Lockheed B-30 Excalibur II

[McColm]

I'm using the 1/72 Heller Lockheed Constellation C-121 fuselage with the wings from a Revell Douglas DC-4, the tail section is from the Academy KB-29P and other parts are from the former Lockheed XB-30 Crusader bomber which didn't go to plan. So as a compromise I am combining the two.


https://flic.kr/p/2siD969


https://flic.kr/p/2siCkRP

[McColm]

 The Lockheed XB-30 bomber was one of the many designs put forward for the newly formed USAF as a heavy bomber which was won by the Boeing B-29 Superfortress with the Consolidated B-32 Dominator coming in second place. However the British Royal Air Force was looking for a heavy bomber to complement the Tiger Force and asked SJMcColm Engineering Limited to rework the design for their specifications.
 As with the RAF bombers at the time the nose wheel was moved to the rear, the fuselage lengthened from the Lockheed C-69 to what would be the C-121 but the wings would be provided by Douglas from a DC-4. Boeing supplied the tail section and weapons bays. The  landing gear was taken from the C-69 along with the two tail fins and two wing-tip fuel tanks.
A weather radar fitted, above the fuselage along with Electronic Counter-Measures equipment in a pod placed on the top of the vertical tail fin and the H2 search radar. The Excalibur II relied on the radar to fix the position of the target as there's no bomb aimer due to the front guns a break in tradition, rear guns and two upper fuselage guns each remotely controlled. The bomber was pressurized with a ceiling of 26,000fta and a range of 4,000 miles, fully loaded with iron bombs the range was closer to 2,500 miles at a speed of 320mph.
The tail fins gave the Excalibur II excellent stability at low level, often flying at 50 feet to attack enemy ships.The tactic was to fly below the ship's radar and pop up banking hard to release the bomb load and dash off really fast. This would be known as the Batty Toss. Named after Squadron Leader Ernie Batty. The other method devised by Squadron Leader'Flash' Gordon Bennett was to fly in a five ship formation with only the lead aircraft switching on it's radar for a sweep, then broadcasting the wrong heading. This would be picked up by the enemy who would be looking in the wrong direction and the guns also in the wrong direction. Too late when the first bomb hit home.
The Royal Air Force had penciled in 30 Excalibur IIs but due to the restrictions they only received six. The crew training was done during the flight from RAF Kinloss, in-flight refueling hadn't been applied but additional fuel tanks could be fitted under the wings with a maximum of four. Plus the weapons bay could house a long-range fuel tank, with a spare engine carried in the other.
The crew compromised of; pilot, copilot, flight engineer, radio operator, navigator, radar navigator/bombardier, technician, ECM operator, armourer and two observers usually load masters or extra pilots.
The original engines were the Wright R3350 Duplex Cyclone with contra-rotating propellers. After Operation Downfall they were  going to be replaced by Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Majors but Costal Command insisted on  using of  Rolls-Royce Tyne turboprop with an updated array of avionics for maritime patrol duties replacing the Shorts Sunderland and Avro Lancaster. This would be the Excalibur MR.1 with fifty examples being built, including in-flight refueling and on the MR.2 the guns removed with a rear MAD boom, ESM pod . Improvements to the crew comfort, equipment changes and underwing pylons to carry rockets, searchlight or gun pods. Sonobouys carried internally and a retractable search radar. The twin tail fins would be removed but strakes and taillets added.
The MR.3 got the nose landing gear and a redesigned wing, the two weapons bays were merged into one. Another upgrade for the avionics with new technology but the retractable radar replaced by the AN/APS-20S. Carbon fiber rotor blades and new operating stations. The fleet of fifty had become thirty operating from RAF Saint Mawgan and RAF Kinloss. They were still flying right up until 1990 when they were retired due to salt erosion which proved uneconomical to repair.