United Kingdom]] on one side and the [[Soviet Union]] on the other kept strategic bombers ready to [[takeoff|take off]] on short notice as part of the [[deterrence theory|deterrent]] strategy of [[mutually assured destruction]] (MAD). Most strategic bombers of the two [[superpower]]s were designed to deliver [[nuclear weapon]]s. For a time, some squadrons of [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress]] bombers were kept in the air around the clock, [[Loiter (aeronautics)|orbit]]ing some distance away from their [[fail-safe]] points near the Soviet border.
The [[Great Britain|British]] produced three different types of "[[V bomber]]s" for the [[Royal Air Force]] which were designed and designated to be able to deliver British-made nuclear bombs to targets in European Russia. These bombers would have been able to reach and destroy cities like Kiev or Moscow before American strategic bombers. While they were never used against the Soviet Union or its allies, two types of V bombers, the [[Avro Vulcan]] and the [[Handley Page Victor]] were used in the [[Falklands War]] towards the end of their operational lives.
The [[Soviet Union]] produced hundreds of unlicensed, [[Reverse engineering|reverse-engineer]]ed copies of the [[United States|American]] [[Boeing B-29 Superfortress]], which the [[Soviet Air Forces]] called the [[Tupolev Tu-4]]. The Soviets later developed the [[Jet aircraft|jet]]-powered [[Tupolev Tu-16]] "Badger".
The People's Republic of [[China]] produced a version of [[Tupolev Tu-16]] on license from the [[Soviet Union]] in the 1960s which they named the [[Xian H-6]].
During the 1960s [[France]] produced its [[Dassault Mirage IV]] nuclear-armed bomber for the [[French Air Force]] as a part of its independent [[nuclear weapon|nuclear]] strike force, the ''[[Force de dissuasion|Force de Frappe]]'', using French-made bombers and [[Intermediate-range ballistic missile|IRBM]]s to deliver French-made [[nuclear weapon]]s. Mirage IVs served until mid-1996 in the bomber role, and to 2005 as a [[reconnaissance aircraft]].
Today the French Republic has limited its strategic armaments to a squadron of four [[Nuclear marine propulsion|nuclear-power]]ed [[ballistic missile submarines]], with 16 [[Submarine-launched ballistic missile|SLBM]] tubes apiece. France also maintains an active force of supersonic [[fighter-bomber]]s carrying stand-off [[Nuclear weapon|nuclear]] [[missile]]s such as the [[Air-Sol Moyenne Portée|ASMP]], with [[Mach number|Mach]] 3 speed and a range of 500 kilometers. These missiles can be delivered by the [[Dassault Aviation|Dassault]] [[Dassault Mirage 2000N/2000D|Mirage 2000N]] and [[Dassault Rafale|Rafale]] [[fighter-bomber]]s; the Rafale is also capable of [[Aerial refueling|refueling]] others in flight using a [[Aerial refueling#Probe-and-drogue 2|buddy refueling pod]].
[[File:A B-2 flies over Shreveport (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|A [[United States Air Force|USAF]] [[Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit|B-2 Spirit]] [[Stealth aircraft|stealth bomber.]]]]
Newer strategic bombers such as the [[Rockwell International]] [[Rockwell B-1 Lancer|B-1B Lancer]], the [[Tupolev Tu-160]], and the [[Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit]] designs incorporate various levels of [[stealth technology]] in an effort to avoid detection, especially by [[radar]] networks. Despite these advances earlier strategic bombers, for example the [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress|B-52]] (last produced in 1962) or the [[Tupolev Tu-95]] remain in service and can also deploy the latest air-launched [[cruise missile]]s and other "[[standoff missile|stand-off]]" or [[Precision-guided munition|precision guided weapon]]s such as the [[AGM-158 JASSM|JASSM]] and the [[Joint Direct Attack Munition|JDAM]].
The [[Russian Air Force]]'s new [[Tupolev Tu-160|Tu-160]] strategic bombers are expected to be delivered on a regular basis over the course of 10 to 20 years. In addition, the current [[Tupolev Tu-95|Tu-95]] and Tu-160 bombers will be periodically updated, as was done during the 1990s with the [[Tupolev Tu-22M|Tu-22M]] bombers.
Strategic bombers of the [[Cold War]] were primarily armed with [[nuclear weapon]]s. During the post-1940s [[Indochina Wars]], and also since the end of the Cold War, modern bombers originally intended for [[strategic bombing|strategic]] use have been exclusively employed using [[Conventional weapon|non-nuclear]], [[high explosive]] weapons. During the [[Vietnam War]], [[Operation Menu]], [[Operation Freedom Deal]], [[Gulf War]], [[war in Afghanistan (2001–present)|military action in Afghanistan]], and the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]], American B-52s and B-1s were mostly employed in [[Tactical bombing|tactical]] roles. During the [[Soviet-Afghan war]] in 1979–88, [[Soviet Air Forces]] Tu-22Ms carried out several [[strategic bombing|mass air raid]]s in various regions of [[Afghanistan]].
==Notable strategic bombers==
===Nomenclature===
Bombers listed below were used in the main or represented a shift in long-range bomber design (Maximum bomb load). In practice, bomb loads carried are dependent on factors such as the distance to target and the individual type, size or weight of bombs used.
[[Nomenclature]] for size classification of aircraft types used in [[strategic bombing]] varies, particularly since the time of World War II due to sequential technological advancements and changes in [[aerial warfare]] strategy and tactics. The [[Boeing B-29 Superfortress|B-29]], for example was a benchmark aircraft of the [[heavy bomber]] type at end of [[World War II]] due to its size, range and load carrying ability; as the [[Cold War]] began, it became an intercontinental [[Range (aeronautics)|range]] strategic bomber with the development of new techniques, such as [[aerial refueling]] (which also greatly extended the range of other medium- to long-range [[bomber]]s, [[fighter-bomber]]s and [[attack aircraft]]).
During the 1950s the U.S. [[Strategic Air Command]] also briefly brought back the outdated term "[[medium bomber]]" to distinguish its [[Boeing B-47 Stratojet]]s from somewhat larger contemporary [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress]] "[[heavy bomber]]s" in bombardment wings; older [[Boeing B-29 Superfortress|B-29]] and [[Boeing B-50 Superfortress|B-50]] [[heavy bomber]]s were also redesignated as "medium" during this period.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=385|title=Factsheets : Boeing RB-47H Stratojet|date=12 November 2014|access-date=31 March 2018|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112165039/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=385|archive-date=12 November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.8af.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet_print.asp?fsID=4632&page=1|title=Eighth Air Force History: U.S. Air Force Fact Sheet|website=af.mil|access-date=31 March 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130221213923/http://www.8af.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet_print.asp?fsID=4632&page=1|archive-date=21 February 2013}}</ref><ref>Strategic-Air-Command.com, [http://www.strategic-air-command.com/wings/0509bw.htm 509th Composite Group, 509th Bombardment Wing]</ref> [[Strategic Air Command|SAC]]'s [[nomenclature]] here was purely semantic and bureaucratic, however as both the B-47 and B-52 strategic bombers were much larger and had far greater performance and load-carrying ability than any of the World War II-era heavy or medium bombers.
Other aircraft such as the twin-[[Jet engine|jet]] [[United States|US]] [[General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark#FB-111A / F-111G|FB-111]], [[Douglas A-3 Skywarrior]] and [[France]]'s [[Dassault Mirage IV]] had nominal warloads of less than {{convert|20000|lb|abbr=on}}, and were significantly smaller in size and gross weight compared with their strategic bomber contemporaries, based on which they might be classified as '''[[medium bomber]]s'''. In the [[Nuclear weapon|nuclear]] strike role, France would replace its Mirage IVs beginning in the late 1980s with the even smaller, single-engine [[Dassault Mirage 2000N/2000D|Mirage 2000N]] [[fighter-bomber]], a further example of advancing technologies and changing tactics in [[military aviation]] and [[Aerospace engineering|aircraft design]]. France's newer twin-engine [[Dassault Rafale]] [[Multirole combat aircraft|multirole fighter]] also has [[Nuclear weapon|nuclear]] strike capability.
===World War I===
* [[Caproni Ca.1 (1914)|Caproni Ca.1]]
* [[Caproni Ca.3]] ({{convert|1,700|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Gotha G.IV]] ({{convert|1,100|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Zeppelin Staaken R.VI]] ({{convert|4,400|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Zeppelin]] (about {{convert|5,000|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Handley Page Type O]] ({{convert|2,000|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Handley Page V/1500]] ({{convert|7,500|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Sikorsky Ilya Muromets]] ({{convert|1,100|lb|abbr=on}})
[[File:B17 - Chino Airshow 2014 (framed).jpg|thumb|right|The [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress]]]]
===Interwar/World War II===
* [[Boeing YB-9]] (prototype strategic bomber, inspiration for the B-17)
* [[Martin B-10]] (successors B-17 and B-24 therefore and theoretically the first strategic bomber of the USAAF at that time despite being a medium bomber.)
* [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress]] ({{convert|8,000|lb|abbr=on}}) (theoretical maximum: {{convert|17,410|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Consolidated B-24 Liberator]] ({{convert|8,000|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Boeing B-29 Superfortress]] ({{convert|20,000|lb|abbr=on}}) (maximum of {{convert|44,000|lb|abbr=on}} (2 {{convert|22,000|lb|abbr=on}} Grand Slams))
* [[Consolidated B-32 Dominator]] ({{convert|20,000|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Handley Page Halifax]] ({{convert|13,000|lb|abbr=on}})<ref>for the Mark III</ref>
* [[Avro Lancaster]] ({{convert|22,000|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Short Stirling]] ({{convert|18,000|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Farman F.220]] ({{convert|9,240|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Heinkel He 177]] ({{convert|15,870|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Petlyakov Pe-8]] ({{convert|11,000|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Piaggio P.108]] ({{convert|7,700|lb|abbr=on}})
===Cold War===
Weapons loads can include [[Nuclear weapon|nuclear]]-armed [[missile]]s as well as [[aerial bomb]]s
[[File:XH558 (G-VLCN) Avro Vulcan - Last Flight over Farnborough (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.9|RAF [[Avro Vulcan]]]]
*'''[[Reciprocating engine|Reciprocating]]/[[Turboprop|Turbine]] engine'''
** [[Lockheed P-2 Neptune]] – small number converted as [[Carrier-based aircraft|carrier]]-launched nuclear-armed bombers which would have to ditch/recover at land bases
** [[Boeing B-50 Superfortress]] ({{convert|28,000|lb|abbr=on}})
** [[Convair B-36 Peacemaker]] ({{convert|72,000|lb|abbr=on}})
** [[Tupolev Tu-4]] – [[Reverse engineering|reverse-engineer]]ed version of B-29 Superfortress
** [[Tupolev Tu-95]] ({{convert|55,000|lb|abbr=on}})
** [[Avro Lincoln]] ({{convert|22,000|lb|abbr=on}})
*'''[[Jet engine]]'''
** [[North American B-45 Tornado]] ({{convert|22,000|lb|abbr=on}})
** [[Boeing B-47 Stratojet]] ({{convert|25,000|lb|abbr=on}})
** [[Douglas A-3 Skywarrior]] – nuclear-armed, [[Carrier-based aircraft|carrier]]-based
** [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress]] ({{convert|70,000|lb|abbr=on}})
** [[Myasishchev M-4]] ({{convert|52,910|lb|abbr=on}})
** [[Tupolev Tu-16]] ({{convert|20,000|lb|abbr=on}})
** [[Vickers Valiant]] ({{convert|21,000|lb|abbr=on}})
** [[Avro Vulcan]] ({{convert|21,000|lb|abbr=on}})
** [[Handley Page Victor]] ({{convert|35,000|lb|abbr=on}})
** [[Xian H-6]] ({{convert|20,000|lb|abbr=on}})
*'''[[Supersonic aircraft|Supersonic]]'''[[File:Kremlin Tupolev Tu-160.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.9|Russian Air Force [[Tupolev Tu-160]]]]
** [[Convair B-58 Hustler]] ({{convert|19,450|lb|abbr=on}})
** [[General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark#FB-111A / F-111G|General Dynamics FB-111A]] – strategic bomber version of the [[General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark|F-111]] [[Variable-sweep wing|swing wing]] [[Attack aircraft|strike aircraft]]
** [[North American A-5 Vigilante]] – nuclear-armed, [[Carrier-based aircraft|carrier]]-based (only deployed for a brief period in strategic nuclear strike role for which it was originally designed before transitioning to reconnaissance role)
** [[Rockwell B-1 Lancer]] ({{convert|75,000|lb|abbr=on}} – use of external hardpoints restricted by [[START I]])
** [[Dassault Mirage IV]] ({{convert|16,000|lb|abbr=on}})
** [[Tupolev Tu-22M]] Backfire ({{convert|46,300|lb|abbr=on}})
** [[Tupolev Tu-160]] Blackjack ({{convert|88,200|lb|abbr=on}})
** [[Tupolev Tu-22]] Blinder ({{convert|20,000|lb|abbr=on}})
** others designed and built which did not enter operational service:
*** [[North American XB-70 Valkyrie]]
*** [[Myasishchev M-50]] Bounder
*** [[Sukhoi T-4]] Sotka
*** [[BAC TSR-2]]
===Post Cold War===
* [[Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit]] ({{convert|40,000|lb|abbr=on}})
===List of active strategic bombers===
[[File:B-52H Stratofortress bombers fly over the Pacific Ocean.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.9|A USAF [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress]]]]
* [[Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit]] ({{convert|40,000|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress]] ({{convert|70,000|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Rockwell B-1 Lancer]] ({{convert|75,000|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Xian H-6]] Badger ({{convert|20,000|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Tupolev Tu-22M]] Backfire ({{convert|46,300|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Tupolev Tu-95]] Bear ({{convert|55,000|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Tupolev Tu-160]] Blackjack ({{convert|88,200|lb|abbr=on}})
===Future===
* [[Xian H-20]]. An under-development stealth bomber by China. Planned to be deployed in 2025.
