Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Friday, February 3
    Trending
    • February 3, 2023: Some Questions on this Week’s News
    • This Day in History on February 3rd
    • History Short: The Most Important Naval Battle You Never Heard Of
    • This Day in History on February 2nd
    • History Short: What Else is February 2nd Known For?
    • Triumphs and Tragedies of the Space Shuttle Program: A Compilation
    • This Day in History on February 1st
    • History Short: Who is America’s Greatest Male Actor?
    History and Headlines
    • Arts & Entertainment
      • Cinema & TV
      • Games
      • Literature
      • Music
      • Sports
      • Video Games
    • Bizarre Bulletin
      • Misconceptions
      • The Bizarre
      • The Paranormal
      • The Unexplained
    • Lifestyle
      • Animals/Pets
      • Fashion
      • Food
      • Health/Medicine
      • Home Improvement
      • Horoscopes
      • Travel
    • Science & Tech
      • Inventions
      • Nature
      • Vehicles
    • Society
      • Business and Economics
      • Crime
      • Military
      • Politics
      • Religion
      • Society
    • About
      • Welcome to Our Site!
      • This Day in History
      • Table of Contents: A History of the World
      • Online History Textbooks
      • A Guide to Some of Our Favorite Scholars and Educators
      • Advance Screenings and Movie Reviews Archive
      • Schedule of Video Adaptations of Our Articles
    • Friends
      • Armchair History TV
      • Fact Fiend
      • RealClearHistory
      • Simply Charly
      • TopTenz
      • ​Unique Interpretations
    History and Headlines
    You are at:Home»April»April 15»10 Greatest Bombers in Military History
    April 15

    10 Greatest Bombers in Military History

    Major DanBy Major DanApril 15, 2016Updated:March 9, 202010 Comments5 Mins Read
    Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Tumblr Twitter VKontakte WhatsApp

    A Brief History

    Earlier, we posted an article about the greatest bomber in history, but you may be wondering what else rounds out the top ten…

    Digging Deeper

    10. Consolidated B-24 Liberator


    With 18,400 built, it remains to this day the most prolific American warplane ever produced.  Slightly faster than the B-17 and capable of carrying more bombs farther, the B-17’s superior ruggedness keeps this airplane from scoring higher.  The Liberator was operational with the Indian Air Force until 1968!

    9. Gotha G.V-G. X


    The German Gotha was the premier bomber of World War I with a range of over 500 miles and a ceiling above 21,000 feet.  Used mostly as a night bomber, its capabilities increased throughout the war with each new variant, raising its top speed from 87 mph to 112 mph.  The Gotha defended itself with 1 to 3 7.92 mm machine guns.

    8. Boeing B-29 Super fortress


    The biggest, fastest, highest flying bomber of World War II the B-29 was the first strategic bomber to have pressurized crew compartments and remote control gun turrets.  B-29’s were the world’s first nuclear bombers and dropped the only 2 nuclear bombs used in combat.  It was also used by the RAF and the Soviets copied an interned B-29 in order to make cloned copies!  It was used by the USAF until 1960 as a bomber and even longer in other roles.

    7. Junkers JU-87 Stuka


    The premier dive bomber of its day with sophisticated systems that allowed it to deliver bombs more accurately than other dive bombers of World War II, the main drawback of this rugged airplane was its low top speed.  Still, the 6500 built for the German Luftwaffe struck terror in its victims with its characteristic dive whistles!  The Stuka was able to blow off a landing gear if the other was damaged to allow it to make a survivable belly landing!

    6. B-25 Mitchell


    The only US warplane named after an actual person, the B-25 was the premier medium bomber of World War II and served until 1979 with the Indonesian Air Force!  Carrying as many machine guns as the larger B-17 and B-24, no other light bomber could defend itself like the Mitchell.  Superb in the low altitude ground attack role, some B-25’s were equipped with the ability to fire 16 .50 caliber machine guns forward for strafing! In addition, some models were equipped with a forward firing 75 mm howitzer, the heaviest forward firing armament on any plane ever!  The almost 10,000 B-25’s saw service with all branches of the armed forces and was famous as the bomber used in the “Doolittle” raid on Japan.

    5. Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk


    The only bomber on the list with a crew of one, the F-117 is not a fighter despite its misleading designation.  The first operational stealth warplane invisible to radar, the F-117 successfully led the attacks in both Gulf Wars using precision guided bombs to destroy enemy air defenses allowing other non-stealthy planes to make their attacks. The F-117 was made obsolete by the fielding of the F-22 Raptor stealth fighter in 2008.

