| Lockheed XB-30 | |
|---|---|
 Scale model of the Lockheed XB-30 bomber concept. | |
| General information | |
| Type | Heavy bomber |
| Manufacturer | Lockheed Corporation |
| Status | Design only |
| Primary user | United States Army Air Forces |
| Number built | 0 |
| History | |
| First flight | n/a |
| Developed from | L-049 Constellation |
TheLockheed XB-30 (company modelL-249)[1] was the design submitted byLockheed after the request by theUnited States Army Air Forces for a very heavy bomber, the same request that led to theBoeing B-29 Superfortress, theDouglas XB-31 andConsolidated B-32 Dominator.
Around 1938, GeneralHenry H. "Hap" Arnold, the head of theUnited States Army Air Corps, 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 Corps, Arnold created a special committee chaired by Brigadier GeneralWalter G. Kilner; one of its members wasCharles Lindbergh. After a tour ofLuftwaffe bases, Lindbergh became convinced thatNazi Germany was far ahead of other European nations.
In a 1939 report, 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 5,000 miles (8,000 km). Approval was granted on 2 December 1939.
Based on the design of theLockheed L-049 (subsequently adopted by theUnited States Army Air Forces as theC-69), the L-249 never progressed past the design stage, mainly becauseBoeing had a head start with itsBoeing B-29 Superfortress[citation needed], using the sameWright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone radials as the XB-30 was intended to use. Only a scale model was built. Retaining the wings and tail surfaces of the Model 49, the Model 249-58-01 was to have had a new fuselage with up to six gun turrets (one in the nose, two above and two below the fuselage, and one in the tail) housing ten .50-caliber guns—twinned up in each turret for the nose, dorsal, and ventral emplacements; and one 20-mm cannon for the tail defensive position. Ventral bomb bays were to accommodate eight 2,000 lb (910 kg) bombs.
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
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