Bomber destroyers were World War IIinterceptor aircraft intended to destroy enemy bomber aircraft. Bomber destroyers were typically larger and heavier than general interceptors, designed to mount more powerful armament, and often having twin engines.[citation needed] They differed from night fighters largely in that they were designed for day use.
The heavily-armed Bell XFM-1 Airacuda in-flight; The Airacuda was an American-designed pre-WWII ‘bomber destroyer’
The United States Army Air Corps considered powerfully armed destroyers, like the Bell YFM-1 Airacuda prototype, to counter a potential attack of high-performance bombers. The Lockheed P-38 Lightning and Bell P-39 Airacobra were also initially specified to carry very heavy armament based on a central 37 mm cannon, specified as interceptor aircraft working in the anti-bomber role. Great Britain, by contrast, favored specialized "turret fighters", such as the Boulton Paul Defiant, which mounted heavy armament in a rotating turret. The P-38, a small, single-crewed example of the bomber destroyer type, was eventually outfitted with a 20 mm cannon and four .50-caliber machine guns in a central nacelle instead of a heavier cannon; it proved itself a highly competent fighter aircraft in the early phase of World War II.
A deceptively similar, although completely different, designation was the GermanZerstörer (meaning "destroyer"). Introduced on 1 May 1939,[1] the term did specifically exclude the defensive anti-bomber role (leaving it for the light fighters), and envisaged a heavy fighter for offensive missions: escorting the bombers, long-range fighter suppression, and ground attack.[1] The German designs suffered performance deficits as they were weighed down by a two- or three-man crew and extra cockpit accommodations.
After World War II, improvements in engine power and armament led to a loss of interest in building bomber destroyers as a specific class of aircraft. Even small fighters were able to carry enough firepower to deal effectively with enemy bombers, and high-performance all-purpose late-war fighters—the P-51 Mustang being the prime example—excelled at all fighter roles: pursuit, bomber escort, interception, and ground attack. The interest in interceptors was renewed during the Cold War; both the United States and the Soviet Union designed and produced dedicated "pure" interceptors such as the Convair F-106 Delta Dart and the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25. These aircraft were generally never referred to as "bomber destroyers", even though their primary mission was the destruction of enemy strategic bombers. Few dedicated interceptors have been designed or produced since the 1960s.
^ abWeal, John (1999). Messerschmitt Bf 110 Zerstörer aces of World War 2. Oxford: Osprey Aviation. pp. 6–7. ISBN1-85532-753-8.
March 10, 2023
bomber, destroyer, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, january,. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Bomber destroyer news newspapers books scholar JSTOR January 2007 Learn how and when to remove this template message Bomber destroyers were World War II interceptor aircraft intended to destroy enemy bomber aircraft Bomber destroyers were typically larger and heavier than general interceptors designed to mount more powerful armament and often having twin engines citation needed They differed from night fighters largely in that they were designed for day use The heavily armed Bell XFM 1 Airacuda in flight The Airacuda was an American designed pre WWII bomber destroyer The United States Army Air Corps considered powerfully armed destroyers like the Bell YFM 1 Airacuda prototype to counter a potential attack of high performance bombers The Lockheed P 38 Lightning and Bell P 39 Airacobra were also initially specified to carry very heavy armament based on a central 37 mm cannon specified as interceptor aircraft working in the anti bomber role Great Britain by contrast favored specialized turret fighters such as the Boulton Paul Defiant which mounted heavy armament in a rotating turret The P 38 a small single crewed example of the bomber destroyer type was eventually outfitted with a 20 mm cannon and four 50 caliber machine guns in a central nacelle instead of a heavier cannon it proved itself a highly competent fighter aircraft in the early phase of World War II A deceptively similar although completely different designation was the German Zerstorer meaning destroyer Introduced on 1 May 1939 1 the term did specifically exclude the defensive anti bomber role leaving it for the light fighters and envisaged a heavy fighter for offensive missions escorting the bombers long range fighter suppression and ground attack 1 The German designs suffered performance deficits as they were weighed down by a two or three man crew and extra cockpit accommodations After World War II improvements in engine power and armament led to a loss of interest in building bomber destroyers as a specific class of aircraft Even small fighters were able to carry enough firepower to deal effectively with enemy bombers and high performance all purpose late war fighters the P 51 Mustang being the prime example excelled at all fighter roles pursuit bomber escort interception and ground attack The interest in interceptors was renewed during the Cold War both the United States and the Soviet Union designed and produced dedicated pure interceptors such as the Convair F 106 Delta Dart and the Mikoyan Gurevich MiG 25 These aircraft were generally never referred to as bomber destroyers even though their primary mission was the destruction of enemy strategic bombers Few dedicated interceptors have been designed or produced since the 1960s See also EditEscort fighter Focke Wulf Fw 190A Sturmbock Schrage MusikReferences Edit a b Weal John 1999 Messerschmitt Bf 110 Zerstorer aces of World War 2 Oxford Osprey Aviation pp 6 7 ISBN 1 85532 753 8 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Bomber destroyer amp oldid 1135860127, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