    4. Tupolev TU-95 Bear


    The biggest and fastest turboprop bomber ever made, the Bear is roughly the Soviet equivalent of the B-52, but a little smaller and with less capacity.  Still in use today with the Russian Air Force, the Tu-95 has been built in several variants for multi-purpose use.  If the US would ever have been bombed by bomber aircraft, they would have been Tu-95’s.

    3. Avro Lancaster


    Not able to fly as high or any faster than the B-17 and B-24, the Lancaster was certainly a rugged counterpart to the American 4 engined bombers of World War II.  Although not as heavily armed, with a normal complement of 8 .303 caliber machine guns, being flown at night reduced some of the need for self-defense.  Capable of carrying bigger bombs than any other bomber of the War, the Lancaster dropped monster bombs weighing 22,000 lbs, 12,000 lbs, and 9,250 lbs! A truly great bomber, the Lancaster last saw service in Canada in 1963.

    2. Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress


    The biggest, fastest, most heavily armed bomber when first introduced, the B-17 is what people picture when told to think of a World War II bomber.  A dozen .50 caliber machine guns gave this plane its name. Incredibly rugged, this aerial battleship was the mainstay of the bombing campaign against Germany and the star of movies such as Memphis Belle and 12 O’Clock High.  The B-17 was the first of the line of legendary Boeing built bombers, followed by the B-29, the B-47 and the B-52.  Boeing apparently knows how to make bombers!

    1. Boeing B-52 Stratofortress


    First flown in 1952, this massive 8 engined jet bomber was the backbone of America’s nuclear deterrent during the Cold War and has dropped untold thousands of tons of conventional bombs on Viet Nam, the Persian Gulf and Afghanistan.  Incredibly, this workhorse will be on active duty until at least 2040 (barring the Apocalypse…)!  Older than the people who fly them, the B-52 remains one of the most intimidating weapons of any type.

    Question for students (and subscribers): Have you ever flown in a bomber plane?  Please let us know in the comments section below this article.

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    Historical Evidence

    For more information, please see…

    Crosby, Francis. The World Encyclopedia of Fighters & Bombers: An Illustrated History of The World’s Greatest Military Aircraft, From the Pioneering Days of Air … and Stealth Bombers of the Present Day. Southwater, 2010.

    Share. Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Twitter Tumblr
    Previous ArticleApril 15, 1952: Greatest Bomber in History, B-52 Stratofortress, Makes First Flight!
    Next Article 5 Days You Look Forward To/5 Days You Don’t Look Forward To!
    Major Dan

    Major Dan is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.

    Related Posts

    History Short: The Most Important Naval Battle You Never Heard Of

    February 3, 2023

    History Short: What Poison Gasses were Used in World War I?

    January 31, 2023

    Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through January 30th, 2023)

    January 30, 2023
    Follow Us!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Patreon
    Sign Up For Our Newsletter!
    Most Recent

    February 3, 2023: Some Questions on this Week’s News

    February 3, 2023

    This Day in History on February 3rd

    February 3, 2023

    History Short: The Most Important Naval Battle You Never Heard Of

    February 3, 2023

    This Day in History on February 2nd

    February 2, 2023

    History Short: What Else is February 2nd Known For?

    February 2, 2023
    This Day in History Video

    Advertisements




    Amazon Affiliate Disclosure Statement

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases via links in the “Historical Evidence” sections of articles.

    About HistoryAndHeadlines.com

    Thanks for visiting History and Headlines!  This site exists primarily for educational purposes and is intended as a resource for Dr. Zar’s students.  Articles are mostly written by either Dr. Zar or his dad (Major Dan).  To any guest readers, please keep that in mind when commenting on articles.   Thank you!

    We try to present our students with historical topics that are both diverse and a bit out of the ordinary.  Our motto is “We try until we succeed!”

    Contact us at admin@historyandheadlines.com

    Guidelines and Policies for Images used on This Site, as well as for Guest and Sponsored Articles, and Other Terms of Use

    Privacy Statement

    © 2022 History and Headlines

    All-Time Most Commented

    July 28, 1866: 18 Year Old Girl Wins Commission to Sculpt Statue of Lincoln (A Truly Great American Woman)

    July 28, 2014

    December 24, 1865: Birth of the Ku Klux Klan

    December 24, 2015

    December 25, 1868: President Johnson Pardons all Confederate Veterans

    December 25, 2015

    February 5, 1909: First Plastic Invented was called Bakelite!

    February 5, 2014

    November 23, 1876: “Boss” Tweed Turned Over to Authorities

    November 23, 2013
    Recommended Book
    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

    You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

    History and Headlines
    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

    Strictly Necessary Cookies

    Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

    If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.