Boeing XB-15 superbomber

Prototype XB-15 (35-277) panguva yekuedzwa kwezvinhu paWright Field muna 1938. Panguva yekuyedza ndege, yaive ndege huru uye inorema kupfuura dzose yakavakwa muUnited States.

Yakavakwa neBoeing pakati pemakore gumi nemashanu, XB-15 ndiyo yekutanga chizvarwa cheAmerica chinorema-injini-refu-refu bhomba. Kusikwa kwayo kwaive mhedzisiro yenhaurirano pamusoro pebasa remabhomba rinorema uye kurwisa ndege mune mhirizhonga mune ramangwana. Kunyange iyo XB-15 yakaramba iri muchina wekuyedza, yakatanga kuvandudzwa kwechikamu ichi chendege muUSA.

Pakupera kweHondo Yenyika Yekutanga, vakuru vakuru vakati wandei veAmerican Expeditionary Forces (Air Service) muEurope vakaona mukana wekushandisa mabhomba sechombo chinogumbura chakakosha kukosha, chinokwanisa kuparadza mauto nehupfumi hwemuvengi muhondo. rear. pamberi. Mumwe wavo aive Brig. General William "Billy" Mitchell, mutsigiri akasimba wekusikwa kwemauto emuchadenga akazvimirira (kureva kuti, akazvimirira emauto), uye mukuumbwa kwavo bhomba rakasimba. Nekudaro, mushure mekupera kwehondo, pakanga pasina kugona kwehunyanzvi kana kuda kwezvematongerwo enyika muUnited States kuti iite zvakakunaniswa naMitchell. Zvakangodaro, kushingirira kwaMitchell kwakatungamirira kusangano muna 1921-1923 yekuedza kunoverengeka kwekubhomba ngarava nendege. Munguva yekutanga yavo, yakaitwa muna Chikunguru 1921 muChesapeake Bay, mabhomba aMitchell akakwanisa kubhomba yaimbova ngarava yehondo yeGerman yeOstfriesland, zvichiratidza kugona kwevabhomba kunyungudutsa ngarava dzehondo mugungwa. Nekudaro, izvi hazvina kushandura nzira yeDhipatimendi reHondo neCongress kune mabhomba uye nekuvandudza kwemauto endege muhuwandu. Kutsoropodza kwaMitchell paruzhinji nezvegwaro redziviriro reAmerica uye nevakuru vezvinzvimbo zvepamusoro mumauto nevemugungwa zvakatungamira kudare rake rechiuto uye, semhedzisiro, kusiya basa kwake muchiuto muna Kukadzi 1926.

Maonero aMitchell, zvisinei, akawana boka guru revatsigiri muUnited States Army Air Corps (USAAC), kunyange zvazvo asina kunyanyisa sezvaaiva. Pakati pavo pakanga paine varairidzi vakati wandei uye ma cadet kubva ku Air Corps Tactical School, zvisina kurongwa inozivikanwa se "Bomber Mafia". Vakagadzira dzidziso yehurongwa hwekubhomba senzira inoshanda yekupesvedzera nzira nemhedzisiro yehondo nekurova nekuparadza zvinhu kubva mumhepo izvo zvakakosha pakushanda kweindasitiri yemuvengi nemauto. Iyi yakanga isiri pfungwa itsva zvachose - thesis pamusoro pebasa rakasimba rekubhururuka kwendege mukugadzirisa hondo rakaiswa pamberi nemukuru weItaly Giulio Due mubhuku rake "Il dominio dell'aria" ("Humambo hweMhepo"), rakatsikiswa. kekutanga muna 1921 uye mushanduro yakagadziridzwa zvishoma muna 1927 Kunyangwe kwemakore mazhinji dzidziso yekubhomba isina kupihwa mvumo yepamutemo kubva kuUS Air Force command kana vezvematongerwo enyika muWashington, yakava chimwe chezvikonzero zvakakonzera nhaurirano ye. pfungwa yekugadzira uye kushandisa mabhomba anovimbisa.

Nekuda kwenhaurirano idzi, pakatanga 544s uye 1200s, fungidziro huru dzakagadzirirwa marudzi maviri emabhomba. Imwe - yakareruka, inokurumidza, ine nhanho pfupi uye mubhadharo unosvika 1134 kg (2500 pounds) - yaizoshandiswa kurova zvibodzwa zvakananga panhandare yehondo, uye imwe yacho yairema, kureba, kubhomba. ine simba rekutakura rinosvika 2 kg (3 pounds) - kuparadza zvinangwa zvepasi kure kumashure kwemberi kana kurwisa zvinonangwa negungwa kure kure kubva kumahombekombe eUS. Pakutanga, yekutanga yakasarudzwa sebhomba rezuva, uye yechipiri sebhomba rehusiku. Zuva rebhomba raifanira kunge rakashongedzerwa zvakakwana kuti rikwanise kuzvidzivirira pakurwisa kwevarwi. Ukuwo, kana ari munhu anobhomba usiku, zvombo zviduku zvingava zvisina simba, sezvo rima rousiku raifanira kunge rakadzivirira zvakakwana. Zvisinei, kupatsanurwa kwakadaro kwakakurumidza kusiiwa uye kwakagumiswa kuti marudzi ose endege aifanira kuva epasi rose uye akachinjwa kuti ashandiswe chero nguva yezuva, zvichienderana nezvido. Kusiyana neanofamba zvishoma nezvishoma Curtiss (B-4) uye Keystone (B-5, B-6, B-XNUMX ​​​​uye B-XNUMX) biplanes panguva iyoyo mubasa, mabhomba matsva ose aifanira kunge ari masimbi emazuva ano.