Lockheed XB-30: Difference between revisions

Lockheed XB-30
	Scale model of the Lockheed XB-30 bomber concept.
Role	Heavy bomber
Manufacturer	Lockheed Corporation
First flight	n/a
Status	Design only
Primary user	United States Army Air Forces
Number built	0
Developed from	L-049 Constellation

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Latest revision as of 17:16, 18 February 2024

The Lockheed XB-30 (company model L-249)^[1] was the design submitted by Lockheed after the request by the United States Army Air Forces for a very heavy bomber, the same request that led to the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, the Douglas XB-31 and Consolidated B-32 Dominator.

Design and development[edit]

Around 1938, General Henry H. "Hap" Arnold, the head of the United States Army Air Corps, was growing alarmed at the possibility of war in Europe and in the Pacific. Hoping to be prepared for the long-term requirements of the Air Corps, Arnold created a special committee chaired by Brigadier General Walter G. Kilner; one of its members was Charles Lindbergh. After a tour of Luftwaffe bases, Lindbergh became convinced that Nazi Germany was far ahead of other European nations.

In a 1939 report, the committee made a number of recommendations, including development of new long-range heavy bombers. When war broke out in Europe, Arnold requested design studies from several companies on a Very Long-Range bomber capable of traveling 5,000 miles (8,000 km). Approval was granted on 2 December 1939.

Based on the design of the Lockheed L-049 (subsequently adopted by the United States Army Air Forces as the C-69), the L-249 never progressed past the design stage, mainly because Boeing had a head start with its Boeing B-29 Superfortress ^{[citation needed]}, using the same Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone radials as the XB-30 was intended to use. Only a scale model was built. Retaining the wings and tail surfaces of the Model 49, the Model 249-58-01 was to have had a new fuselage with up to six gun turrets (one in the nose, two above and two below the fuselage, and one in the tail) housing ten .50-caliber guns—twinned up in each turret for the nose, dorsal, and ventral emplacements; and one 20-mm cannon for the tail defensive position. Ventral bomb bays were to accommodate eight 2,000 lb (910 kg) bombs.

Specifications (as proposed)[edit]

General characteristics

Crew: 12
Length: 104 ft 8 in (31.91 m)
Wingspan: 123 ft 0 in (37.50 m)
Height: 23 ft 9 in (7.25 m)
Wing area: 1,646 sq ft (153 m²)
Empty weight: 51,616 lb (23,462 kg)
Gross weight: 85,844 lb (39,020 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 93,808 lb (42,640 kg)
Powerplant: 4 × Wright R-3350-13 radial engines, 2200 hp (1600 kW) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 382 mph (615 km/h, 332 kn)
Range: 5,333 mi (8,045 km, 4,634 nmi)
Service ceiling: 17,832 ft (5,440 m)
Wing loading: 52 lb/sq ft (255 kg/m²)
Power/mass: 0.10 hp/lb (170 W/kg)

Armament

Guns:
- 8× .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns in four fuselage turrets
- 2× .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns and
- 1× 20 mm cannon in remotely aimed tail turret
Bombs: 16,000 lb

References[edit]

Notes

^ Stringfellow and Bowers 1992, p. 31.

Bibliography

Stringfellow, Curtis K., and Peter M. Bowers. Lockheed Constellation. St. Paul, Minnesota: Motorbooks, 1992.

External links[edit]

USAF Museum — XB-30 Factsheet

[1] Stringfellow and Bowers 1992, p. 31.