* [[Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider]]. An under-development stealth bomber by the United States, with a goal of supplanting a portion or all of the current Boeing B-52 Stratofortress.
* [[Tupolev PAK DA]]. An under-development stealth bomber by Russia, with a goal of supplanting a portion or all of the current Tupolev Tu-95. Planned to be deployed in 2027.
==See also==
* [[Carpet bombing]]
* [[High level bombing]]
* [[Long Range Strike Bomber program]]
* [[Next-Generation Bomber]]
* [[Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit]]
* [[Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider]]
* [[Strategic bombing]]
* [[Tactical bombing]]
* [[Tupolev PAK DA]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
* Brown, Michael E. Flying Blind: The Politics of the U.S. Strategic Bomber Program. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1992.
* Cross, Robin. The Bombers: The Illustrated Story of Offensive Strategy and Tactics in the Twentieth Century. New York: Macmillan, 1987.
* Green, William. Famous Bombers of the Second World War. New York: Doubleday, 1959, 1960 (two vols).
* Green, William. Warplanes of the Third Reich. New York: Doubleday, 1970.
* Haddow, G. W., and Peter M. Grosz The German Giants: The German R-Planes 1914–1918. London: Putnam, 1969 (2nd ed.)
* Hastings, Max. Bomber Command. New York: Dial Press, 1979
* Jones, Lloyd S. U.S. Bombers 1926 to 1980s. Fallbrook, CA: Aero Publishers, 1980 (3rd ed.)
* Neillands, Robin. The Bomber War: The Allied Offensive Against Nazi Germany. Woodstock, NY: Overlook, 2001.
* Robinson, Douglas H. The Zeppelin in Combat: A History of the German Naval Airship Division, 1912–1918. Atglen, PA: Schiffer, 1994.
* United States Strategic Bombing Survey. Over-all Report (European War). Washington: Government Printing Office, September 30, 1945.
{{Military aircraft types (roles)}}
{{Nuclear triad}}
{{authority control}}
[[Category:Bomber aircraft]]
[[Category:Russian inventions]]
[[Category:Strategic bombers]]' |
New page wikitext, after the edit (new_wikitext) | '{{Short description|Type of military aircraft}}
[[File:B-1B air refueling.jpg|thumb|300px|A contemporary [[U.S. Air Force]] strategic bomber, the [[Rockwell B-1 Lancer]]]]
A '''strategic bomber''' is a medium- to long-range [[Penetrator (aircraft)|penetration]] [[bomber]] aircraft designed to drop large amounts of [[air-to-ground weaponry]] onto a distant target for the purposes of debilitating the enemy's capacity to wage war. Unlike [[tactical bombing|tactical bomber]]s, [[Penetrator (aircraft)|penetrator]]s, [[fighter-bomber]]s, and [[attack aircraft]], which are used in [[air interdiction]] operations to attack enemy combatants and military equipment, strategic bombers are designed to fly into enemy territory to destroy strategic targets (e.g., [[infrastructure]], [[logistics]], [[Military base|military installations]], factories, etc.). In addition to [[strategic bombing]], strategic bombers can be used for [[tactical bombing|tactical mission]]s. There are currently only three countries that operate strategic bombers: the [[United States]], [[Russia]]<ref>Paul, T. V.; Wirtz, James J.; Fortmann, Michael. [https://books.google.com/books?id=9jy28vBqscQC&pg=PA332 ''Balance of power: theory and practice in the 21st century''], Stanford University Press, 2004, p. 332. {{ISBN|0-8047-5017-3}}</ref> and [[China]].
The modern strategic bomber role appeared after [[Strategic bombing during World War II|strategic bombing was widely employed]], and [[Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki|atomic bombs were first used in combat]] during [[World War II]]. Nuclear strike missions (i.e., delivering [[Nuclear weapon|nuclear]]-armed [[Air-to-surface missile|missile]]s or [[Aerial bomb|bomb]]s) can potentially be carried out by most modern [[fighter-bomber]]s and [[strike fighter]]s, even at intercontinental range, with the use of [[aerial refueling]], so any nation possessing this combination of equipment and techniques theoretically has such capability. Primary delivery aircraft for a modern strategic bombing mission need not always necessarily be a [[heavy bomber]] type, and any modern aircraft capable of nuclear strikes at long range is equally able to carry out [[tactical bombing|tactical missions]] with [[conventional weapon]]s. An example is [[France]]'s [[Dassault Mirage IV|Mirage IV]], a small strategic bomber replaced in service by the [[Air-Sol Moyenne Portée|ASMP]]-equipped [[Dassault Mirage 2000N/2000D|Mirage 2000N]] [[fighter-bomber]] and [[Dassault Rafale|Rafale]] [[Multirole combat aircraft|multirole fighter]].
==History==
===First and Second World Wars===
[[File:Самолет "Илья Муромец".jpg|thumb|right|The [[Sikorsky Ilya Muromets]] was designed by [[Igor Sikorsky]] as the first ever [[airliner]], but it was turned into a bomber by the [[Imperial Russian Air Force]].]]
The [[Strategic bombing during World War I|first strategic bombing efforts]] took place during [[World War I]] (1914–18), by the [[Russian Empire|Russia]]ns with their [[Sikorsky Ilya Muromets]] bomber (the first heavy four-engine aircraft), and by the [[German Empire|German]]s using [[Zeppelin]]s or long-range multi-engine [[Gothaer Waggonfabrik|Gotha]] [[Fixed-wing aircraft|aircraft]]. Zeppelins reached [[England]] on bombing raids by 1915, forcing the British to create extensive defense systems including some of the first [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft gun]]s which were often used with searchlights to highlight the enemy machines overhead. Late in the war, [[United States|American]] fliers under the command of Brig. Gen. [[Billy Mitchell]] were developing multi-aircraft "mass" bombing missions behind German lines, although the [[First Armistice at Compiègne|Armistice]] ended full realization of what was being planned.
Study of strategic bombing continued in the interwar years. Many books and articles predicted a fearful prospect for any future war, paced by political fears such as those expressed by [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|British Prime Minister]] [[Stanley Baldwin]] who told the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] early in the 1930s that "[[the bomber will always get through]]" no matter what defensive systems were undertaken. It was widely believed by the late 1930s that [[Aerial bombing of cities|strategic "terror" bombing of cities]] in any [[war]] would quickly result in devastating losses and might decide a conflict in a matter of days or weeks. But theory far exceeded what most air forces could actually put into the air. Germany focused on short-range tactical bombers. [[Great Britain|Britain]]'s [[Royal Air Force]] began developing four-engine long-range bombers only in the late 1930s. The [[United States Army Air Corps|U.S. Army Air Corps]] ([[United States Army Air Forces|''Army Air Forces'']] as of mid-1941) was severely limited by small budgets in the late 1930s, and only barely saved the [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress|B-17]] bomber that would soon be vital. The equally important [[Consolidated B-24 Liberator|B-24]] first flew in 1939. Both aircraft would constitute the bulk of the American bomber force that made the [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] [[Strategic bombing during World War II#US bombing in Europe|daylight bombing]] of [[Nazi Germany]] possible in 1943–45.
At the start of [[World War II]], so-called "strategic" bombing was initially carried out by [[medium bomber]] [[Fixed-wing aircraft|aircraft]] which were typically twin-engined, armed with several defensive guns, but only possessed limited [[Aerial bomb|bomb]]-carrying capacity and [[Range (aeronautics)|range]]. Both [[Great Britain|Britain]] and the [[United States|US]] were developing larger two- and four-engined designs, which began to replace or supplement the smaller aircraft by 1941–42. After American entry into the war in December 1941, the U.S. [[8th Air Force]] began to develop a [[Strategic bombing during World War II#US bombing in Europe|daylight bombing capacity]] using improved [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress|B-17]] and [[Consolidated B-24 Liberator|B-24]] four-engine aircraft. In order to assemble the formations to carry out these bombing campaigns, [[assembly ships]] were used to quickly form defensive [[combat box]]es. The [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] [[Strategic bombing during World War II#The British later in the war|concentrated its efforts on night bombing]]. But neither force was able to develop adequate [[bombsight]]s or tactics to allow for often-bragged "pinpoint" accuracy. The post-war U.S. [[Strategic Bombing Survey]] studies supported the overall notion of strategic bombing, but underlined many of its shortcomings as well. Attempts to create pioneering examples of "[[Precision-guided munition#Radio-controlled weapons|smart bomb]]s" resulted in the [[Azon]] ordnance, deployed in the [[European Theater of Operations United States Army|European Theater]] and [[China Burma India Theater|CBI Theater]] from B-24s.
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-668-7161-31A, Flugzeug Heinkel He 177.jpg|thumb|left|The only operational strategic bomber with the ''[[Luftwaffe]]'' in [[World War II]] was the troubled [[Heinkel He 177]].]]
Following the untimely death of the top German advocate for strategic bombing, ''General'' [[Walther Wever (general)|Walther Wever]] in early June 1936, the focus of Nazi Germany's [[Luftwaffe]] bomber forces, the so-named ''[[Kampfgeschwader]]'' (bomber wings) became the battlefield support of the [[German Army (Wehrmacht)|German Army]] as part of the general [[Blitzkrieg]] form of warfare, carried out with both medium bombers such as the [[Heinkel He 111]], and ''[[Schnellbomber]]s'' such as the [[Junkers Ju 88]]A. ''General'' Wever's support of the [[Ural bomber]] project before WW II's start dwindled after his passing, with the only aircraft design that could closely match the Allied bomber force's own aircraft – the early November 1937-origin [[Heinkel He 177]]A, deployed in its initial form in 1941–42, hampered by a [[Reich Air Ministry|RLM]] requirement for the He 177A to also perform medium-angle [[dive bombing]], not rescinded until September 1942 – unable to perform either function properly, with a powerplant selection and particular powerplant installation design features on the 30-meter wingspan ''Greif'', that led to endless problems with engine fires. The March 1942-origin, trans-Atlantic ranged ''[[Amerika Bomber]]'' program sought to ameliorate the lack of a seriously long-ranged bomber for the ''Luftwaffe'', but resulted with only three [[Messerschmitt Me 264|Messerschmitt]]-built and a pair of [[Junkers Ju 390|Junkers]]-built prototypes ever flown, and no operational "heavy bombers" for strategic use for the Third Reich, outside of the roughly one thousand examples of the He 177 that were built.
