The first true Strategic bomber

If that is the case then a Hellcat is a strategic bomber and fits ur expectations.

(another pedantic man is born)

 

But - were WW1 planes capable of 300-ish miles with a 2,000lb bomb? (ok, they probably were)
Did a 2,000lb bomb exist in WW1? (I really don't know)
Does that matter, is the next question. Will we be pedantic enough to identify the first plane that actually did fly with a 300 mile combat radius and at least one 2,000lb bomb?

 

"If that is the case then a Hellcat is a strategic bomber and fits ur expectations"

Well yes, :roll: but I think here you need to distinguish between the technology gaps in the two wars. The original question posed was: "May I know what is the first true strategic bomber planes in use? And when and where it was used..."

Whilst the Hellcat may have the capabilities of what I would consider a WWI Strategic bomber, it certainly wouldn't have been the first aircraft to meet those criteria.

The aircraft that I have found to fit the Criteria I've posted and at least appear to be in the right sort of time period are:

Caproni Ca4 (Italy)
1917/18
3,190lbs bombs
Endurance 7 hours.

Gotha G.V (Imperial Germany)
Discounted due to bombload (1,100lbs)

Handley Page 0/400 (Great Britain)
1918
2,000lbs bombs
Ferry range 745 miles

Sikorsky Ilya Muromets (Tsarist Russia)
Discounted due to range.

Vickers Vimy (Great Britain)
Late 1918 (Arrived too late to see wartime action)
2,476lbs bombs
Maximum range 900 miles

Zeppelin Staaken R-IV (Imperial Germany)
June 1917
4,670lbs bombs
Endurance 6-7 hours.

Based on this I'd consider the Zeppelin Staaken R-IV to be the first Strategic bomber.

 

I'll agree with that.

 

Oh, and whilst digging around for this I also found a reference to Caprni Ca3s being used by the Italians as Torpedo bombers...

 

Approx. 4500 kg and 1601 kms.

Your turn Mr pedantic

 

Well convert all of mine then...

Go on...

Get your calculator...

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

Let me see 3190 divided by 59 multiplied by the coefficient of of the molecular mass of Krypton, squared then divided by 3. about 1450 kg at 7 hours (even metric hours are the same).

:lol:

 

If I remember correctly, most if not all of the B12/36 specs had the same misguided views when it came to bomb size as did the B1/39 spec - none could carry a bomb bigger than 2,000lb - and I think that was AP rather than building busting HE.


The Lancaster and Halifax were fortunate to have been developed from the P13/36 spec requiring internal carriage of 4 later 2 torpedoes.

According to James Goulding and Philip Moyes - RAF Bomber Command and its aircraft 1941 - 1945 a Centaurus powered Super Stirling was proposd in 1941 that would have been able to carry 30,000lb bombs made up of six 4,000lb Cookies in a very long unobstructed bomb bay and another 6 1,000lb bombs in wing cells. I think it was to be armed with quad 0.5" MG in mid upper and tail turrets, twin 0.5" in nose tirret and twin 0.303" in an under turret.

Despite this bombload its ceiling would have been worse than for the original Stirling and it wasn't considered worth the hassle of swapping production