New Strategic Bomber

[Sea Skimmer]

Got to love the XB-70, the only way any existing SAM could have hit it would be if the site launched when the bomber was still over the horizon and used a nuclear warhead, course the bomber still needs to fly directly over the launcher. Even the MiG-25, designed specifically to shoot it down would have been hard pressed, especially with F-108s riding shotgun.

As for anti shipping, the problem is that only a couple missile would fit in the bomb bays, and you can't use external racks.

Now if the Plane was modified for dive-bombing……………

Or low level penetration….

Wouldn't that shockwave and all the other noise that thing would be putting out be a bitch at low level or in a dive?

The aircraft would likely explode when it hit the thicker air in a dive, assuming the wings don’t rip off, I'd be more concerned with being reduced to pulp by mach 3 fragments then being knocked cold by the shockwave.

[Sea Skimmer]

Well the pilots who flew the XB-70s said, " It was like driving a greyhound bus around a race track" Not the most nimble thing...

That's why my B-70C will be equipped with vectored thrust..
It will also carry laser guided 43,000 pounders and my proposed Mach 3 anti shipping missile.

[VF5SS]

So you're going to add gas guzzling puffer jets to a craft that has six (count em, six) afterburning engines that do enough gas chugging on their own?

[Tsyroc]

So you're going to add gas guzzling puffer jets to a craft that has six (count em, six) afterburning engines that do enough gas chugging on their own?

Time to start drilling for oil in that wildlife refuge in Alaska.

[Sea Skimmer]

So you're going to add gas guzzling puffer jets to a craft that has six (count em, six) afterburning engines that do enough gas chugging on their own?

You're thinking of the wrong kind of vectored thrust. I do not mean VTOL but rather F-22/Su-35 style moveable nozzles which can adjust in elevation and train 15 or so degrees, providing greatly enhanced maneuverability.

[VF5SS]

Oh, 2-D thrust. I think it'd tougher on that scale.

[TrailerParkJawa]

I vote for a bomb truck. Why not look at converting something like the 747 or other large airliner to a bomb truck?

What are some reasons why they would not or can not manufacture new B-52's with some modern enhancements? Im assuming the factories and tooling are long gone, but the blue prints must be somewhere.

[Sea Skimmer]

Oh, 2-D thrust. I think it'd tougher on that scale.

Difficult, but quite possible. I doubt real VTOL or STOVL would be though. The real question would be if the airframe could take much greater strain, though it must be damn strong to take mach 3 sustained, even at 70,000.

Worse comes to worse, I beef up the structure and slap on even more insanely powerful engines, or just build a bigger bomber..

[Sea Skimmer]

I vote for a bomb truck. Why not look at converting something like the 747 or other large airliner to a bomb truck?

What are some reasons why they would not or can not manufacture new B-52's with some modern enhancements? Im assuming the factories and tooling are long gone, but the blue prints must be somewhere.

Because the aircraft is not military specs for starters.

Anyway, its not a practical conversion, you'd need to rip out too much of the belly structure.

The 747 was proposed as a B-1 replacement when it became clear that the aircrafts main weapons would be cruise missiles. The proposal called for the internal storage of 70-90 Tomahawks in drums. A conveyer belt would move them to the back of the hold, were they would be launched from a pair of chutes.


As for new B-52's, we already have quitea few in storage. Building the new wing spars that would be needed by many would be a pain but quite possibul. However the aircraft is getting old, and while impressive it is also quite expensive to operate, though not as bad a the B-1B.

A new bomb truck would be much more capable and have lower lifetime costs, which are the real cost of aircraft. The savings form those would easily pay for the costs of procuring a new design, assuming the USAF buys more then 21…