By the end of the Second World War in 1945, the "heavy" bomber, epitomized by the British [[Avro Lancaster]] and American [[Boeing B-29 Superfortress]] used in the [[Pacific Ocean theater of World War II|Pacific Theater]], showed what could be accomplished by [[Area Bombardment|area bombing]] of [[Japan]]'s cities and the often small and dispersed factories within them. Under Major General [[Curtis LeMay]], the U.S. [[20th Air Force]], based in the [[Mariana Islands]], undertook low-level [[incendiary bomb]]ing missions, results of which were soon measured in the number of square miles destroyed. The [[air raids on Japan]] had withered the nation's ability to continue fighting, although the Japanese government delayed surrender, resulting in the [[atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki|atomic bombs dropped]] on [[Hiroshima]] and [[Nagasaki]] in August 1945.
===The Cold War and its aftermath===
During the [[Cold War]], the [[United States]] and [[United Kingdom]] on one side and the [[Soviet Union]] on the other kept strategic bombers ready to [[takeoff|take off]] on short notice as part of the [[deterrence theory|deterrent]] strategy of [[mutually assured destruction]] (MAD). Most strategic bombers of the two [[superpower]]s were designed to deliver [[nuclear weapon]]s. For a time, some squadrons of [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress]] bombers were kept in the air around the clock, [[Loiter (aeronautics)|orbit]]ing some distance away from their [[fail-safe]] points near the Soviet border.
The [[Great Britain|British]] produced three different types of "[[V bomber]]s" for the [[Royal Air Force]] which were designed and designated to be able to deliver British-made nuclear bombs to targets in European Russia. These bombers would have been able to reach and destroy cities like Kiev or Moscow before American strategic bombers. While they were never used against the Soviet Union or its allies, two types of V bombers, the [[Avro Vulcan]] and the [[Handley Page Victor]] were used in the [[Falklands War]] towards the end of their operational lives.
The [[Soviet Union]] produced hundreds of unlicensed, [[Reverse engineering|reverse-engineer]]ed copies of the [[United States|American]] [[Boeing B-29 Superfortress]], which the [[Soviet Air Forces]] called the [[Tupolev Tu-4]]. The Soviets later developed the [[Jet aircraft|jet]]-powered [[Tupolev Tu-16]] "Badger".
The People's Republic of [[China]] produced a version of [[Tupolev Tu-16]] on license from the [[Soviet Union]] in the 1960s which they named the [[Xian H-6]].
During the 1960s [[France]] produced its [[Dassault Mirage IV]] nuclear-armed bomber for the [[French Air Force]] as a part of its independent [[nuclear weapon|nuclear]] strike force, the ''[[Force de dissuasion|Force de Frappe]]'', using French-made bombers and [[Intermediate-range ballistic missile|IRBM]]s to deliver French-made [[nuclear weapon]]s. Mirage IVs served until mid-1996 in the bomber role, and to 2005 as a [[reconnaissance aircraft]].
Today the French Republic has limited its strategic armaments to a squadron of four [[Nuclear marine propulsion|nuclear-power]]ed [[ballistic missile submarines]], with 16 [[Submarine-launched ballistic missile|SLBM]] tubes apiece. France also maintains an active force of supersonic [[fighter-bomber]]s carrying stand-off [[Nuclear weapon|nuclear]] [[missile]]s such as the [[Air-Sol Moyenne Portée|ASMP]], with [[Mach number|Mach]] 3 speed and a range of 500 kilometers. These missiles can be delivered by the [[Dassault Aviation|Dassault]] [[Dassault Mirage 2000N/2000D|Mirage 2000N]] and [[Dassault Rafale|Rafale]] [[fighter-bomber]]s; the Rafale is also capable of [[Aerial refueling|refueling]] others in flight using a [[Aerial refueling#Probe-and-drogue 2|buddy refueling pod]].
[[File:A B-2 flies over Shreveport (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|A [[United States Air Force|USAF]] [[Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit|B-2 Spirit]] [[Stealth aircraft|stealth bomber.]]]]
Newer strategic bombers such as the [[Rockwell International]] [[Rockwell B-1 Lancer|B-1B Lancer]], the [[Tupolev Tu-160]], and the [[Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit]] designs incorporate various levels of [[stealth technology]] in an effort to avoid detection, especially by [[radar]] networks. Despite these advances earlier strategic bombers, for example the [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress|B-52]] (last produced in 1962) or the [[Tupolev Tu-95]] remain in service and can also deploy the latest air-launched [[cruise missile]]s and other "[[standoff missile|stand-off]]" or [[Precision-guided munition|precision guided weapon]]s such as the [[AGM-158 JASSM|JASSM]] and the [[Joint Direct Attack Munition|JDAM]].
The [[Russian Air Force]]'s new [[Tupolev Tu-160|Tu-160]] strategic bombers are expected to be delivered on a regular basis over the course of 10 to 20 years. In addition, the current [[Tupolev Tu-95|Tu-95]] and Tu-160 bombers will be periodically updated, as was done during the 1990s with the [[Tupolev Tu-22M|Tu-22M]] bombers.
Strategic bombers of the [[Cold War]] were primarily armed with [[nuclear weapon]]s. During the post-1940s [[Indochina Wars]], and also since the end of the Cold War, modern bombers originally intended for [[strategic bombing|strategic]] use have been exclusively employed using [[Conventional weapon|non-nuclear]], [[high explosive]] weapons. During the [[Vietnam War]], [[Operation Menu]], [[Operation Freedom Deal]], [[Gulf War]], [[war in Afghanistan (2001–present)|military action in Afghanistan]], and the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]], American B-52s and B-1s were mostly employed in [[Tactical bombing|tactical]] roles. During the [[Soviet-Afghan war]] in 1979–88, [[Soviet Air Forces]] Tu-22Ms carried out several [[strategic bombing|mass air raid]]s in various regions of [[Afghanistan]].
==Notable strategic bombers==
===Nomenclature===
Bombers listed below were used in the main or represented a shift in long-range bomber design (Maximum bomb load). In practice, bomb loads carried are dependent on factors such as the distance to target and the individual type, size or weight of bombs used.
[[Nomenclature]] for size classification of aircraft types used in [[strategic bombing]] varies, particularly since the time of World War II due to sequential technological advancements and changes in [[aerial warfare]] strategy and tactics. The [[Boeing B-29 Superfortress|B-29]], for example was a benchmark aircraft of the [[heavy bomber]] type at end of [[World War II]] due to its size, range and load carrying ability; as the [[Cold War]] began, it became an intercontinental [[Range (aeronautics)|range]] strategic bomber with the development of new techniques, such as [[aerial refueling]] (which also greatly extended the range of other medium- to long-range [[bomber]]s, [[fighter-bomber]]s and [[attack aircraft]]).
[[File:WW2pilot.jpg|thumb|Bomber 🧑✈️]]
During the 1950s the U.S. [[Strategic Air Command]] also briefly brought back the outdated term "[[medium bomber]]" to distinguish its [[Boeing B-47 Stratojet]]s from somewhat larger contemporary [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress]] "[[heavy bomber]]s" in bombardment wings; older [[Boeing B-29 Superfortress|B-29]] and [[Boeing B-50 Superfortress|B-50]] [[heavy bomber]]s were also redesignated as "medium" during this period.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=385|title=Factsheets : Boeing RB-47H Stratojet|date=12 November 2014|access-date=31 March 2018|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112165039/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=385|archive-date=12 November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.8af.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet_print.asp?fsID=4632&page=1|title=Eighth Air Force History: U.S. Air Force Fact Sheet|website=af.mil|access-date=31 March 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130221213923/http://www.8af.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet_print.asp?fsID=4632&page=1|archive-date=21 February 2013}}</ref><ref>Strategic-Air-Command.com, [http://www.strategic-air-command.com/wings/0509bw.htm 509th Composite Group, 509th Bombardment Wing]</ref> [[Strategic Air Command|SAC]]'s [[nomenclature]] here was purely semantic and bureaucratic, however as both the B-47 and B-52 strategic bombers were much larger and had far greater performance and load-carrying ability than any of the World War II-era heavy or medium bombers.
Other aircraft such as the twin-[[Jet engine|jet]] [[United States|US]] [[General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark#FB-111A / F-111G|FB-111]], [[Douglas A-3 Skywarrior]] and [[France]]'s [[Dassault Mirage IV]] had nominal warloads of less than {{convert|20000|lb|abbr=on}}, and were significantly smaller in size and gross weight compared with their strategic bomber contemporaries, based on which they might be classified as '''[[medium bomber]]s'''. In the [[Nuclear weapon|nuclear]] strike role, France would replace its Mirage IVs beginning in the late 1980s with the even smaller, single-engine [[Dassault Mirage 2000N/2000D|Mirage 2000N]] [[fighter-bomber]], a further example of advancing technologies and changing tactics in [[military aviation]] and [[Aerospace engineering|aircraft design]]. France's newer twin-engine [[Dassault Rafale]] [[Multirole combat aircraft|multirole fighter]] also has [[Nuclear weapon|nuclear]] strike capability.
===World War I===
* [[Caproni Ca.1 (1914)|Caproni Ca.1]]
* [[Caproni Ca.3]] ({{convert|1,700|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Gotha G.IV]] ({{convert|1,100|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Zeppelin Staaken R.VI]] ({{convert|4,400|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Zeppelin]] (about {{convert|5,000|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Handley Page Type O]] ({{convert|2,000|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Handley Page V/1500]] ({{convert|7,500|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Sikorsky Ilya Muromets]] ({{convert|1,100|lb|abbr=on}})
[[File:B17 - Chino Airshow 2014 (framed).jpg|thumb|right|The [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress]]]]
===Interwar/World War II===
* [[Boeing YB-9]] (prototype strategic bomber, inspiration for the B-17)
* [[Martin B-10]] (successors B-17 and B-24 therefore and theoretically the first strategic bomber of the USAAF at that time despite being a medium bomber.)
