How come almost no one has bomber aircraft anymore? – Technology Org

Wright brothers took off with their Wright Flyer on December 17, 1903 and the airplane was born. It only took 8 years for the first bombers to appear. The First World War already had several different types of bombers in use, including heavy bombers.

And the Second World War exploded in the number of different bombers being developed in different countries. However, only a few countries have bombers now. Why?

The United Kingdom and its Royal Air Force is a good example. The Eurofighter Typhoon and the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II create a powerful force, definitely not something to smile at. However, since the Avro Vulcan was retired in 1984, the UK doesn’t have bombers.

The Avro Vulcan in a demo flight. Image credit: Michael Bailey via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 3.0)

And not just the UK. Bombers cannot be found in the arsenal of, for example, Germany, France, Israel, Ukraine, Japan, India. Pure bombers are incredibly rare.

The bombing itself – as an attack of dropping bombs over the enemy targets – is not somehow eliminated from modern warfare. Airplanes are frequently used to attack ground targets. However, these are usually strike fighters like the McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle, attack/close air support aircraft like the Sukhoi Su-25 and the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, or fighter-bombers like the Mirage 2000-5F or multi-role jets.

North Korea still operates some Ilyushin Il-28, which are technically medium bombers, but large true bombers are incredibly uncommon.

The Chinese H-6K, armed with cruise missiles. Even the existing bombers often work as missile carriers instead of the usual bomber duties. Image credit: Alert5 via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The list of active large bombers is very short. The US has B-1B Lancer, B-2A Spirit, and B-52H Stratofortress. Russia relies on three Tupolevs – Tu-22M, Tu-95, and Tu-160 –  for bomber duties. And China uses Xian H-6, which is a licensed version of the Tu-16.

But why? Why does no one want true bombers anymore? There are several reasons.

First of all, dropping dumb bombs (the ones that do not propel or guide themselves) is kind of tricky and dangerous. Bombers are easy targets for somewhat modern air defense systems. Missiles can deliver more damage without putting crews and expensive aircraft in danger.

STEALTH bombers are the way forward, but they are incredibly expensive, which is why only the largest superpowers are developing them. And that’s the thing – bombers are expensive. Multirole and close air support aircraft are cheaper and more versatile.

Rendering of the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider – the latest American STEALTH strategic bomber. Image credit: ALAN RADECKI Alert5 via Wikimedia

In short, countries can only develop and field bombers if they have significant funds to surround them with other kinds of aircraft and tech for protection. In other situations, missiles are more than good enough.

Furthermore, the US flies and even bases its bomber fleet in different parts of the world, which eliminates the need for developing new types. It is a bit of an old-fashioned weapon, which is now a luxury to have, having in mind that they can only be used in situations that are safe from enemy’s anti-air systems.

Source: Wikipedia