Boeing XB-15 wapamwamba kwambiri
Prototype XB-15 (35-277) pakuyesa zida ku Wright Field mu 1938. Panthawi yoyesa ndegeyi, inali ndege yaikulu kwambiri komanso yolemera kwambiri yomwe inamangidwa ku United States.
Yomangidwa ndi Boeing pakati pa zaka za m'ma 15, XB-15 ndi bomba loyamba ku America la injini zazitali zazitali. Kupangidwa kwake kudachitika chifukwa cha zokambirana zaukadaulo wa oponya mabomba olemera komanso omenyera ndege pomenya nkhondo yamtsogolo. Ngakhale XB-XNUMX idakhalabe makina oyesera, idayambitsa chitukuko cha gulu ili la ndege ku USA.
Kumapeto kwa nkhondo yoyamba ya padziko lonse, akuluakulu angapo a American Expeditionary Forces (Air Service) ku Ulaya adawona mwayi wogwiritsa ntchito mabomba ngati chida chowopsya chofunikira kwambiri, chokhoza kuwononga mphamvu zankhondo ndi zachuma za adani kumbuyo. . kutsogolo. Mmodzi wa iwo anali Brig. General William "Billy" Mitchell, wothandizira kwambiri pakupanga gulu lodziyimira pawokha (ndiko kuti, lodziyimira pawokha pagulu lankhondo) gulu lankhondo lamlengalenga, komanso pakulemba kwawo gulu lankhondo lamphamvu. Komabe, nkhondoyo itatha, kunalibe luso kapena chifuniro cha ndale ku United States kuti akwaniritse malingaliro a Mitchell. Komabe, kulimbikira kwa Mitchell kunapangitsa kuti bungwe mu 1921-1923 lichite ziwonetsero zingapo zoyesa kuphulitsa zombo ndi ndege. M'nthawi yoyamba, yomwe idachitika mu Julayi 1921 ku Chesapeake Bay, oponya mabomba a Mitchell adatha kuphulitsa sitima yakale yankhondo yaku Germany ya Ostfriesland, kuwonetsa kuthekera kwa oponya mabombawo kusungunula zombo zankhondo zankhondo m'nyanja. Komabe, izi sizinasinthe njira ya Dipatimenti ya Nkhondo ndi Congress kuti ikhale yoponya mabomba komanso chitukuko cha ndege zankhondo. Mitchell anadzudzula poyera mfundo za chitetezo cha dziko la America komanso akuluakulu ambiri a asilikali ndi asilikali apamadzi zinachititsa kuti aimbidwe mlandu ndi khoti la asilikali ndipo, chifukwa chake, anasiya usilikali mu February 1926.
Malingaliro a Mitchell, komabe, adapeza gulu lalikulu la othandizira ku United States Army Air Corps (USAAC), ngakhale kuti sanali okhwima monga momwe analili. Pakati pawo panali aphunzitsi angapo ndi ma cadet ochokera ku Air Corps Tactical School, yomwe imadziwika kuti "Bomber Mafia." Iwo adapanga chiphunzitso cha strategic bombang monga njira yabwino yosinthira njira ndi zotsatira za nkhondo pomenya ndi kuwononga zinthu zakumlengalenga zomwe ndizofunikira kwambiri pakugwira ntchito kwamakampani ndi zida za adani. Ili silinali lingaliro lachilendo kwenikweni - lingaliro la gawo lalikulu la kayendetsedwe ka ndege pothetsa nkhondo idaperekedwa ndi mkulu wankhondo waku Italy Giulio Douhet m'buku lake "Il dominio dell'aria" ("Ufumu wa Air"), lofalitsidwa koyamba. mu 1921 ndipo mu Baibulo losinthidwa pang'ono mu 1927 Ngakhale kwa zaka zambiri chiphunzitso cha kuphulika kwa mabomba sichinalandire chivomerezo chovomerezeka kuchokera ku lamulo la US Air Force kapena ndale ku Washington, chinakhala chimodzi mwa zifukwa zomwe zinathandizira kukambirana kwa lingaliro la kupanga ndi kugwiritsa ntchito mabomba apamwamba.
Chifukwa cha zokambiranazi, kumayambiriro kwa zaka za m'ma 544 ndi 1200, malingaliro ambiri adapangidwa kwa mitundu iwiri ya mabomba. Imodzi - yopepuka, yofulumira, yokhala ndi malire ochepa komanso yolipira mpaka 1134 kg (2500 lb) - idayenera kugwiritsidwa ntchito kumenya zigoli mwachindunji pabwalo lankhondo, ndipo inayo inali yolemetsa, yotalikirapo, yopanda bomba. zokhala ndi mphamvu zonyamulira zosachepera 2 kg (mapaundi atatu) - pogunda malo omwe ali kutali kumbuyo kwa malo akutsogolo kapena kunyanja kutali kwambiri ndi gombe la US. Poyambirira, yoyamba idasankhidwa kukhala yoponya mabomba masana, ndipo yachiwiri inali yoponya mabomba usiku. Tsiku loponya mabomba limayenera kukhala ndi zida zamphamvu kuti athe kuteteza bwino kunkhondo. Kumbali ina, ngati woponya mabomba usiku, zida zing’onozing’ono zikhoza kukhala zofooka ndithu, popeza kuti mdima wausiku uyenera kupereka chitetezo chokwanira. Komabe, kugawanika kumeneku kunasiyidwa mwamsanga ndipo mfundo inapezedwa kuti mitundu yonse ya ndege iyenera kukhala yapadziko lonse komanso yoyenera kugwiritsidwa ntchito nthawi iliyonse ya tsiku, malingana ndi zosowa. Mosiyana ndi ndege ziwiri za Curtiss (B-3) ndi Keystone (B-4, B-5, B-6 ndi B-XNUMX) zomwe zinkayenda pang’onopang’ono panthawiyo, mabomba onse awiri atsopanowo anayenera kukhala ndege zachitsulo zamakono.