* [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress]] ({{convert|8,000|lb|abbr=on}}) (theoretical maximum: {{convert|17,410|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Consolidated B-24 Liberator]] ({{convert|8,000|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Boeing B-29 Superfortress]] ({{convert|20,000|lb|abbr=on}}) (maximum of {{convert|44,000|lb|abbr=on}} (2 {{convert|22,000|lb|abbr=on}} Grand Slams))
* [[Consolidated B-32 Dominator]] ({{convert|20,000|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Handley Page Halifax]] ({{convert|13,000|lb|abbr=on}})<ref>for the Mark III</ref>
* [[Avro Lancaster]] ({{convert|22,000|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Short Stirling]] ({{convert|18,000|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Farman F.220]] ({{convert|9,240|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Heinkel He 177]] ({{convert|15,870|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Petlyakov Pe-8]] ({{convert|11,000|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Piaggio P.108]] ({{convert|7,700|lb|abbr=on}})
===Cold War===
Weapons loads can include [[Nuclear weapon|nuclear]]-armed [[missile]]s as well as [[aerial bomb]]s
[[File:XH558 (G-VLCN) Avro Vulcan - Last Flight over Farnborough (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.9|RAF [[Avro Vulcan]]]]
*'''[[Reciprocating engine|Reciprocating]]/[[Turboprop|Turbine]] engine'''
** [[Lockheed P-2 Neptune]] – small number converted as [[Carrier-based aircraft|carrier]]-launched nuclear-armed bombers which would have to ditch/recover at land bases
** [[Boeing B-50 Superfortress]] ({{convert|28,000|lb|abbr=on}})
** [[Convair B-36 Peacemaker]] ({{convert|72,000|lb|abbr=on}})
** [[Tupolev Tu-4]] – [[Reverse engineering|reverse-engineer]]ed version of B-29 Superfortress
** [[Tupolev Tu-95]] ({{convert|55,000|lb|abbr=on}})
** [[Avro Lincoln]] ({{convert|22,000|lb|abbr=on}})
*'''[[Jet engine]]'''
** [[North American B-45 Tornado]] ({{convert|22,000|lb|abbr=on}})
** [[Boeing B-47 Stratojet]] ({{convert|25,000|lb|abbr=on}})
** [[Douglas A-3 Skywarrior]] – nuclear-armed, [[Carrier-based aircraft|carrier]]-based
** [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress]] ({{convert|70,000|lb|abbr=on}})
** [[Myasishchev M-4]] ({{convert|52,910|lb|abbr=on}})
** [[Tupolev Tu-16]] ({{convert|20,000|lb|abbr=on}})
** [[Vickers Valiant]] ({{convert|21,000|lb|abbr=on}})
** [[Avro Vulcan]] ({{convert|21,000|lb|abbr=on}})
** [[Handley Page Victor]] ({{convert|35,000|lb|abbr=on}})
** [[Xian H-6]] ({{convert|20,000|lb|abbr=on}})
*'''[[Supersonic aircraft|Supersonic]]'''[[File:Kremlin Tupolev Tu-160.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.9|Russian Air Force [[Tupolev Tu-160]]]]
** [[Convair B-58 Hustler]] ({{convert|19,450|lb|abbr=on}})
** [[General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark#FB-111A / F-111G|General Dynamics FB-111A]] – strategic bomber version of the [[General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark|F-111]] [[Variable-sweep wing|swing wing]] [[Attack aircraft|strike aircraft]]
** [[North American A-5 Vigilante]] – nuclear-armed, [[Carrier-based aircraft|carrier]]-based (only deployed for a brief period in strategic nuclear strike role for which it was originally designed before transitioning to reconnaissance role)
** [[Rockwell B-1 Lancer]] ({{convert|75,000|lb|abbr=on}} – use of external hardpoints restricted by [[START I]])
** [[Dassault Mirage IV]] ({{convert|16,000|lb|abbr=on}})
** [[Tupolev Tu-22M]] Backfire ({{convert|46,300|lb|abbr=on}})
** [[Tupolev Tu-160]] Blackjack ({{convert|88,200|lb|abbr=on}})
** [[Tupolev Tu-22]] Blinder ({{convert|20,000|lb|abbr=on}})
** others designed and built which did not enter operational service:
*** [[North American XB-70 Valkyrie]]
*** [[Myasishchev M-50]] Bounder
*** [[Sukhoi T-4]] Sotka
*** [[BAC TSR-2]]
===Post Cold War===
* [[Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit]] ({{convert|40,000|lb|abbr=on}})
===List of active strategic bombers===
[[File:B-52H Stratofortress bombers fly over the Pacific Ocean.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.9|A USAF [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress]]]]
* [[Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit]] ({{convert|40,000|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress]] ({{convert|70,000|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Rockwell B-1 Lancer]] ({{convert|75,000|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Xian H-6]] Badger ({{convert|20,000|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Tupolev Tu-22M]] Backfire ({{convert|46,300|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Tupolev Tu-95]] Bear ({{convert|55,000|lb|abbr=on}})
* [[Tupolev Tu-160]] Blackjack ({{convert|88,200|lb|abbr=on}})
===Future===
* [[Xian H-20]]. An under-development stealth bomber by China. Planned to be deployed in 2025.
* [[Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider]]. An under-development stealth bomber by the United States, with a goal of supplanting a portion or all of the current Boeing B-52 Stratofortress.
* [[Tupolev PAK DA]]. An under-development stealth bomber by Russia, with a goal of supplanting a portion or all of the current Tupolev Tu-95. Planned to be deployed in 2027.
==See also==
* [[Carpet bombing]]
* [[High level bombing]]
* [[Long Range Strike Bomber program]]
* [[Next-Generation Bomber]]
* [[Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit]]
* [[Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider]]
* [[Strategic bombing]]
* [[Tactical bombing]]
* [[Tupolev PAK DA]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
* Brown, Michael E. Flying Blind: The Politics of the U.S. Strategic Bomber Program. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1992.
* Cross, Robin. The Bombers: The Illustrated Story of Offensive Strategy and Tactics in the Twentieth Century. New York: Macmillan, 1987.
* Green, William. Famous Bombers of the Second World War. New York: Doubleday, 1959, 1960 (two vols).
* Green, William. Warplanes of the Third Reich. New York: Doubleday, 1970.
* Haddow, G. W., and Peter M. Grosz The German Giants: The German R-Planes 1914–1918. London: Putnam, 1969 (2nd ed.)
* Hastings, Max. Bomber Command. New York: Dial Press, 1979
* Jones, Lloyd S. U.S. Bombers 1926 to 1980s. Fallbrook, CA: Aero Publishers, 1980 (3rd ed.)
* Neillands, Robin. The Bomber War: The Allied Offensive Against Nazi Germany. Woodstock, NY: Overlook, 2001.
* Robinson, Douglas H. The Zeppelin in Combat: A History of the German Naval Airship Division, 1912–1918. Atglen, PA: Schiffer, 1994.
* United States Strategic Bombing Survey. Over-all Report (European War). Washington: Government Printing Office, September 30, 1945.
{{Military aircraft types (roles)}}
{{Nuclear triad}}
{{authority control}}
[[Category:Bomber aircraft]]
[[Category:Russian inventions]]
[[Category:Strategic bombers]]' |
Parsed HTML source of the new revision (new_html) | '<div class="mw-parser-output"><div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">Type of military aircraft</div>
<div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:302px;"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:B-1B_air_refueling.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/B-1B_air_refueling.jpg/300px-B-1B_air_refueling.jpg" decoding="async" width="300" height="236" class="thumbimage" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/B-1B_air_refueling.jpg/450px-B-1B_air_refueling.jpg 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/B-1B_air_refueling.jpg/600px-B-1B_air_refueling.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1259" data-file-height="992" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:B-1B_air_refueling.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>A contemporary <a href="/enwiki/wiki/U.S._Air_Force" class="mw-redirect" title="U.S. Air Force">U.S. Air Force</a> strategic bomber, the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Rockwell_B-1_Lancer" title="Rockwell B-1 Lancer">Rockwell B-1 Lancer</a></div></div></div>
<p>A <b>strategic bomber</b> is a medium- to long-range <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Penetrator_(aircraft)" title="Penetrator (aircraft)">penetration</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Bomber" title="Bomber">bomber</a> aircraft designed to drop large amounts of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Air-to-ground_weaponry" title="Air-to-ground weaponry">air-to-ground weaponry</a> onto a distant target for the purposes of debilitating the enemy's capacity to wage war. Unlike <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Tactical_bombing" title="Tactical bombing">tactical bombers</a>, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Penetrator_(aircraft)" title="Penetrator (aircraft)">penetrators</a>, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Fighter-bomber" title="Fighter-bomber">fighter-bombers</a>, and <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Attack_aircraft" title="Attack aircraft">attack aircraft</a>, which are used in <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Air_interdiction" title="Air interdiction">air interdiction</a> operations to attack enemy combatants and military equipment, strategic bombers are designed to fly into enemy territory to destroy strategic targets (e.g., <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Infrastructure" title="Infrastructure">infrastructure</a>, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Logistics" title="Logistics">logistics</a>, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Military_base" title="Military base">military installations</a>, factories, etc.). In addition to <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Strategic_bombing" title="Strategic bombing">strategic bombing</a>, strategic bombers can be used for <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Tactical_bombing" title="Tactical bombing">tactical missions</a>. There are currently only three countries that operate strategic bombers: the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/United_States" title="United States">United States</a>, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Russia" title="Russia">Russia</a><sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1">[1]</a></sup> and <a href="/enwiki/wiki/China" title="China">China</a>.
</p><p>The modern strategic bomber role appeared after <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Strategic_bombing_during_World_War_II" title="Strategic bombing during World War II">strategic bombing was widely employed</a>, and <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki" title="Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki">atomic bombs were first used in combat</a> during <a href="/enwiki/wiki/World_War_II" title="World War II">World War II</a>. Nuclear strike missions (i.e., delivering <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Nuclear_weapon" title="Nuclear weapon">nuclear</a>-armed <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Air-to-surface_missile" title="Air-to-surface missile">missiles</a> or <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Aerial_bomb" title="Aerial bomb">bombs</a>) can potentially be carried out by most modern <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Fighter-bomber" title="Fighter-bomber">fighter-bombers</a> and <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Strike_fighter" title="Strike fighter">strike fighters</a>, even at intercontinental range, with the use of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Aerial_refueling" title="Aerial refueling">aerial refueling</a>, so any nation possessing this combination of equipment and techniques theoretically has such capability. Primary delivery aircraft for a modern strategic bombing mission need not always necessarily be a <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Heavy_bomber" title="Heavy bomber">heavy bomber</a> type, and any modern aircraft capable of nuclear strikes at long range is equally able to carry out <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Tactical_bombing" title="Tactical bombing">tactical missions</a> with <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Conventional_weapon" title="Conventional weapon">conventional weapons</a>. An example is <a href="/enwiki/wiki/France" title="France">France</a>'s <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Dassault_Mirage_IV" title="Dassault Mirage IV">Mirage IV</a>, a small strategic bomber replaced in service by the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Air-Sol_Moyenne_Port%C3%A9e" class="mw-redirect" title="Air-Sol Moyenne Portée">ASMP</a>-equipped <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Dassault_Mirage_2000N/2000D" title="Dassault Mirage 2000N/2000D">Mirage 2000N</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Fighter-bomber" title="Fighter-bomber">fighter-bomber</a> and <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Dassault_Rafale" title="Dassault Rafale">Rafale</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Multirole_combat_aircraft" title="Multirole combat aircraft">multirole fighter</a>.