[1]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{short description|American bomber project}}
 {|{{Infobox aircraft begin
  | name = Lockheed XB-30
@@ Line 15: / Line 16: @@
 }}
 |}
-The '''Lockheed XB-30''' (company model '''L-249'''){{sfn|Stringfellow | Bowers | 1992|p= 31}} was the design submitted by [[Lockheed Corporation|Lockheed]] after the request by the [[United States Army Air Forces]] for a very heavy bomber, the same request that led to the [[Boeing B-29 Superfortress]], the [[Douglas XB-31]] and [[Consolidated B-32 Dominator]].
+The '''Lockheed XB-30''' (company model '''L-249''')<ref>Stringfellow and Bowers 1992, p. 31.</ref> was the design submitted by [[Lockheed Corporation|Lockheed]] after the request by the [[United States Army Air Forces]] for a very heavy bomber, the same request that led to the [[Boeing B-29 Superfortress]], the [[Douglas XB-31]] and [[Consolidated B-32 Dominator]].
 ==Design and development==
 Around 1938, General [[Henry H. Arnold|Henry H. "Hap" Arnold]], the head of the [[United States Army Air Corps]], was growing alarmed at the possibility of war in Europe and in the Pacific. Hoping to be prepared for the long-term requirements of the Air Corps, Arnold created a special committee chaired by Brigadier General [[Walter G. Kilner]]; one of its members was [[Charles Lindbergh]]. After a tour of ''[[Luftwaffe]]'' bases, Lindbergh became convinced that [[Nazi Germany]] was far ahead of other European nations.
-In a 1939 report, the committee made a number of recommendations, including development of new long-range heavy bombers. When war broke out in Europe, Arnold requested design studies from several companies on a Very Long-Range bomber capable of traveling 5,000 miles (8,000&nbsp;km). Approval was granted on 2 December 1939.
+In a 1939 report, the committee made a number of recommendations, including development of new long-range heavy bombers. When war broke out in Europe, Arnold requested design studies from several companies on a Very Long-Range bomber capable of traveling {{convert|5000|miles|km}}. Approval was granted on 2 December 1939.
-Based on the design of the [[Lockheed L-049 Constellation|Lockheed L-049]] (subsequently adopted by the [[United States Army Air Forces]] as the [[Lockheed C-69 Constellation|C-69]]), the L-249 never progressed past the design stage, mainly because [[Boeing]] had a huge [[head start (positioning)|head start]] with its [[Boeing B-29 Superfortress]], using the same [[Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone]] radials as the XB-30 was intended to use. Only a scale model was built. Retaining the wings and tail surfaces of the Model 49, the Model 249-58-01 was to have had a new fuselage with up to six gun turrets (one in the nose, two above and two below the fuselage, and one in the tail) housing 10 .50-caliber guns—twinned up in each turret for the nose, dorsal, and ventral emplacements; and one 20-mm cannon for the tail defensive position. Ventral bomb bays were to accommodate eight 2,000-lb. (907&nbsp;kg.) bombs.
+Based on the design of the [[Lockheed L-049 Constellation|Lockheed L-049]] (subsequently adopted by the [[United States Army Air Forces]] as the [[Lockheed C-69 Constellation|C-69]]), the L-249 never progressed past the design stage, mainly because [[Boeing]] had a head start with its [[Boeing B-29 Superfortress]] {{citation needed|date=January 2024}}, using the same [[Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone]] radials as the XB-30 was intended to use. Only a scale model was built. Retaining the wings and tail surfaces of the Model 49, the Model 249-58-01 was to have had a new fuselage with up to six gun turrets (one in the nose, two above and two below the fuselage, and one in the tail) housing ten .50-caliber guns—twinned up in each turret for the nose, dorsal, and ventral emplacements; and one 20-mm cannon for the tail defensive position. Ventral bomb bays were to accommodate eight {{convert|2000|lb|kg|abbr=on}} bombs.
 ==Specifications (as proposed)==
-{{Aircraft specifications
+{{Aircraft specs
+|prime units?=imp
+| ref=
-| plane or copter?=plane
-| jet or prop?=prop
 | crew=12
-| length main=104 ft 8 in
+| length ft=104
-| length alt=31.91 m
+| length in=8
+| length m=31.91
-| span main=123 ft 0 in
-| span alt=37.50 m
+| span ft=123
+| span in=0
-| height main=23 ft 9 in
-| height alt=7.25 m
+| span m=37.50
+| height ft=23
-| area main=1,646 ft²
+| height in=9
-| area alt=153 m²
+| height m=7.25
-| empty weight main=51,616 lb
-| empty weight alt=23,462 kg
+| wing area sqft=1646
+| wing area sqm=153
-| loaded weight main=85,844 lb
-| loaded weight alt=39,020 kg
+| empty weight lb=51616
-| max takeoff weight main=93,808 lb
+| empty weight kg=23462
-| max takeoff weight alt=42,640 kg
+| gross weight lb=85844
+| gross weight kg=39020
+| max takeoff weight lb=93808
+| max takeoff weight kg=42640
-| number of props=4
+| eng1 number=4
-| type of props=[[radial engine]]s
+| eng1 type=[[radial engine]]s
-| engine (prop)=[[Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone|Wright R-3350]]-13
+| eng1 name=[[Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone|Wright R-3350]]-13
-| power main=2,200 hp
+| eng1 hp=2200
-| power alt=1,600 kW
+| eng1 kw=1600
-| max speed main=382 mph
+| max speed mph=382
-| max speed alt=615 km/h
+| max speed kmh=615
-| range main=5,333 mi
+| range miles=5,333
-| range alt=8,045 km
+| range km=8,045
-| ceiling main=17,832 ft
+| ceiling ft=17832
-| ceiling alt=5,440 m
+| ceiling m=5,440
+| wing loading lb/sqft=52
-| climb rate main= ft/min
-| climb rate alt= m/s
+| wing loading kg/m2=255
+|power/mass=0.10 hp/lb (170 W/kg)
-| loading main=52 lb/ft²
-| loading alt=255 kg/m²
-| power/mass main=0.10 hp/lb
-| power/mass alt=170 W/kg
 | guns=<br />
@@ Line 94: / Line 93: @@
 ;Bibliography
 {{refbegin}}
-* {{cite book|last=Stringfellow|first= Curtis K.|first2= Peter M. |last2=Bowers| title=Lockheed Constellation|location= St. Paul, Minnesota|publisher= Motorbooks|year= 1992|ref=harv}}
+* Stringfellow, Curtis K., and Peter M. Bowers. ''Lockheed Constellation''. St. Paul, Minnesota: Motorbooks, 1992.
 {{refend}}
 ==External links==
-{{Commons category|Lockheed military aircraft}}
 * [https://web.archive.org/web/20110716073618/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=2578 USAF Museum&nbsp;— XB-30 Factsheet]
+{{Lockheed Constellation family}}
 {{Lockheed Martin aircraft}}
 {{USAF bomber aircraft}}
@@ Line 110: / Line 109: @@
 [[Category:Lockheed Constellation|XB-30]]
 [[Category:Four-engined piston aircraft]]
+[[Category:Triple-tail aircraft]]

