Bomb Fin Advantages

[PR19_Kit]

So long as they were dropped from high enough. 15-18000 ft were not unknown for drop heights for those bombs.

[jcf]

Doesn't answer "the question", but it has some interesting data:
http://tailspintopics.blogspot.com/2010/01/us-navy-bombs-up-through-wwii.html

[zenrat]

When doing something like area bombing a city with incendiaries then why bother with fins at all?
You don't really need to be super accurate, just drop your load in the right post code.

Paul Brickhill's "The Dambusters" details the work Wallis undertook testing the bouncing bombs (his secretary in a glass box with a movie camera in a test tank IIRC) and the Tallboy/Grand Slam.

[Old Wombat]

Paul Brickhill's "The Dambusters" details the work Wallis undertook testing the bouncing bombs (his secretary in a glass box with a movie camera in a test tank IIRC) and the Tallboy/Grand Slam.

Hmm?! That may be the book I was thinking of, rather than Gibson's Enemy Coast Ahead.



Guy

[pyro-manic]

So long as they were dropped from high enough. 15-18000 ft were not unknown for drop heights for those bombs.

IIRC Wallis wanted them dropped from ~40,000ft to get maximum effect, but there was no bomber that could fly that high with that sort of load.

[PR19_Kit]

So long as they were dropped from high enough. 15-18000 ft were not unknown for drop heights for those bombs.

IIRC Wallis wanted them dropped from ~40,000ft to get maximum effect, but there was no bomber that could fly that high with that sort of load.

He designed a bomber specially for the job, but the War Ministry either couldn't aford it or didn't see the need at the time.

[rickshaw]

Was IIRC the Vickers "Victory" bomber.  Eventually became the Windsor with considerably less capability and engines (four versus six).

[KJ_Lesnick]

PR19_Kit

I just saw a great WHIF opportunity... imagine if Wallis designed the Victory Bomber with the ability to carry other bombs as well as the tallboy/grand-slam?  You'd have a bomber with 45,000 foot altitude, 350 or so mph speed, and 22,000 pounds or so of bombs.

[pyro-manic]

While the original plan for Vickers' big six-engined bomber was solely to deliver a Grand Slam, the later developments (and subsequent design efforts from Vickers and other manufacturers) had options for a variety of loads. This was specifically in response to the Air Staff's opinion that a single-purpose aircraft was not useful or flexible enough. The January 1942 brochure from Vickers specified a load of up to 32,000lbs, delivered at 43,500ft to a target 2,000 miles away.

This stuff is in British Secret Projects 1935-45.

[KJ_Lesnick]

While the original plan for Vickers' big six-engined bomber was solely to deliver a Grand Slam, the later developments (and subsequent design efforts from Vickers and other manufacturers) had options for a variety of loads.

I did not know that.

That would be pretty awesome if it flew eh?

[pyro-manic]

Indeed. The designs are pretty interesting. Not quite B-36 huge, but way bigger than anything else.

[NARSES2]

Indeed. The designs are pretty interesting. Not quite B-36 huge, but way bigger than anything else.

Yes an ideal choice in 1/144, possibly by someone like S & M  ? They already do a esoteric collection of British post war projects

[KJ_Lesnick]

pyro-manic

It's length was similar to the B-29 if I recall, wingspan was way larger though...

[pyro-manic]

The "Scheme C" design (CG image HERE) was 210ft span, 95ft long, max. weight 178,000lbs, 56,000lb bomb load. Other versions varied in size due to the different configurations. The Avro and Bristol designs were of conventional layout, and bigger still - 221 x 152ft and 220 x 141ft respectively, max. weight 220,000lbs.

[PR19_Kit]

Just like a Brit B-36.....