Strategic bomber

Boeing B-52 strategic bomber taking off

A strategic bomber is a large aircraft designed to drop large amounts of ordnance on a distant target for the purposes of debilitating an enemy's capacity to wage war. Unlike tactical bombers, which are used in the battle zone to attack troops and military equipment, strategic bombers are built to fly into an enemy's heartland to destroy strategic targets e.g. major military installations, factories and cities. Strategic bombers can of course be used for tactical missions.

During the Cold War both the U.S. and USSR kept strategic bombers ready to launch at a moment's notice as part of the deterrent strategy of Mutual Assured Destruction. Most strategic bombers of the two superpowers were designed to deliver nuclear weapons. For a time, B-52 Stratofortress bombers were kept in the air around the clock, orbiting fail-safe points near the Soviet border.

More recent strategic bombers like the Rockwell International (now Boeing) B-1B Lancer bomber, Tupolev Tu-160 Blackjack and the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit bomber incorporate stealth features in their design in an effort to avoid detection. Non-stealthy strategic bombers e.g. the venerable Boeing B-52 Stratofortress are still relevant through the use of air-launched cruise missiles and other "stand-off" weapons like JSOW and JDAM.Indeed, it is likely that the USAF B-52 fleet will, with continuing upgrades, outlive the B-1B fleet.

* B-36 Peacemaker
* B-47 Stratojet
* B-52 Stratofortress
* B-58 Hustler
* FB-111A nuclear capable variant of F-111 Aardvark
* Handley Page Victor
* Avro Vulcan
* Vickers Valiant
* Myasishchev M-4
* Tupolev Tu-16
* Tupolev Tu-95
* Tupolev Tu-22M
* Dassault Mirage IV

Modern

* B-1 Lancer
* B-2 Spirit
* B-52 Stratofortress (H model)
* Tupolev Tu-160
* Dassault Mirage 2000N

Strategic bomber: Encyclopedia BETA

Contents

Strategic bomber

Notable strategic bombers

World War I

World War II

Cold War

Modern

See also