Description
The B-24 Liberator
is a four-engine large bomber of the United States Army.
Development of the B-24 began
about four years after the first flight of the B-17, and
in January 1939, the U.S. Army asked
Consolidated to
design a new bomber to replace the B-17. It started with a request to do something.
At that time, the Army requested
a maximum speed of 483 km/h (300 mph) or higher,
a cruising range of 4,830 km (3,000 miles),
a practical climb limit of 10,680 m (35,000 ft), and a bomb carrying capacity of
3,629 kg (8,000 lb).
The value was quite high.
The design team prioritized cruising range during development.
This is because the B-17's weakness was its lack of range. First , we used a main wing with a large aspect ratio
called a Davis wing to reduce air resistance, and made it possible to carry as many fuel tanks as possible inside the large wing.
The fuselage was made as thick as possible to allow it to carry more
bombs than was thought possible at the time , but this later led to high versatility and became a major feature of the aircraft.
The tail is a distinctive double vertical tail,
which was designed to reduce air resistance, but
it also seems to have been popular at the time.
Design of the B-24 began immediately as the Model 32, and
the design was completed with surprising speed, with
document review taking place on February 21, 1932.
As a result, on March 30th of the same year,
a contract was signed to manufacture a prototype and a full-scale mockup.
The main wings and fuselage of the XB-24 were completed on October 26, 1939, and
it made its first flight on December 29 of the same year.
The B-24 was America's most mass-produced bomber, with
over 18,000 produced.
This number is the highest record for any World War II aircraft in the United States, including fighter aircraft.
The B-24
is also famous as a bomber that has been used in the most battlefields around the world, including the European and Pacific theaters.
It was particularly active in the Pacific Theater, and
was the main heavy bomber until its successor, the B-29, appeared.
The B-24J was the most produced type of the B-24 series,
with a total of 6,678 aircraft made.
The first unit was completed on August 31, 1943.
Features of the B-24J include the R-1830-65 engine with a turbocharger, the
C-1 autopilot, and the M-9 bomb sight.
Armament included rotating gun turrets attached to the nose and tail, and
a Sperry A-13 spherical gun turret at the bottom of the fuselage.
There are multiple types of B-24J front and rear turrets depending on the production factory, but the
main ones are the Consair A-6A type and the Emerson A-15 type,
each equipped with two 12.7mm M-2 machine guns.
<Data> B-24J
Crew: 10 people
Width: 33.53m
Overall length: 20.47m
Overall height: 5.46m
Maximum takeoff weight: 29,500kg
Engine: Pratt & Whitney R-1830-65 Twin Wasp air-cooled radial double row 14 cylinders x 4
takeoff power : 1,200hp
Maximum speed: 475km/h (altitude 7,620m)
Cruising range: 3380km
Armament: 12.7mm machine gun x 10
Bomb load: 4,000kg
First flight December 29, 1939 (XB-24)
Additional plastic parts
- Gun turret nose parts
Decal (marking)
- 43rd Bomber Group 64th Bomber Squadron belonging machine "428: COCKTAIL HOUR" (unpainted silver: 1945: Philippines)