</p>
<div id="toc" class="toc" role="navigation" aria-labelledby="mw-toc-heading"><input type="checkbox" role="button" id="toctogglecheckbox" class="toctogglecheckbox" style="display:none" /><div class="toctitle" lang="en" dir="ltr"><h2 id="mw-toc-heading">Contents</h2><span class="toctogglespan"><label class="toctogglelabel" for="toctogglecheckbox"></label></span></div>
<ul>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1"><a href="#History"><span class="tocnumber">1</span> <span class="toctext">History</span></a>
<ul>
<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-2"><a href="#First_and_Second_World_Wars"><span class="tocnumber">1.1</span> <span class="toctext">First and Second World Wars</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-3"><a href="#The_Cold_War_and_its_aftermath"><span class="tocnumber">1.2</span> <span class="toctext">The Cold War and its aftermath</span></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-4"><a href="#Notable_strategic_bombers"><span class="tocnumber">2</span> <span class="toctext">Notable strategic bombers</span></a>
<ul>
<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-5"><a href="#Nomenclature"><span class="tocnumber">2.1</span> <span class="toctext">Nomenclature</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-6"><a href="#World_War_I"><span class="tocnumber">2.2</span> <span class="toctext">World War I</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-7"><a href="#Interwar/World_War_II"><span class="tocnumber">2.3</span> <span class="toctext">Interwar/World War II</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-8"><a href="#Cold_War"><span class="tocnumber">2.4</span> <span class="toctext">Cold War</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-9"><a href="#Post_Cold_War"><span class="tocnumber">2.5</span> <span class="toctext">Post Cold War</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-10"><a href="#List_of_active_strategic_bombers"><span class="tocnumber">2.6</span> <span class="toctext">List of active strategic bombers</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-11"><a href="#Future"><span class="tocnumber">2.7</span> <span class="toctext">Future</span></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-12"><a href="#See_also"><span class="tocnumber">3</span> <span class="toctext">See also</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-13"><a href="#References"><span class="tocnumber">4</span> <span class="toctext">References</span></a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="History">History</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Strategic_bomber&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: History">edit source</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2>
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="First_and_Second_World_Wars">First and Second World Wars</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Strategic_bomber&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: First and Second World Wars">edit source</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3>
<div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:222px;"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:%D0%A1%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B5%D1%82_%22%D0%98%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%8F_%D0%9C%D1%83%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%B5%D1%86%22.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fb/%D0%A1%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B5%D1%82_%22%D0%98%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%8F_%D0%9C%D1%83%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%B5%D1%86%22.jpg/220px-%D0%A1%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B5%D1%82_%22%D0%98%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%8F_%D0%9C%D1%83%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%B5%D1%86%22.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="163" class="thumbimage" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fb/%D0%A1%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B5%D1%82_%22%D0%98%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%8F_%D0%9C%D1%83%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%B5%D1%86%22.jpg/330px-%D0%A1%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B5%D1%82_%22%D0%98%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%8F_%D0%9C%D1%83%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%B5%D1%86%22.jpg 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fb/%D0%A1%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B5%D1%82_%22%D0%98%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%8F_%D0%9C%D1%83%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%B5%D1%86%22.jpg/440px-%D0%A1%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B5%D1%82_%22%D0%98%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%8F_%D0%9C%D1%83%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%B5%D1%86%22.jpg 2x" data-file-width="630" data-file-height="466" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:%D0%A1%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B5%D1%82_%22%D0%98%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%8F_%D0%9C%D1%83%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%B5%D1%86%22.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>The <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Sikorsky_Ilya_Muromets" title="Sikorsky Ilya Muromets">Sikorsky Ilya Muromets</a> was designed by <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Igor_Sikorsky" title="Igor Sikorsky">Igor Sikorsky</a> as the first ever <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Airliner" title="Airliner">airliner</a>, but it was turned into a bomber by the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Imperial_Russian_Air_Force" class="mw-redirect" title="Imperial Russian Air Force">Imperial Russian Air Force</a>.</div></div></div>
<p>The <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Strategic_bombing_during_World_War_I" title="Strategic bombing during World War I">first strategic bombing efforts</a> took place during <a href="/enwiki/wiki/World_War_I" title="World War I">World War I</a> (1914–18), by the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Russian_Empire" title="Russian Empire">Russians</a> with their <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Sikorsky_Ilya_Muromets" title="Sikorsky Ilya Muromets">Sikorsky Ilya Muromets</a> bomber (the first heavy four-engine aircraft), and by the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/German_Empire" title="German Empire">Germans</a> using <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Zeppelin" title="Zeppelin">Zeppelins</a> or long-range multi-engine <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Gothaer_Waggonfabrik" title="Gothaer Waggonfabrik">Gotha</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Fixed-wing_aircraft" title="Fixed-wing aircraft">aircraft</a>. Zeppelins reached <a href="/enwiki/wiki/England" title="England">England</a> on bombing raids by 1915, forcing the British to create extensive defense systems including some of the first <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Anti-aircraft_warfare" title="Anti-aircraft warfare">anti-aircraft guns</a> which were often used with searchlights to highlight the enemy machines overhead. Late in the war, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/United_States" title="United States">American</a> fliers under the command of Brig. Gen. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Billy_Mitchell" title="Billy Mitchell">Billy Mitchell</a> were developing multi-aircraft "mass" bombing missions behind German lines, although the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/First_Armistice_at_Compi%C3%A8gne" class="mw-redirect" title="First Armistice at Compiègne">Armistice</a> ended full realization of what was being planned.
</p><p>Study of strategic bombing continued in the interwar years. Many books and articles predicted a fearful prospect for any future war, paced by political fears such as those expressed by <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Prime_Minister_of_the_United_Kingdom" title="Prime Minister of the United Kingdom">British Prime Minister</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Stanley_Baldwin" title="Stanley Baldwin">Stanley Baldwin</a> who told the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/House_of_Commons_of_the_United_Kingdom" title="House of Commons of the United Kingdom">House of Commons</a> early in the 1930s that "<a href="/enwiki/wiki/The_bomber_will_always_get_through" title="The bomber will always get through">the bomber will always get through</a>" no matter what defensive systems were undertaken. It was widely believed by the late 1930s that <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Aerial_bombing_of_cities" title="Aerial bombing of cities">strategic "terror" bombing of cities</a> in any <a href="/enwiki/wiki/War" title="War">war</a> would quickly result in devastating losses and might decide a conflict in a matter of days or weeks. But theory far exceeded what most air forces could actually put into the air. Germany focused on short-range tactical bombers. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Great_Britain" title="Great Britain">Britain</a>'s <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Royal_Air_Force" title="Royal Air Force">Royal Air Force</a> began developing four-engine long-range bombers only in the late 1930s. The <a href="/enwiki/wiki/United_States_Army_Air_Corps" title="United States Army Air Corps">U.S. Army Air Corps</a> (<a href="/enwiki/wiki/United_States_Army_Air_Forces" title="United States Army Air Forces"><i>Army Air Forces</i></a> as of mid-1941) was severely limited by small budgets in the late 1930s, and only barely saved the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Boeing_B-17_Flying_Fortress" title="Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress">B-17</a> bomber that would soon be vital. The equally important <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Consolidated_B-24_Liberator" title="Consolidated B-24 Liberator">B-24</a> first flew in 1939. Both aircraft would constitute the bulk of the American bomber force that made the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Allies_of_World_War_II" title="Allies of World War II">Allied</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Strategic_bombing_during_World_War_II#US_bombing_in_Europe" title="Strategic bombing during World War II">daylight bombing</a> of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Nazi_Germany" title="Nazi Germany">Nazi Germany</a> possible in 1943–45.
</p><p>At the start of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/World_War_II" title="World War II">World War II</a>, so-called "strategic" bombing was initially carried out by <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Medium_bomber" title="Medium bomber">medium bomber</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Fixed-wing_aircraft" title="Fixed-wing aircraft">aircraft</a> which were typically twin-engined, armed with several defensive guns, but only possessed limited <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Aerial_bomb" title="Aerial bomb">bomb</a>-carrying capacity and <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Range_(aeronautics)" title="Range (aeronautics)">range</a>. Both <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Great_Britain" title="Great Britain">Britain</a> and the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/United_States" title="United States">US</a> were developing larger two- and four-engined designs, which began to replace or supplement the smaller aircraft by 1941–42. After American entry into the war in December 1941, the U.S. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/8th_Air_Force" class="mw-redirect" title="8th Air Force">8th Air Force</a> began to develop a <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Strategic_bombing_during_World_War_II#US_bombing_in_Europe" title="Strategic bombing during World War II">daylight bombing capacity</a> using improved <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Boeing_B-17_Flying_Fortress" title="Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress">B-17</a> and <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Consolidated_B-24_Liberator" title="Consolidated B-24 Liberator">B-24</a> four-engine aircraft. In order to assemble the formations to carry out these bombing campaigns, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Assembly_ships" class="mw-redirect" title="Assembly ships">assembly ships</a> were used to quickly form defensive <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Combat_box" title="Combat box">combat boxes</a>. The <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Royal_Air_Force" title="Royal Air Force">RAF</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Strategic_bombing_during_World_War_II#The_British_later_in_the_war" title="Strategic bombing during World War II">concentrated its efforts on night bombing</a>. But neither force was able to develop adequate <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Bombsight" title="Bombsight">bombsights</a> or tactics to allow for often-bragged "pinpoint" accuracy. The post-war U.S. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Strategic_Bombing_Survey" class="mw-redirect" title="Strategic Bombing Survey">Strategic Bombing Survey</a> studies supported the overall notion of strategic bombing, but underlined many of its shortcomings as well. Attempts to create pioneering examples of "<a href="/enwiki/wiki/Precision-guided_munition#Radio-controlled_weapons" title="Precision-guided munition">smart bombs</a>" resulted in the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Azon" title="Azon">Azon</a> ordnance, deployed in the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/European_Theater_of_Operations_United_States_Army" class="mw-redirect" title="European Theater of Operations United States Army">European Theater</a> and <a href="/enwiki/wiki/China_Burma_India_Theater" title="China Burma India Theater">CBI Theater</a> from B-24s.
</p>
<div class="thumb tleft"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:222px;"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-668-7161-31A,_Flugzeug_Heinkel_He_177.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-668-7161-31A%2C_Flugzeug_Heinkel_He_177.jpg/220px-Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-668-7161-31A%2C_Flugzeug_Heinkel_He_177.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="136" class="thumbimage" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-668-7161-31A%2C_Flugzeug_Heinkel_He_177.jpg/330px-Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-668-7161-31A%2C_Flugzeug_Heinkel_He_177.jpg 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-668-7161-31A%2C_Flugzeug_Heinkel_He_177.jpg/440px-Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-668-7161-31A%2C_Flugzeug_Heinkel_He_177.jpg 2x" data-file-width="800" data-file-height="496" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-668-7161-31A,_Flugzeug_Heinkel_He_177.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>The only operational strategic bomber with the <i><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Luftwaffe" title="Luftwaffe">Luftwaffe</a></i> in <a href="/enwiki/wiki/World_War_II" title="World War II">World War II</a> was the troubled <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Heinkel_He_177" class="mw-redirect" title="Heinkel He 177">Heinkel He 177</a>.</div></div></div>
<p>Following the untimely death of the top German advocate for strategic bombing, <i>General</i> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Walther_Wever_(general)" title="Walther Wever (general)">Walther Wever</a> in early June 1936, the focus of Nazi Germany's <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Luftwaffe" title="Luftwaffe">Luftwaffe</a> bomber forces, the so-named <i><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Kampfgeschwader" title="Kampfgeschwader">Kampfgeschwader</a></i> (bomber wings) became the battlefield support of the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/German_Army_(Wehrmacht)" class="mw-redirect" title="German Army (Wehrmacht)">German Army</a> as part of the general <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Blitzkrieg" title="Blitzkrieg">Blitzkrieg</a> form of warfare, carried out with both medium bombers such as the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Heinkel_He_111" title="Heinkel He 111">Heinkel He 111</a>, and <i><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Schnellbomber" title="Schnellbomber">Schnellbombers</a></i> such as the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Junkers_Ju_88" title="Junkers Ju 88">Junkers Ju 88</a>A. <i>General</i> Wever's support of the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Ural_bomber" title="Ural bomber">Ural bomber</a> project before WW II's start dwindled after his passing, with the only aircraft design that could closely match the Allied bomber force's own aircraft – the early November 1937-origin <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Heinkel_He_177" class="mw-redirect" title="Heinkel He 177">Heinkel He 177</a>A, deployed in its initial form in 1941–42, hampered by a <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Reich_Air_Ministry" class="mw-redirect" title="Reich Air Ministry">RLM</a> requirement for the He 177A to also perform medium-angle <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Dive_bombing" class="mw-redirect" title="Dive bombing">dive bombing</a>, not rescinded until September 1942 – unable to perform either function properly, with a powerplant selection and particular powerplant installation design features on the 30-meter wingspan <i>Greif</i>, that led to endless problems with engine fires. The March 1942-origin, trans-Atlantic ranged <i><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Amerika_Bomber" class="mw-redirect" title="Amerika Bomber">Amerika Bomber</a></i> program sought to ameliorate the lack of a seriously long-ranged bomber for the <i>Luftwaffe</i>, but resulted with only three <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Messerschmitt_Me_264" title="Messerschmitt Me 264">Messerschmitt</a>-built and a pair of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Junkers_Ju_390" title="Junkers Ju 390">Junkers</a>-built prototypes ever flown, and no operational "heavy bombers" for strategic use for the Third Reich, outside of the roughly one thousand examples of the He 177 that were built.
</p><p>By the end of the Second World War in 1945, the "heavy" bomber, epitomized by the British <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Avro_Lancaster" title="Avro Lancaster">Avro Lancaster</a> and American <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Boeing_B-29_Superfortress" title="Boeing B-29 Superfortress">Boeing B-29 Superfortress</a> used in the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Pacific_Ocean_theater_of_World_War_II" title="Pacific Ocean theater of World War II">Pacific Theater</a>, showed what could be accomplished by <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Area_Bombardment" class="mw-redirect" title="Area Bombardment">area bombing</a> of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Japan" title="Japan">Japan</a>'s cities and the often small and dispersed factories within them. Under Major General <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Curtis_LeMay" title="Curtis LeMay">Curtis LeMay</a>, the U.S. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/20th_Air_Force" class="mw-redirect" title="20th Air Force">20th Air Force</a>, based in the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Mariana_Islands" title="Mariana Islands">Mariana Islands</a>, undertook low-level <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Incendiary_bomb" class="mw-redirect" title="Incendiary bomb">incendiary bombing</a> missions, results of which were soon measured in the number of square miles destroyed. The <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Air_raids_on_Japan" title="Air raids on Japan">air raids on Japan</a> had withered the nation's ability to continue fighting, although the Japanese government delayed surrender, resulting in the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki" title="Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki">atomic bombs dropped</a> on <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Hiroshima" title="Hiroshima">Hiroshima</a> and <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Nagasaki" title="Nagasaki">Nagasaki</a> in August 1945.
