Strangelove." Rather than nukes, among the bombs in the
bomb bay that I was allowed to stand in were low-explosive weapons designed to target a single room in a house.
Armament: Guns: 13 x .50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns in nine positions (two in the Bendix chin turret, two on nose cheeks, two staggered waist guns, two in upper Sperry turret, two in Sperry ball turret in belly, two in the tail and one firing upwards from radio compartment behind
bomb bay) Bombs: Short range missions (<400 miles): 8,000 pounds (3,600 kilograms); Long range missions ([approximately equal to]800 miles): 4,500 pounds (2,000 kilograms); Overload: 17,600 pounds (7,800 kilograms)
The tour includes crossing the
bomb bay on an eight-inch-wide gang plank to reach the pilots and the prized vantage point: the chin turret, a glassed-in machine gun bubble underneath the pilots' seats, dishing up the literal bird's eye view of Boise.
During the vertical pull the belly of the aircraft would be pointed toward the target and, with
bomb bay doors open, the bomb was tossed out in a manner so that it continued on a parabolic arc toward the target.
The Lancasters were armed with 12,000 lb "Tallboy" bombs and were adapted with enlarged
bomb bay doors in order to accommodate their special payloads and additional fuel tanks to provide the necessary endurance.
The hearing was told that the dummies had been secured in the aircraft's
bomb bay by a light cord.
It can drop bombs from the
bomb bay or wingtip mounts WEAPONS
Turning or opening the
bomb bay can double a jet fighter's radar signal return.
One aircraft flying behind them over Coutances, in June 1944, was hit in the
bomb bay causing the device - and the aircraft - to explode.
The attack set fire to the
bomb bay and disabled the bomber's intercom system.