B-52 Megafortress
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B-52 Megafortress
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| Strategic Bomber | |||||
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| National Origin | Zokesia | ||||
| Production History | |||||
| Designed | |||||
| 2110 - 2115 | |||||
| Produced | |||||
| 2115 - Current | |||||
| Designer | Ward Industries | ||||
| Unit Cost | 111,000(√) | ||||
| Number Built | 75 | ||||
| Service History | |||||
| In Service | |||||
| 2116 - Ongoing | |||||
| Used By | Zokesia The Confederacy | ||||
| Aircraft Characteristics | |||||
| Dry Mass | 106,500kg | ||||
| Length | 43.8 m | ||||
| Width | 59.7 m | ||||
| Height | 10.9 m | ||||
| Propulsion | 8 x Logi C-400 High Bypass Turbofans | ||||
| Maximum Velocity | 340 m/s | ||||
| Operational Range | 1000 km | ||||
The Cyten-Ward B-52 Megafortress is a Zokesian long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Ward Industries, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the Zokesian Royal Air Force since the 2110s. The bomber can carry up to 300,000 pounds (136,000 kg) of weapons and has a typical combat range of around 800 miles (1,200 km) without aerial refueling.
Beginning with the successful contract bid in June 2110, the B-52 design evolved from a straight wing aircraft powered by six turboprop engines to the final prototype YB-52 with eight turbojet engines and swept wings. The B-52 took its maiden flight in April 2114. The B-52 has been in service with the ZRAF since 2115. Built to carry extremely heavy bomb loads to Kroman cities during the Five Year's war, the B-52 Megafortress replaced the V-4 Valkyrie.
Superior performance at high subsonic speeds and relatively low operating costs have kept them in service despite the development of more advanced strategic bombers, such as the Mach 2+ Z-58 Hustler, the V-4 Valkyrie, the variable-geometry Lockheed Grillin B-1 Lancer, and the stealth IU B-21. A veteran of several wars, the B-52 has dropped only conventional munitions in combat.
Development
The development of a large, multiengine bomber for the Zokesian Bomber command was started almost as soon as the Zokesian-Kroman war began in 2110. Though Zokesia had a powerful air force, it lacked the naval assets to take the war all the way to Krome and as a result was never able to launch full-scale invasions of the Kafrican mainland. The resultant bomber, the B-52, was not complete by war's end, just missing out on seeing action in the relatively uneventful war.
Design
The B-52 was the result of a long and arduous development process which saw the configuration change from multiple turboprop engines, to a fully turbojet design. Initially powered by eight CF-120 turbojets, the bomber was equipped to carry 90,000 pounds of ordinance and had over 1200km of range, enough to get to Kafrica and back unrefueled. It was also the most expensive bomber ever built in Zokesia at $145,000, and production was initially limited to 10 units. It was pressed into service as B-52A and served in limited capacity.
Operational history
In 2144, the B-52Cs of Strategic Air Command 1st Squadron was deployed to Strelka to quell the insurrection going on in the nation. A total of 150,000 lbs of ordinance was dropped on strategic sites of resistance in an attempt to break the will of the Grestinian nationalists.
The B-52 did not take part in Operation Carolinas due to the heavy Arcadian naval presence in the Tau Sea. Only when the seas were cleared were the B-52s able to perform missions, but the nature of the Reclamation and its goal of retaking the nation of Arcadia, not destroying it entirely, prevented the use of B-52s on strategic targets.
Variants
At the beginning of the 2140s, 10 of the newer C model B-52 were produced to replace the aging B-52As in service. The B-52C featured a 20mm rotary tail turret for defense and a bombadier position to more accurately drop ordinance.
In 2155, the B-52H was developed, combining long range and heavy ordinance and for the first time began mounting long-range missiles on the aircraft instead of conventional bombs. A total of 33 of the B-52H were built or converted from previous C models. The B-52H was also the first to feature midair refueling capability, improving the standoff distance and allowed the B-52 to reach any target on Kerbin.
The B-52J was a result of a re-engining program to improve the efficiency of the H model B-52s, which featured an increased size in bomb bay, eight new C-400 High bypass turbofan engines, and a redesigned flight control system as well as modern avionics and electronic defenses. The 20mm defensive tail gun was removed and replaced with an electronic jamming suite. With the new engines and revised avionics and bomb bay, the B-52J is capable of carrying up to 300,000 pounds of ordinance at one time.