</p>
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="The_Cold_War_and_its_aftermath">The Cold War and its aftermath</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Strategic_bomber&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: The Cold War and its aftermath">edit source</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3>
<p>During the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Cold_War" title="Cold War">Cold War</a>, the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/United_States" title="United States">United States</a> and <a href="/enwiki/wiki/United_Kingdom" title="United Kingdom">United Kingdom</a> on one side and the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Soviet_Union" title="Soviet Union">Soviet Union</a> on the other kept strategic bombers ready to <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Takeoff" title="Takeoff">take off</a> on short notice as part of the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Deterrence_theory" title="Deterrence theory">deterrent</a> strategy of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Mutually_assured_destruction" class="mw-redirect" title="Mutually assured destruction">mutually assured destruction</a> (MAD). Most strategic bombers of the two <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Superpower" title="Superpower">superpowers</a> were designed to deliver <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Nuclear_weapon" title="Nuclear weapon">nuclear weapons</a>. For a time, some squadrons of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Boeing_B-52_Stratofortress" title="Boeing B-52 Stratofortress">Boeing B-52 Stratofortress</a> bombers were kept in the air around the clock, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Loiter_(aeronautics)" title="Loiter (aeronautics)">orbiting</a> some distance away from their <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Fail-safe" title="Fail-safe">fail-safe</a> points near the Soviet border.
</p><p>The <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Great_Britain" title="Great Britain">British</a> produced three different types of "<a href="/enwiki/wiki/V_bomber" title="V bomber">V bombers</a>" for the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Royal_Air_Force" title="Royal Air Force">Royal Air Force</a> which were designed and designated to be able to deliver British-made nuclear bombs to targets in European Russia. These bombers would have been able to reach and destroy cities like Kiev or Moscow before American strategic bombers. While they were never used against the Soviet Union or its allies, two types of V bombers, the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Avro_Vulcan" title="Avro Vulcan">Avro Vulcan</a> and the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Handley_Page_Victor" title="Handley Page Victor">Handley Page Victor</a> were used in the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Falklands_War" title="Falklands War">Falklands War</a> towards the end of their operational lives.
</p><p>The <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Soviet_Union" title="Soviet Union">Soviet Union</a> produced hundreds of unlicensed, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Reverse_engineering" title="Reverse engineering">reverse-engineered</a> copies of the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/United_States" title="United States">American</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Boeing_B-29_Superfortress" title="Boeing B-29 Superfortress">Boeing B-29 Superfortress</a>, which the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Soviet_Air_Forces" title="Soviet Air Forces">Soviet Air Forces</a> called the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-4" title="Tupolev Tu-4">Tupolev Tu-4</a>. The Soviets later developed the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Jet_aircraft" title="Jet aircraft">jet</a>-powered <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-16" title="Tupolev Tu-16">Tupolev Tu-16</a> "Badger".
</p><p>The People's Republic of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/China" title="China">China</a> produced a version of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-16" title="Tupolev Tu-16">Tupolev Tu-16</a> on license from the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Soviet_Union" title="Soviet Union">Soviet Union</a> in the 1960s which they named the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Xian_H-6" title="Xian H-6">Xian H-6</a>.
</p><p>During the 1960s <a href="/enwiki/wiki/France" title="France">France</a> produced its <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Dassault_Mirage_IV" title="Dassault Mirage IV">Dassault Mirage IV</a> nuclear-armed bomber for the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/French_Air_Force" class="mw-redirect" title="French Air Force">French Air Force</a> as a part of its independent <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Nuclear_weapon" title="Nuclear weapon">nuclear</a> strike force, the <i><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Force_de_dissuasion" title="Force de dissuasion">Force de Frappe</a></i>, using French-made bombers and <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Intermediate-range_ballistic_missile" title="Intermediate-range ballistic missile">IRBMs</a> to deliver French-made <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Nuclear_weapon" title="Nuclear weapon">nuclear weapons</a>. Mirage IVs served until mid-1996 in the bomber role, and to 2005 as a <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Reconnaissance_aircraft" title="Reconnaissance aircraft">reconnaissance aircraft</a>.
</p><p>Today the French Republic has limited its strategic armaments to a squadron of four <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Nuclear_marine_propulsion" title="Nuclear marine propulsion">nuclear-powered</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Ballistic_missile_submarines" class="mw-redirect" title="Ballistic missile submarines">ballistic missile submarines</a>, with 16 <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Submarine-launched_ballistic_missile" title="Submarine-launched ballistic missile">SLBM</a> tubes apiece. France also maintains an active force of supersonic <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Fighter-bomber" title="Fighter-bomber">fighter-bombers</a> carrying stand-off <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Nuclear_weapon" title="Nuclear weapon">nuclear</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Missile" title="Missile">missiles</a> such as the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Air-Sol_Moyenne_Port%C3%A9e" class="mw-redirect" title="Air-Sol Moyenne Portée">ASMP</a>, with <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Mach_number" title="Mach number">Mach</a> 3 speed and a range of 500 kilometers. These missiles can be delivered by the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Dassault_Aviation" title="Dassault Aviation">Dassault</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Dassault_Mirage_2000N/2000D" title="Dassault Mirage 2000N/2000D">Mirage 2000N</a> and <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Dassault_Rafale" title="Dassault Rafale">Rafale</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Fighter-bomber" title="Fighter-bomber">fighter-bombers</a>; the Rafale is also capable of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Aerial_refueling" title="Aerial refueling">refueling</a> others in flight using a <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Aerial_refueling#Probe-and-drogue_2" title="Aerial refueling">buddy refueling pod</a>.
</p>
<div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:222px;"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:A_B-2_flies_over_Shreveport_(cropped).jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/A_B-2_flies_over_Shreveport_%28cropped%29.jpg/220px-A_B-2_flies_over_Shreveport_%28cropped%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="129" class="thumbimage" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/A_B-2_flies_over_Shreveport_%28cropped%29.jpg/330px-A_B-2_flies_over_Shreveport_%28cropped%29.jpg 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/A_B-2_flies_over_Shreveport_%28cropped%29.jpg/440px-A_B-2_flies_over_Shreveport_%28cropped%29.jpg 2x" data-file-width="3071" data-file-height="1807" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:A_B-2_flies_over_Shreveport_(cropped).jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>A <a href="/enwiki/wiki/United_States_Air_Force" title="United States Air Force">USAF</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Northrop_Grumman_B-2_Spirit" title="Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit">B-2 Spirit</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Stealth_aircraft" title="Stealth aircraft">stealth bomber.</a></div></div></div>
<p>Newer strategic bombers such as the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Rockwell_International" title="Rockwell International">Rockwell International</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Rockwell_B-1_Lancer" title="Rockwell B-1 Lancer">B-1B Lancer</a>, the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-160" title="Tupolev Tu-160">Tupolev Tu-160</a>, and the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Northrop_Grumman_B-2_Spirit" title="Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit">Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit</a> designs incorporate various levels of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Stealth_technology" title="Stealth technology">stealth technology</a> in an effort to avoid detection, especially by <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Radar" title="Radar">radar</a> networks. Despite these advances earlier strategic bombers, for example the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Boeing_B-52_Stratofortress" title="Boeing B-52 Stratofortress">B-52</a> (last produced in 1962) or the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-95" title="Tupolev Tu-95">Tupolev Tu-95</a> remain in service and can also deploy the latest air-launched <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Cruise_missile" title="Cruise missile">cruise missiles</a> and other "<a href="/enwiki/wiki/Standoff_missile" title="Standoff missile">stand-off</a>" or <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Precision-guided_munition" title="Precision-guided munition">precision guided weapons</a> such as the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/AGM-158_JASSM" title="AGM-158 JASSM">JASSM</a> and the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Joint_Direct_Attack_Munition" title="Joint Direct Attack Munition">JDAM</a>.
</p><p>The <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Russian_Air_Force" title="Russian Air Force">Russian Air Force</a>'s new <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-160" title="Tupolev Tu-160">Tu-160</a> strategic bombers are expected to be delivered on a regular basis over the course of 10 to 20 years. In addition, the current <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-95" title="Tupolev Tu-95">Tu-95</a> and Tu-160 bombers will be periodically updated, as was done during the 1990s with the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-22M" title="Tupolev Tu-22M">Tu-22M</a> bombers.
</p><p>Strategic bombers of the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Cold_War" title="Cold War">Cold War</a> were primarily armed with <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Nuclear_weapon" title="Nuclear weapon">nuclear weapons</a>. During the post-1940s <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Indochina_Wars" title="Indochina Wars">Indochina Wars</a>, and also since the end of the Cold War, modern bombers originally intended for <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Strategic_bombing" title="Strategic bombing">strategic</a> use have been exclusively employed using <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Conventional_weapon" title="Conventional weapon">non-nuclear</a>, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/High_explosive" class="mw-redirect" title="High explosive">high explosive</a> weapons. During the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Vietnam_War" title="Vietnam War">Vietnam War</a>, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Operation_Menu" title="Operation Menu">Operation Menu</a>, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Operation_Freedom_Deal" title="Operation Freedom Deal">Operation Freedom Deal</a>, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Gulf_War" title="Gulf War">Gulf War</a>, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/War_in_Afghanistan_(2001%E2%80%93present)" class="mw-redirect" title="War in Afghanistan (2001–present)">military action in Afghanistan</a>, and the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/2003_invasion_of_Iraq" title="2003 invasion of Iraq">2003 invasion of Iraq</a>, American B-52s and B-1s were mostly employed in <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Tactical_bombing" title="Tactical bombing">tactical</a> roles. During the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Soviet-Afghan_war" class="mw-redirect" title="Soviet-Afghan war">Soviet-Afghan war</a> in 1979–88, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Soviet_Air_Forces" title="Soviet Air Forces">Soviet Air Forces</a> Tu-22Ms carried out several <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Strategic_bombing" title="Strategic bombing">mass air raids</a> in various regions of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Afghanistan" title="Afghanistan">Afghanistan</a>.
</p>
<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Notable_strategic_bombers">Notable strategic bombers</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Strategic_bomber&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Notable strategic bombers">edit source</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2>
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Nomenclature">Nomenclature</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Strategic_bomber&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Nomenclature">edit source</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3>
<p>Bombers listed below were used in the main or represented a shift in long-range bomber design (Maximum bomb load). In practice, bomb loads carried are dependent on factors such as the distance to target and the individual type, size or weight of bombs used.
</p><p><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Nomenclature" title="Nomenclature">Nomenclature</a> for size classification of aircraft types used in <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Strategic_bombing" title="Strategic bombing">strategic bombing</a> varies, particularly since the time of World War II due to sequential technological advancements and changes in <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Aerial_warfare" title="Aerial warfare">aerial warfare</a> strategy and tactics. The <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Boeing_B-29_Superfortress" title="Boeing B-29 Superfortress">B-29</a>, for example was a benchmark aircraft of the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Heavy_bomber" title="Heavy bomber">heavy bomber</a> type at end of <a href="/enwiki/wiki/World_War_II" title="World War II">World War II</a> due to its size, range and load carrying ability; as the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Cold_War" title="Cold War">Cold War</a> began, it became an intercontinental <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Range_(aeronautics)" title="Range (aeronautics)">range</a> strategic bomber with the development of new techniques, such as <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Aerial_refueling" title="Aerial refueling">aerial refueling</a> (which also greatly extended the range of other medium- to long-range <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Bomber" title="Bomber">bombers</a>, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Fighter-bomber" title="Fighter-bomber">fighter-bombers</a> and <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Attack_aircraft" title="Attack aircraft">attack aircraft</a>).
