Lockheed XB-30

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The Lockheed XB-30 was the design submitted by Lockheed after the request by the United States Army Air Force 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.

Specifications (XB-30, as designed)

General Characteristics

Crew: twelve
Length: 104 ft 8 in (31.91 m)
Wingspan: 123 ft (37.50 m)
Height: 23 ft 9 in (7.25 m)
Wing area: 1,646 ft² (153 m²)
Empty: 51,616 lb (23,462 kg)
Loaded: 85,844 lb (39,020 kg)
Maximum takeoff: 93,808 lb (42,640 kg)
Powerplant: 4× Wright R-3350-13 radials of 2,200 hp (1,641 kW) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 382 mph (615 km/h)
Range: 5,333 miles (8,045 km)
Service ceiling: 17,832 ft (5,440 m)
Rate of climb: ft/min ( m/min)
Wing loading: 52 lb/ft² (255 kg/m²)
Power/Mass: 0.10 hp/lb (0.17 kW/kg)

Armament

8× .50 machine guns in four fuselage turrets
2× .50 machine guns and 1x 20 mm cannon in tail barbette
3,300 lb (7,258 kg) of bombs

References and Links

USAF Museum