Liberator and Privateer (B-24, B-41, PB4Y, P-4)

[The Rat]

If you were to use the B-24D as the starting point for this project then you should also consider adding a radar to the aircraft.  Belcher's Bits has a nice ASW conversion for the B-24 which has a Leigh Light as well as the radar that was mounted under the nose of the aircraft.

Oops, just thought; what about the under-wing radar blisters that were on the Sunderland MkV?


Might I be so bold as to suggest a planing hull and wing floats?

Okay, I'll get me coat...

[Daryl J.]

Rat,

I'll be an echo to you....B-24D becomes flying boat with Consolidated Model 31 engine arrangement or a later post-war Japanese ASW aircraft featuring gas turbines and contraprops.  

Daryl J.

[dogsbody]

Maybe something like this?




The RAF fitted a under-nose blister on some of their first Liberator I's. It contained 4x 20mm cannons.
Image from here: http://wp.scn.ru/


Chris

[Archangel]

I seem to remember a book by Bill Sweetman about Bombers of WWII and one of the line drawings in the book had a B-24 armed with a belly tray of 4X 20mm guns and another armed with a swedish S gun.

This one has a nose mounted radar.

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Well, color me late for the party.  That Liberator in coastal command markings definitely has a belly pack full of firepower and in a position that I had not considered practical since the Liberator is so low to the ground, pity the armourers that had to clean the dirt and mud from those weapons after the aircraft had landed and taxied to the parking apron.  My own idea was to position the gun packs on the side of the aircraft similar to what was done on the B-25 Mitchell and B-26 Marauder.  This would allow the placement of two or three gun packs per side and increase forward firepower available to strafe a target while attacking.  I remember seeing the Liberators that were modified to carry eight rocket projectiles on those wing stubs below the cockpit and often wondered how successful those aircraft were in attacking a surfaced submarine target.  Now what about a gun nose B-24?  Perhaps six or eight machine guns in the nose in addition to the six gun packs and the top turret, that would definitely create a buzz saw effect on a submarine or surface ship under attack.

[dogsbody]

You mean a gun like this?











Chris

[Maverick]

Just a thought regarding gun-nosed Libs.  Perhaps the volume of the nose would allow a larger arrangement than 6 or 8 .50cals?  Perhaps a battery of 6 20mms instead?

At the opposite end of the scale, of course, there's the 75mm fits for the B-25 but each of these concepts would have to be tempered with the view of the aircraft's performance suffering a la the XB-40 & 41 gunships.

Regards,

Mav

[Daryl J.]

Jeffry,

How about losing all turrets in a B-24D reducing weight.   6 20mms in the nose B-25 strafer style,  a tri-pack of 20's on the sides, and the rear bomb bay being a dump box for anti shipping devices.

Alternative:

Forward bay being a downward/forward gun bay but entirely within the aircraft  and useable only when the bombay doors were opened, thus protecting the machinery when on the ground.


Alternative:  B-24 Floatplane--->  twin 75 howitzers in the nose above the tip of the hull rather than a turret.   Or, for the Brits, a 40 in a swivel seen on that B-17 above.   Multiple rockets underwing Beaufighter style, just more of them.


Jus' thotts.  


    ,
Daryl J.

[PanzerWulff]

Heh Solid gun nose 4 x 20mm +6 x .50mg's  front bomb bay a gravity fed rocket launcher similar to those mounted on the backs of trucks and used by the USMC in the pacific
"Panzer"

[dogsbody]

What about this:





but hinged at the fuselage to fold upward, dropping down to the horizontal for firing.

[JoeP]

Might I be so bold as to suggest a planing hull and wing floats?

Okay, I'll get me coat...

The PB2Y was somewhat a flying boat version of the B-24, so it's been done.

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Might I be so bold as to suggest a planing hull and wing floats?
Okay, I'll get me coat...

Rat,

The Sunderland with the H2S radars mounted under each wing is a great idea.  Sad that the Tamiya Lancaster kit does not have more than one provided in the box
Is there any after market source for additional H2S radome shapes?  You could also claim that they were radar jamming pods for a completely WHIF mission.

[Maverick]

Jeffry,

I think you'll find the Sunderland radar blisters were for an ASV Mk set rather than H2S.

Regards,

Mav

[Jeffry Fontaine]

I think you'll find the Sunderland radar blisters were for an ASV Mk set rather than H2S.

Yep, probably right since the H2S does have a much larger equipment footprint but it was a wild guess to begin with as I know little about the Sunderland and to be honest, the shape of the radome does look a lot like the H2S at first glance. 

[Arc3371]

The RAF fitted a under-nose blister on some of their first Liberator I's. It contained 4x 20mm cannons.

Image from here: http://wp.scn.ru/

With that picture in mind, how about an AEW & C Liberator a la Moss or with an Erieeye?