Lockheed XB-30
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Scale model of the Lockheed XB-30 bomber concept. |
The
Lockheed XB-30 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
B-29 Superfortress and
B-32 Dominator.
Around
1938, General
Henry H. 'Hap' Arnold, the head of the Army Air Force, 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 Force, Arnold created a special committee chaired by Brigadier General
W. 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 report in
1939, 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 5000 miles (8000 km). Approval was granted on
December 2.
It never progressed past the design stage, mainly because
Boeing had a huge head start with its
B-29 Superfortress. Only a scale model was built. However, it was the foundation of the
Lockheed Constellation and its military version, the
C-69 Constellation.
{{aircraft specifications|plane or copter?=plane
crew=12 | length main=104 ft 8 in | length alt=31.91 m | span main=123 ft 0 in | span alt=37.50 m | height main=23 ft 9 in | height alt=7.25 m | area main=1,646 ft² | area alt=153 m² | empty weight main=51,616 lb | empty weight alt=23,462 kg | loaded weight main=85,844 lb | loaded weight alt=39,020 kg | max takeoff weight main=93,808 lb | number of props=2 | type of props=radial engines | engine (prop)=Wright R-3350-13 | power main=2,200 hp | max speed main=382 mph | max speed alt=615 km/h | range main=5,333 mi | rane alt=8,045 km | ceiling main=17,832 ft | ceiling alt=5,440 m | climb rate main= ft/min | climb rate alt= m/s | loading main=52 lb/ft² | loading alt=255 kg/m² | power/mass main=0.10 hp/lb | 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 tail barbette | bombs=3,300 lb*USAF Museum{{aircontent|related=
* Lockheed Constellation|similar aircraft=
* B-29 Superfortress
* Douglas XB-31
* B-32 Dominator
* Messerschmitt Me 264|sequence=
* XB-27 - XB-28 - B-29 - XB-30 - XB-31 - B-32 - B-33|lists=
* List of Lockheed aircraft
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