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From: jtchew@csa2.lbl.gov (JOSEPH T CHEW)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: rotating bomb bays on b57
Summary: Door removal at the push of a button?
Message-ID: <1990Dec17.043806.24311@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 17 Dec 90 04:38:06 GMT
References: <1990Dec13.033432.19357@cbnews.att.com>
Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker)
Organization: Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory - Berkeley, CA, USA
Lines: 18
Approved: military@att.att.com



From: jtchew@csa2.lbl.gov (JOSEPH T CHEW)
In article <1990Dec13.033432.19357@cbnews.att.com>, det@hawkmoon.MN.ORG 
(Derek E. Terveer) writes...
>I just saw a "wings" episode that mentioned that the rotating bomb bays on the
>b57 aircraft allowed the plane to maintain full speed over the target during
>its run.  I don't understand how the rotating bomb bays could provide that
>capability over "regular" bomb bay doors -- unless the reduced drag of the
>rotating design made that much of a difference in air speed.  My first
>inclination would be that it wouldn't, but...

My first-order guess -- not enlightened by any specific knowledge about the
B-57, mind you -- is that the issue was whether the bomb-bay doors would
rip off at full speed.  I may of course be full of prunes as usual.

--Joe
"Just another personal opinion from the People's Republic of Berkeley"