Heavy Bombers As Asw/maritime Patrol Planes

[Gervasius]

I was thinking about a PB-52J (or PB3B if you use old-style naval designations), modification of B-52 for maritime patrol duties, ASW and anti-shipping strike. B-52 has good range and can carry a plenty of ordinance. Also, modding a B-47 would be possible, or even B-36.

Modifications would include converting a third of bomb bay for sonar buoys, loading Mk 46 and/or mines in rest of bomb bay, Harpoons on wing pylons and adding a MAD stinger in place of tail gun. Anything else?

If the Soviets could do something like that with Tu-95/Tu-142, why not USN?

Any thought, comments?

Marko

[B777LR]

Replacing the 8 Pratt & Whitney TF-33s with 4 Pratt & Whitney V2500 turbofans or PW-2000 or CFM-56-5B or CFM-56-5C.
And of course a 2 man glass cockpit    

[simmie]

or even Allison assembled RB211-E5E's

[MAD]

I have always liked the idea of a Maritime Patrol/ASW version of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress.
I have never been able to work out why the U.S Navy (or the Soviets with their Tu-4 'Bull' copy of the B-29) never utilized this potential aircraft design in this role?
After all, it had the long-range, four-engine reliability, and a huge bomb bay, that could hold mines, torpedoes and depth charges.
A belly or nose mounted surface search radar.
The tail gun position could have been replaced with a MAD 'sting', and the weight reduced without the need for high-altitude pressurization.

Can anyone whip together an ASW/MP B-29, or would it be a P-29?

M.A.D

[Shasper]

Kinda had the same idea for a ASW BUFF, My thoughts were to put some ESM gear in wingtip pods and a small spine running the length of the fuselage, on top of the AAR probe.


Shas B)

[GTX]

It has been proposed before, but GO FOR IT!!!  Look here for some inspiration/previous discussion.

Regards,

Greg

[Zen]

Saro Princess would make one mother of a ASW aircraft.

[Captain Canada]

Ya

[lenny100]

already have a b47 on the way
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/forum//index...showtopic=15805

[RLBH]

I keep thinking of a PB-1C, to find and kill...

Um...

Ships. And lay mines. And stuff like that. I'm sure I'll find a reason one day.

[famvburg]

I have always liked the idea of a Maritime Patrol/ASW version of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress.
I have never been able to work out why the U.S Navy (or the Soviets with their Tu-4 'Bull' copy of the B-29) never utilized this potential aircraft design in this role?
After all, it had the long-range, four-engine reliability, and a huge bomb bay, that could hold mines, torpedoes and depth charges.
A belly or nose mounted surface search radar.
The tail gun position could have been replaced with a MAD 'sting', and the weight reduced without the need for high-altitude pressurization.

Can anyone whip together an ASW/MP B-29, or would it be a P-29?

M.A.D

       Assuming it was prior to 1964(?), it would've been P2B, afterwards, who knows? I started an Airfix B-29 into a P2B & never finished it. Basically a couple of belly radomes & opened bomb bays with torpedoes instead of bombs & would've been overall blue with postwar USN markings.

[Mossie]

Early days of the cold war, you needed a heavy bomber to drop nuclear depth-charges.  You could cut response times by equiping out bombers to search for the fleets themselves instead of requiring spotters.  There's the question on putting out your nuclear armed aircraft for prolonged periods & the risks of accidents, but bombers used to patrol while on readiness in the Cold War days anyway.

[kitnut617]

If you have the Squadron/Signal B-52 in Action, you'll find a couple of pics in there showing a B-52 loaded to the nuts with Harpoons. Apparently there's two wings of B-52's (one on the east coast and one on the west coast) that are armed this way to counter any attack by ship on the USA

[BillSlim]

Harpoon armed BUFFs were used to patrol the North Atlantic. I've seen pics of B-52Gs overflying Kiev class carriers.
The capability was briefly lost when the G model was retired but it was added to a certain number of H models. IIRC the BUFF can carry 12 Harpoons, which makes it a pretty formidable foe to any group of ships.

[Maverick]

I had intended on doing a series of B-29/50 profiles as ASW birds as part of a Post War What If series, but I've fast-tracked them.  My profile thread will soon include a blue B-29, a blue B-50 and a Gull Grey/White B-50 too.

Regards,

Mav