Military Bomber
B-52 Stratofortress long-range strategic bomber
Does India Need A Strategic Bomber? As bombers are large aircraft, they have large radar cross-section (RCS) and as such, are vulnerable to both airborne and ground based air defence (AD) weapons By Air Marshal Anil Chopra (Retd)
Photograph: USAF
With the H-6 bomber aircraft of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) of China positioned in large numbers at Kashgar and also a few at Hotan, not too far from IndiaChina border in Ladakh, it is time to understand the importance and role of strategic bombers. The major world powers have had strategic bombers since World War II. Even today the three largest air forces of the world of the United States (US), Russia and China operate strategic bombers. India, with the fourth largest air force has only fighter-bombers. It is also time to understand the implications of not having strategic bombers as also the need for the to have this aircraft on its inventory. WHAT IS A STRATEGIC BOMBER? A strategic bomber is a medium-to-long-range bomber aircraft designed to drop large amounts of air-to-ground weaponry on distant targets for impeding the enemy’s capacity to wage war. Unlike tactical bombers, fighter-bombers and attack
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AERO INDIA 2021 SPECIAL
aircraft that are used in air interdiction operations to attack enemy combatants and military equipment, strategic bombers are designed to fly deep into enemy territory to destroy strategic targets such as major infrastructure, logistic establishments, military installations, factories and cities, as also to undertake nuclear strike missions. During World War II, both sides used bombers to wither enemy’s ability to continue fighting. Later American Boeing B-29 Superfortress dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. Nuclear strike missions nowadays can also be carried out by fighter-bombers. In case of India, the Su-30 MKI, Mirage 2000, Jaguar and the Rafale, all have strategic nuclear delivery capability. THE COLD WAR STRATEGIC BOMBERS During the Cold War, the US and United Kingdom on one side and the Soviet Union on the other, kept strategic bombers ready to takeoff on short notice as part of the deterrent strategy. The
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