A medium bomber is a bomber aircraft designed to operate with medium bombloads over medium distances; primarily to distinguish them from the much larger heavy bombers and smaller light bombers. The term was used primarily prior to and during World War II, when engine power was so scarce that designs had to be carefully tailored to their missions. The medium bomber was generally considered to be any design that delivered about 4,000 lb (1.8 t) over ranges of about 1,500 to 2,000 miles (2,400 to 3,200 km). Heavy bombers were those with a nominal load of 8,000 lb (3.6 t) or more, and light bombers carried 2,000 lb (0.9 t) loads. These distinctions were already disappearing by the middle of WWII, when the average fighter aircraft could now carry a 2,000 lb (0.9 t) load and ever more powerful engines allowed "light" designs to largely take over the missions formerly filled by mediums.
Examples
- De Havilland Mosquito
- Heinkel He 111, considered a heavy by the Luftwaffe
- Junkers Ju 88
- B-25 Mitchell
- B-26 Marauder
- Handley Page Hampden
- Vickers Wellington
- Bristol Beaufort - torpedo bomber, used more often as mine layer.
- English Electric Canberra - post war jet bomber
- Martin B-57 - US development of the Canberra
- Ilyushin Il-28
- Savoia-Marchetti SM.79
See Also
- Strategic bomber
- Tactical bomber
- Fighter-bomber
- Dive bomber
- Light bomber
- Heavy bomber
- Torpedo bomber
Pages with the same tags
| Page | Tags |
|---|---|
| C-130 Hercules | aircraft transport |
| C-5 Galaxy | aircraft transport |
| F-15 Eagle | aircraft fighter |
| A-10 Thunderbolt II | aircraft cas |
| B-2 Spirit | aircraft bomber stealth usaf |
| Eurofighter Typhoon | aircraft fighter |
| Fighter Aircraft | aircraft fighter korea wwi wwii |