v t e Lockheed Constellation family
Model numbers	L-049 L-051 L-084 L-104 L-139 L-149 L-249 L-349 L-449 L-549 L-649 L-749 L-849 L-949 L-1049 A B/F L-1149 L-1249 L-1449 L-1549 L-1649
Names	Constellation (I) Constellation (II) Constellation (III) Speedfreighter Starliner Super Constellation (I) Super Constellation (II)
Military designations	B-30 C-69 C-121 F EC-121 PO R7O/R7V -2 WV W2V
Accidents and incidents	TWA Flight 513 (1946) TWA Flight 6963 (1946) Pan Am Flight 121 (1947) Pan Am Flight 1-10 (1948) Air France Flight 009 (1949) TWA Flight 903 (1950) Air India Flight 245 (1950) Pan Am Flight 151 (1951) Air France Flight 152 (1953) Air France Flight 178 (1953) KLM Flight 633 (1954) Air India Flight 300 (1955) El Al Flight 402 (1955) LAV Flight 253 (June 1956) TWA Flight 2 (1956) LAV Flight 253 (November 1956) KLM Flight 844 (1957) KLM Flight 607-E (1958) Lufthansa Flight 502 (1959) TWA Flight 891 (1959) Avianca Flight 671 (1960) Air France Flight 343 (1960) TWA Flight 266 (1960) Air France Flight 406 (1961) TWA Flight 529 (1961) IA Flight 201/8 (1961) FTL Flight 739 (1962) Paradise Airlines Flight 901A (1964) EAL Flight 853 (1965) LANSA Flight 501 (1966)
Notable aircraft	Avion Pirata Columbine II Kashmir Princess
Topics	Operators Variants

Latest revision as of 17:16, 18 February 2024

Design and development[edit]

Specifications (as proposed)[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]