</p>
<div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:222px;"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:WW2pilot.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/WW2pilot.jpg/220px-WW2pilot.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="251" class="thumbimage" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/WW2pilot.jpg/330px-WW2pilot.jpg 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/WW2pilot.jpg/440px-WW2pilot.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1280" data-file-height="1462" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:WW2pilot.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>Bomber 🧑✈️</div></div></div>
<p>During the 1950s the U.S. <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Strategic_Air_Command" title="Strategic Air Command">Strategic Air Command</a> also briefly brought back the outdated term "<a href="/enwiki/wiki/Medium_bomber" title="Medium bomber">medium bomber</a>" to distinguish its <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Boeing_B-47_Stratojet" title="Boeing B-47 Stratojet">Boeing B-47 Stratojets</a> from somewhat larger contemporary <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Boeing_B-52_Stratofortress" title="Boeing B-52 Stratofortress">Boeing B-52 Stratofortress</a> "<a href="/enwiki/wiki/Heavy_bomber" title="Heavy bomber">heavy bombers</a>" in bombardment wings; older <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Boeing_B-29_Superfortress" title="Boeing B-29 Superfortress">B-29</a> and <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Boeing_B-50_Superfortress" title="Boeing B-50 Superfortress">B-50</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Heavy_bomber" title="Heavy bomber">heavy bombers</a> were also redesignated as "medium" during this period.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2">[2]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3">[3]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4">[4]</a></sup> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Strategic_Air_Command" title="Strategic Air Command">SAC</a>'s <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Nomenclature" title="Nomenclature">nomenclature</a> here was purely semantic and bureaucratic, however as both the B-47 and B-52 strategic bombers were much larger and had far greater performance and load-carrying ability than any of the World War II-era heavy or medium bombers.
</p><p>Other aircraft such as the twin-<a href="/enwiki/wiki/Jet_engine" title="Jet engine">jet</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/United_States" title="United States">US</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/General_Dynamics_F-111_Aardvark#FB-111A_/_F-111G" title="General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark">FB-111</a>, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Douglas_A-3_Skywarrior" title="Douglas A-3 Skywarrior">Douglas A-3 Skywarrior</a> and <a href="/enwiki/wiki/France" title="France">France</a>'s <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Dassault_Mirage_IV" title="Dassault Mirage IV">Dassault Mirage IV</a> had nominal warloads of less than 20,000 lb (9,100 kg), and were significantly smaller in size and gross weight compared with their strategic bomber contemporaries, based on which they might be classified as <b><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Medium_bomber" title="Medium bomber">medium bombers</a></b>. In the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Nuclear_weapon" title="Nuclear weapon">nuclear</a> strike role, France would replace its Mirage IVs beginning in the late 1980s with the even smaller, single-engine <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Dassault_Mirage_2000N/2000D" title="Dassault Mirage 2000N/2000D">Mirage 2000N</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Fighter-bomber" title="Fighter-bomber">fighter-bomber</a>, a further example of advancing technologies and changing tactics in <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Military_aviation" title="Military aviation">military aviation</a> and <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Aerospace_engineering" title="Aerospace engineering">aircraft design</a>. France's newer twin-engine <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Dassault_Rafale" title="Dassault Rafale">Dassault Rafale</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Multirole_combat_aircraft" title="Multirole combat aircraft">multirole fighter</a> also has <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Nuclear_weapon" title="Nuclear weapon">nuclear</a> strike capability.
</p>
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="World_War_I">World War I</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Strategic_bomber&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: World War I">edit source</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3>
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Caproni_Ca.1_(1914)" title="Caproni Ca.1 (1914)">Caproni Ca.1</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Caproni_Ca.3" title="Caproni Ca.3">Caproni Ca.3</a> (1,700 lb (770 kg))</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Gotha_G.IV" title="Gotha G.IV">Gotha G.IV</a> (1,100 lb (500 kg))</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Zeppelin_Staaken_R.VI" class="mw-redirect" title="Zeppelin Staaken R.VI">Zeppelin Staaken R.VI</a> (4,400 lb (2,000 kg))</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Zeppelin" title="Zeppelin">Zeppelin</a> (about 5,000 lb (2,300 kg))</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Handley_Page_Type_O" title="Handley Page Type O">Handley Page Type O</a> (2,000 lb (910 kg))</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Handley_Page_V/1500" title="Handley Page V/1500">Handley Page V/1500</a> (7,500 lb (3,400 kg))</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Sikorsky_Ilya_Muromets" title="Sikorsky Ilya Muromets">Sikorsky Ilya Muromets</a> (1,100 lb (500 kg))</li></ul>
<div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:222px;"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:B17_-_Chino_Airshow_2014_(framed).jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/B17_-_Chino_Airshow_2014_%28framed%29.jpg/220px-B17_-_Chino_Airshow_2014_%28framed%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="150" class="thumbimage" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/B17_-_Chino_Airshow_2014_%28framed%29.jpg/330px-B17_-_Chino_Airshow_2014_%28framed%29.jpg 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/B17_-_Chino_Airshow_2014_%28framed%29.jpg/440px-B17_-_Chino_Airshow_2014_%28framed%29.jpg 2x" data-file-width="3207" data-file-height="2181" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:B17_-_Chino_Airshow_2014_(framed).jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>The <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Boeing_B-17_Flying_Fortress" title="Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress">Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress</a></div></div></div>
<h3><span id="Interwar.2FWorld_War_II"></span><span class="mw-headline" id="Interwar/World_War_II">Interwar/World War II</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Strategic_bomber&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: Interwar/World War II">edit source</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3>
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Boeing_YB-9" title="Boeing YB-9">Boeing YB-9</a> (prototype strategic bomber, inspiration for the B-17)</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Martin_B-10" title="Martin B-10">Martin B-10</a> (successors B-17 and B-24 therefore and theoretically the first strategic bomber of the USAAF at that time despite being a medium bomber.)</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Boeing_B-17_Flying_Fortress" title="Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress">Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress</a> (8,000 lb (3,600 kg)) (theoretical maximum: 17,410 lb (7,900 kg))</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Consolidated_B-24_Liberator" title="Consolidated B-24 Liberator">Consolidated B-24 Liberator</a> (8,000 lb (3,600 kg))</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Boeing_B-29_Superfortress" title="Boeing B-29 Superfortress">Boeing B-29 Superfortress</a> (20,000 lb (9,100 kg)) (maximum of 44,000 lb (20,000 kg) (2 22,000 lb (10,000 kg) Grand Slams))</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Consolidated_B-32_Dominator" title="Consolidated B-32 Dominator">Consolidated B-32 Dominator</a> (20,000 lb (9,100 kg))</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Handley_Page_Halifax" title="Handley Page Halifax">Handley Page Halifax</a> (13,000 lb (5,900 kg))<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5">[5]</a></sup></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Avro_Lancaster" title="Avro Lancaster">Avro Lancaster</a> (22,000 lb (10,000 kg))</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Short_Stirling" title="Short Stirling">Short Stirling</a> (18,000 lb (8,200 kg))</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Farman_F.220" title="Farman F.220">Farman F.220</a> (9,240 lb (4,190 kg))</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Heinkel_He_177" class="mw-redirect" title="Heinkel He 177">Heinkel He 177</a> (15,870 lb (7,200 kg))</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Petlyakov_Pe-8" title="Petlyakov Pe-8">Petlyakov Pe-8</a> (11,000 lb (5,000 kg))</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Piaggio_P.108" title="Piaggio P.108">Piaggio P.108</a> (7,700 lb (3,500 kg))</li></ul>
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Cold_War">Cold War</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Strategic_bomber&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: Cold War">edit source</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3>
<p>Weapons loads can include <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Nuclear_weapon" title="Nuclear weapon">nuclear</a>-armed <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Missile" title="Missile">missiles</a> as well as <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Aerial_bomb" title="Aerial bomb">aerial bombs</a>
</p>
<div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:202px;"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:XH558_(G-VLCN)_Avro_Vulcan_-_Last_Flight_over_Farnborough_(cropped).jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/XH558_%28G-VLCN%29_Avro_Vulcan_-_Last_Flight_over_Farnborough_%28cropped%29.jpg/200px-XH558_%28G-VLCN%29_Avro_Vulcan_-_Last_Flight_over_Farnborough_%28cropped%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="200" height="128" class="thumbimage" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/XH558_%28G-VLCN%29_Avro_Vulcan_-_Last_Flight_over_Farnborough_%28cropped%29.jpg/300px-XH558_%28G-VLCN%29_Avro_Vulcan_-_Last_Flight_over_Farnborough_%28cropped%29.jpg 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/XH558_%28G-VLCN%29_Avro_Vulcan_-_Last_Flight_over_Farnborough_%28cropped%29.jpg/400px-XH558_%28G-VLCN%29_Avro_Vulcan_-_Last_Flight_over_Farnborough_%28cropped%29.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1594" data-file-height="1024" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:XH558_(G-VLCN)_Avro_Vulcan_-_Last_Flight_over_Farnborough_(cropped).jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>RAF <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Avro_Vulcan" title="Avro Vulcan">Avro Vulcan</a></div></div></div>
<ul><li><b><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Reciprocating_engine" title="Reciprocating engine">Reciprocating</a>/<a href="/enwiki/wiki/Turboprop" title="Turboprop">Turbine</a> engine</b>
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Lockheed_P-2_Neptune" title="Lockheed P-2 Neptune">Lockheed P-2 Neptune</a> – small number converted as <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Carrier-based_aircraft" title="Carrier-based aircraft">carrier</a>-launched nuclear-armed bombers which would have to ditch/recover at land bases</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Boeing_B-50_Superfortress" title="Boeing B-50 Superfortress">Boeing B-50 Superfortress</a> (28,000 lb (13,000 kg))</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Convair_B-36_Peacemaker" title="Convair B-36 Peacemaker">Convair B-36 Peacemaker</a> (72,000 lb (33,000 kg))</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-4" title="Tupolev Tu-4">Tupolev Tu-4</a> – <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Reverse_engineering" title="Reverse engineering">reverse-engineered</a> version of B-29 Superfortress</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-95" title="Tupolev Tu-95">Tupolev Tu-95</a> (55,000 lb (25,000 kg))</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Avro_Lincoln" title="Avro Lincoln">Avro Lincoln</a> (22,000 lb (10,000 kg))</li></ul></li>
<li><b><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Jet_engine" title="Jet engine">Jet engine</a></b>
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/North_American_B-45_Tornado" title="North American B-45 Tornado">North American B-45 Tornado</a> (22,000 lb (10,000 kg))</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Boeing_B-47_Stratojet" title="Boeing B-47 Stratojet">Boeing B-47 Stratojet</a> (25,000 lb (11,000 kg))</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Douglas_A-3_Skywarrior" title="Douglas A-3 Skywarrior">Douglas A-3 Skywarrior</a> – nuclear-armed, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Carrier-based_aircraft" title="Carrier-based aircraft">carrier</a>-based</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Boeing_B-52_Stratofortress" title="Boeing B-52 Stratofortress">Boeing B-52 Stratofortress</a> (70,000 lb (32,000 kg))</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Myasishchev_M-4" title="Myasishchev M-4">Myasishchev M-4</a> (52,910 lb (24,000 kg))</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-16" title="Tupolev Tu-16">Tupolev Tu-16</a> (20,000 lb (9,100 kg))</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Vickers_Valiant" title="Vickers Valiant">Vickers Valiant</a> (21,000 lb (9,500 kg))</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Avro_Vulcan" title="Avro Vulcan">Avro Vulcan</a> (21,000 lb (9,500 kg))</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Handley_Page_Victor" title="Handley Page Victor">Handley Page Victor</a> (35,000 lb (16,000 kg))</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Xian_H-6" title="Xian H-6">Xian H-6</a> (20,000 lb (9,100 kg))</li></ul></li>
<li><b><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Supersonic_aircraft" title="Supersonic aircraft">Supersonic</a></b><div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:202px;"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:Kremlin_Tupolev_Tu-160.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Kremlin_Tupolev_Tu-160.jpg/200px-Kremlin_Tupolev_Tu-160.jpg" decoding="async" width="200" height="134" class="thumbimage" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Kremlin_Tupolev_Tu-160.jpg/300px-Kremlin_Tupolev_Tu-160.jpg 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Kremlin_Tupolev_Tu-160.jpg/400px-Kremlin_Tupolev_Tu-160.jpg 2x" data-file-width="500" data-file-height="334" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:Kremlin_Tupolev_Tu-160.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>Russian Air Force <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-160" title="Tupolev Tu-160">Tupolev Tu-160</a></div></div></div>
