×
Aircraft / Aviation Vehicles & Artillery Small Arms Warships & Submarines Military Ranks Military Pay Scale (2024) Special Forces

Lockheed XB-30 (Model L-249)


Four-Engined Heavy Bomber Aircraft Proposal


United States | 1943



"The Lockheed XB-30 Heavy Bomber proposal existed only as a design study heading into World War 2 - the aircraft based on the L-049 Constellation airframe."

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Lockheed XB-30 Four-Engined Heavy Bomber Aircraft Proposal.
4 x Wright R-3350-13 radial piston engines developing 2,200 horsepower each.
Propulsion
382 mph
615 kph | 332 kts
Max Speed
17,848 ft
5,440 m | 3 miles
Service Ceiling
4,999 miles
8,045 km | 4,344 nm
Operational Range
Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Lockheed XB-30 Four-Engined Heavy Bomber Aircraft Proposal.
12
(MANNED)
Crew
104.7 ft
31.90 m
O/A Length
123.0 ft
(37.50 m)
O/A Width
23.8 ft
(7.25 m)
O/A Height
51,731 lb
(23,465 kg)
Empty Weight
94,005 lb
(42,640 kg)
MTOW
Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Lockheed XB-30 (Model L-249) Four-Engined Heavy Bomber Aircraft Proposal .
PROPOSED, STANDARD:
4 x 0.50 caliber Browning M2 heavy machine guns in two twin-gunned remote-controlled dorsal turrets.
2 x 0.50 caliber Browning M2 heavy machine guns in remote-controlled turrets along each side of the forward fuselage.
2 to 4 x 0.50 caliber Browning M2 heavy machine guns in twin-gunned remote-controlled ventral turret.
1 x 20mm cannon with 4 x 0.50 caliber Browning M2 heavy machine guns in remote-controlled tail turret.

PROPOSED, OPTIONAL:
Up to 16,000lb of internally-held stores.
Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Lockheed XB-30 (Model L-249) family line.
XB-30 - Base Series Designation; design study only.
L-249 - Lockheed company model
Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 02/10/2017 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Before the Boeing B-29 "Superfortress" made its introduction in 1944 and forever changed the direction of the war in the Pacific, there were competing design submissions put forth by players in Consolidated, Douglas, and Lockheed. All were drawn up to fulfill a new U.S. Army heavy bomber requirement intended to provide the air service arm with a capable high-flying platform of considerable range. Consolidated delivered its B-32 "Dominator", which was introduced in January of 1945 and 118 examples were procured, while the Douglas XB-31 and Lockheed XB-30 managed only design studies before attention wholly settled on Boeing's entry.

Origins of the Lockheed XB-30 lay in the latter half of the 1930s when another World War in Europe (or a direct conflict with Japan in the Pacific) seemed a very likely possibility. This pressed Army authorities to pursue a new generation of bombers capable of excellent range while carrying a useful war load and flying higher than designs before it. Technological developments and political events in Europe influenced a committee arranged by General "Hap" Arnold and their recommendation was to pursue a new heavy-class aircraft. The arrival of World War 2 in September of 1939 added to the urgency and design studies were ordered by the Army.

The heavy bomber categorization dictated some of the inherent design of the aircraft during this period - a multi-person crew would be required to manage the onboard systems and stations, an aircraft of considerable dimension was needed to contain crew spaces, fuel tank, and bombs, and a four-engined configuration was required to ensure the bomber held the needed power and range to travel as far and as high as needed. The Army sought a bomber with a range of at least 5,000 miles.

Lockheed's entry was based on their L-049 "Constellation" ("Connie") transport (detailed elsewhere on this site) which was under development at the time. A first-flight of this aircraft occurred in January of 1943 and 88 were eventually built -fourteen inducted into the U.S. military (as the "C-69") and seventy-four constructed for commercial passenger service. This design origin meant that the Lockheed study - designated "XB-30" with the company model designator of "L-249" - carried the same general shape and configuration as the Model L-049. The bomber form therefore had the same tubular, somewhat deep fuselage, mid-set wing mainplanes, and triple-rudder tail unit. Each wing mainplane carried two engine nacelles. The flight deck was held forward in the design overlooking the nose and various crew positions were set about the fuselage, some arranged with defensive armament to protect the aircraft. It was estimated that the L-249 would require a crew of ten for optimal operation. A tricycle undercarriage gave the L-249 a most modern appearance - another quality carried over from the Constellation.

Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.


Dimensionally, engineers drew up an aircraft with a wing span of 123 feet, a length of 104.7 feet and a height of 23.8 feet. Empty weight was 51,616lb against an estimated Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) of around 86,000lb. For propulsion, the Wright R-3350-13 series radial was selected, each unit outputting 2,200 horsepower. The engines were held in nacelles along the wing leading edges, two engines to a wing, and driving three-bladed propellers. The engine also went on to power the Boeing B-29, was standard in the Lockheed Constellation series, and eventually used in the Douglas A-1 "Skyraider" attacker (of Vietnam War fame) seen in the post-war years.

Since the bomber would become a target for enemy interceptors it was to carry its own defensive armament. A 20mm cannon along with four 0.50 caliber heavy machine guns, would be fitted to a remotely-controlled tail turret to protect the aircraft's vulnerable "six" position. Two dorsal turrets were also envisioned, each armed with four 0.50 caliber heavy machine guns - providing all-around security. Another two-to-four-gunned turret was to be set ventrally. There would also be remote-controlled side-mounted turrets along the forward sides of the fuselage. Internally, the bomb load ranged up to 16,000 lb of conventional drop ordnance.

Lockheed engineers were able to conduct some testing on components related to the XB-30 design during 1940. Some performance estimates were detailed for the Lockheed submission - a maximum speed of 382 miles per hour, an operational range out to 5,333 miles, and a service ceiling up to 17,832 feet (requiring pressurization of the crew sections).

The progress already seen by Army authorities in the Boeing B-29 submission worked against the L-249 project which was still attempting to get its feet underneath it. Lockheed managed a scale model of their aircraft but its proposal was not selected for further development and promptly fell to aviation history. Similarly the Douglas XB-31 only managed to reach the design stage and was left out of further Army plans. Thus the path for the Boeing B-29 to shine in the Grand War was laid.

Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Lockheed XB-30 (Model L-249). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 0 Units

Contractor(s): Lockheed Corporation - USA
National flag of the United States

[ United States (cancelled) ]
1 / 1
Image of the Lockheed XB-30 (Model L-249)
Image from the Public Domain.

Going Further...
The Lockheed XB-30 (Model L-249) Four-Engined Heavy Bomber Aircraft Proposal appears in the following collections:
HOME
AVIATION INDEX
AIRCRAFT BY COUNTRY
AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS
COMPARE AIRCRAFT
AIRCRAFT BY CONFLICT
AIRCRAFT BY TYPE
AIRCRAFT BY DECADE
WWII AIRCRAFT
X-PLANE AIRCRAFT
Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 Military Pay Scale Military Ranks of the World U.S. Department of Defense Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols Breakdown U.S. 5-Star Generals List WWII Weapons by Country

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons. Special Interest: RailRoad Junction, the locomotive encyclopedia.


©2024 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2024 (21yrs)