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Convair_B-58_Hustler" title="Convair B-58 Hustler">Convair B-58 Hustler</a> (19,450 lb (8,820 kg))</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/General_Dynamics_F-111_Aardvark#FB-111A_/_F-111G" title="General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark">General Dynamics FB-111A</a> – strategic bomber version of the <a href="/enwiki/wiki/General_Dynamics_F-111_Aardvark" title="General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark">F-111</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Variable-sweep_wing" title="Variable-sweep wing">swing wing</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Attack_aircraft" title="Attack aircraft">strike aircraft</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/North_American_A-5_Vigilante" title="North American A-5 Vigilante">North American A-5 Vigilante</a> – nuclear-armed, <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Carrier-based_aircraft" title="Carrier-based aircraft">carrier</a>-based (only deployed for a brief period in strategic nuclear strike role for which it was originally designed before transitioning to reconnaissance role)</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Rockwell_B-1_Lancer" title="Rockwell B-1 Lancer">Rockwell B-1 Lancer</a> (75,000 lb (34,000 kg) – use of external hardpoints restricted by <a href="/enwiki/wiki/START_I" title="START I">START I</a>)</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Dassault_Mirage_IV" title="Dassault Mirage IV">Dassault Mirage IV</a> (16,000 lb (7,300 kg))</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-22M" title="Tupolev Tu-22M">Tupolev Tu-22M</a> Backfire (46,300 lb (21,000 kg))</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-160" title="Tupolev Tu-160">Tupolev Tu-160</a> Blackjack (88,200 lb (40,000 kg))</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-22" title="Tupolev Tu-22">Tupolev Tu-22</a> Blinder (20,000 lb (9,100 kg))</li>
<li>others designed and built which did not enter operational service:
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/North_American_XB-70_Valkyrie" title="North American XB-70 Valkyrie">North American XB-70 Valkyrie</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Myasishchev_M-50" title="Myasishchev M-50">Myasishchev M-50</a> Bounder</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Sukhoi_T-4" title="Sukhoi T-4">Sukhoi T-4</a> Sotka</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/BAC_TSR-2" title="BAC TSR-2">BAC TSR-2</a></li></ul></li></ul></li></ul>
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Post_Cold_War">Post Cold War</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Strategic_bomber&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: Post Cold War">edit source</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3>
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Northrop_Grumman_B-2_Spirit" title="Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit">Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit</a> (40,000 lb (18,000 kg))</li></ul>
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="List_of_active_strategic_bombers">List of active strategic bombers</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Strategic_bomber&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: List of active strategic bombers">edit source</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3>
<div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:202px;"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:B-52H_Stratofortress_bombers_fly_over_the_Pacific_Ocean.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/B-52H_Stratofortress_bombers_fly_over_the_Pacific_Ocean.jpg/200px-B-52H_Stratofortress_bombers_fly_over_the_Pacific_Ocean.jpg" decoding="async" width="200" height="124" class="thumbimage" srcset="/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/B-52H_Stratofortress_bombers_fly_over_the_Pacific_Ocean.jpg/300px-B-52H_Stratofortress_bombers_fly_over_the_Pacific_Ocean.jpg 1.5x, /upwiki/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/B-52H_Stratofortress_bombers_fly_over_the_Pacific_Ocean.jpg/400px-B-52H_Stratofortress_bombers_fly_over_the_Pacific_Ocean.jpg 2x" data-file-width="796" data-file-height="493" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/enwiki/wiki/File:B-52H_Stratofortress_bombers_fly_over_the_Pacific_Ocean.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>A USAF <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Boeing_B-52_Stratofortress" title="Boeing B-52 Stratofortress">Boeing B-52 Stratofortress</a></div></div></div>
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Northrop_Grumman_B-2_Spirit" title="Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit">Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit</a> (40,000 lb (18,000 kg))</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Boeing_B-52_Stratofortress" title="Boeing B-52 Stratofortress">Boeing B-52 Stratofortress</a> (70,000 lb (32,000 kg))</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Rockwell_B-1_Lancer" title="Rockwell B-1 Lancer">Rockwell B-1 Lancer</a> (75,000 lb (34,000 kg))</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Xian_H-6" title="Xian H-6">Xian H-6</a> Badger (20,000 lb (9,100 kg))</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-22M" title="Tupolev Tu-22M">Tupolev Tu-22M</a> Backfire (46,300 lb (21,000 kg))</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-95" title="Tupolev Tu-95">Tupolev Tu-95</a> Bear (55,000 lb (25,000 kg))</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-160" title="Tupolev Tu-160">Tupolev Tu-160</a> Blackjack (88,200 lb (40,000 kg))</li></ul>
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Future">Future</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Strategic_bomber&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: Future">edit source</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h3>
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Xian_H-20" title="Xian H-20">Xian H-20</a>. An under-development stealth bomber by China. Planned to be deployed in 2025.</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Northrop_Grumman_B-21_Raider" title="Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider">Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider</a>. An under-development stealth bomber by the United States, with a goal of supplanting a portion or all of the current Boeing B-52 Stratofortress.</li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Tupolev_PAK_DA" title="Tupolev PAK DA">Tupolev PAK DA</a>. An under-development stealth bomber by Russia, with a goal of supplanting a portion or all of the current Tupolev Tu-95. Planned to be deployed in 2027.</li></ul>
<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="See_also">See also</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Strategic_bomber&action=edit&section=12" title="Edit section: See also">edit source</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2>
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Carpet_bombing" title="Carpet bombing">Carpet bombing</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/High_level_bombing" title="High level bombing">High level bombing</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Long_Range_Strike_Bomber_program" class="mw-redirect" title="Long Range Strike Bomber program">Long Range Strike Bomber program</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Next-Generation_Bomber" title="Next-Generation Bomber">Next-Generation Bomber</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Northrop_Grumman_B-2_Spirit" title="Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit">Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Northrop_Grumman_B-21_Raider" title="Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider">Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Strategic_bombing" title="Strategic bombing">Strategic bombing</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Tactical_bombing" title="Tactical bombing">Tactical bombing</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Tupolev_PAK_DA" title="Tupolev PAK DA">Tupolev PAK DA</a></li></ul>
<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Strategic_bomber&action=edit&section=13" title="Edit section: References">edit source</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2>
<style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1011085734">.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%;margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist">
<div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Paul, T. V.; Wirtz, James J.; Fortmann, Michael. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=9jy28vBqscQC&pg=PA332"><i>Balance of power: theory and practice in the 21st century</i></a>, Stanford University Press, 2004, p. 332. <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1133582631">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("/upwiki/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#3a3;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}</style><a href="/enwiki/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/enwiki/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-8047-5017-3" title="Special:BookSources/0-8047-5017-3">0-8047-5017-3</a></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1133582631"/><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20141112165039/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=385">"Factsheets : Boeing RB-47H Stratojet"</a>. 12 November 2014. Archived from the original on 12 November 2014<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">31 March</span> 2018</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Factsheets+%3A+Boeing+RB-47H+Stratojet&rft.date=2014-11-12&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nationalmuseum.af.mil%2Ffactsheets%2Ffactsheet.asp%3Fid%3D385&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AStrategic+bomber" class="Z3988"></span><span class="cs1-maint citation-comment"><code class="cs1-code">{{<a href="/enwiki/wiki/Template:Cite_web" title="Template:Cite web">cite web</a>}}</code>: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (<a href="/enwiki/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_bot:_original_URL_status_unknown" title="Category:CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown">link</a>)</span></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1133582631"/><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130221213923/http://www.8af.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet_print.asp?fsID=4632&page=1">"Eighth Air Force History: U.S. Air Force Fact Sheet"</a>. <i>af.mil</i>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.8af.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet_print.asp?fsID=4632&page=1">the original</a> on 21 February 2013<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">31 March</span> 2018</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=af.mil&rft.atitle=Eighth+Air+Force+History%3A+U.S.+Air+Force+Fact+Sheet&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.8af.af.mil%2Flibrary%2Ffactsheets%2Ffactsheet_print.asp%3FfsID%3D4632%26page%3D1&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AStrategic+bomber" class="Z3988"></span></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Strategic-Air-Command.com, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.strategic-air-command.com/wings/0509bw.htm">509th Composite Group, 509th Bombardment Wing</a></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">for the Mark III</span>
</li>
</ol></div></div>
<ul><li>Brown, Michael E. Flying Blind: The Politics of the U.S. Strategic Bomber Program. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1992.</li>
<li>Cross, Robin. The Bombers: The Illustrated Story of Offensive Strategy and Tactics in the Twentieth Century. New York: Macmillan, 1987.</li>
<li>Green, William. Famous Bombers of the Second World War. New York: Doubleday, 1959, 1960 (two vols).</li>
<li>Green, William. Warplanes of the Third Reich. New York: Doubleday, 1970.</li>
<li>Haddow, G. W., and Peter M. Grosz The German Giants: The German R-Planes 1914–1918. London: Putnam, 1969 (2nd ed.)</li>
<li>Hastings, Max. Bomber Command. New York: Dial Press, 1979</li>
<li>Jones, Lloyd S. U.S. Bombers 1926 to 1980s. Fallbrook, CA: Aero Publishers, 1980 (3rd ed.)</li>
<li>Neillands, Robin. The Bomber War: The Allied Offensive Against Nazi Germany. Woodstock, NY: Overlook, 2001.</li>
<li>Robinson, Douglas H. The Zeppelin in Combat: A History of the German Naval Airship Division, 1912–1918. Atglen, PA: Schiffer, 1994.</li>
<li>United States Strategic Bombing Survey. Over-all Report (European War). Washington: Government Printing Office, September 30, 1945.</li></ul>
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<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/History_of_military_ballooning" title="History of military ballooning">Balloon</a></li>
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<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Military_helicopter" title="Military helicopter">Helicopter</a></li>
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<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Gunship" title="Gunship">Gunship</a></li></ul></li>
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<li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Strategic</a></li>
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<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Pathfinder_(RAF)" title="Pathfinder (RAF)">Pathfinder</a></li></ul></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Close_air_support" title="Close air support">Close air support</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Electronic_warfare_aircraft" class="mw-redirect" title="Electronic warfare aircraft">Electronic warfare <span style="font-size:85%;">(EW)</span></a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Intruder_(air_combat)" title="Intruder (air combat)">Intruder</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Fighter_aircraft" title="Fighter aircraft">Fighter</a>
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Air_superiority_fighter" title="Air superiority fighter">Air superiority</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Interceptor_aircraft" title="Interceptor aircraft">Interceptor</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Escort_fighter" title="Escort fighter">Escort</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Night_fighter" title="Night fighter">Night</a></li></ul></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Maritime_patrol_aircraft" title="Maritime patrol aircraft">Maritime patrol</a></li>
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<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Interdictor" title="Interdictor">Interdictor</a></li>
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<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Strike_fighter" title="Strike fighter">Strike fighter</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;font-weight:normal;">Non-combat</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Experimental_aircraft" title="Experimental aircraft">Experimental</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Liaison_aircraft" title="Liaison aircraft">Liaison</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Reconnaissance_aircraft" title="Reconnaissance aircraft">Reconnaissance</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Surveillance_aircraft" title="Surveillance aircraft">Surveillance</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Aerial_refueling" title="Aerial refueling">Tanker</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Testbed_aircraft" title="Testbed aircraft">Testbed</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Trainer_aircraft" title="Trainer aircraft">Trainer</a></li>
<li><a href="/enwiki/wiki/Military_transport_aircraft" title="Military transport aircraft">Transport</a></li></ul>
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