![]() These were supplied to the US, British, Canadian and other air forces.Īlthough the B-24 was deployed alongside the B-17 in Europe, and flew in Africa and the Middle East, its major contribution to America's wartime operations was in the Pacific, where it was first flown in action against the Japanese in January 1942. ![]() The major production version of the Liberator was, however, the B-24J with R-1830-65 engines, making up more than one-third of the total production. RAF Bomber Command and Coastal Command also received 382 as Liberator III/IIIA and V. A number were subsequently taken over by the US Navy as PB4Y-1 anti-submarine aircraft. The first major production version was the B-24D, powered by R-1830-43 engines, of which the majority of more than 2,700 built went to the USAAF as bombers. Subsequent Liberators had increased armament and armour protection. This was responsible for the unusual elliptical cowlings which, together with the large twin oval endplate fins, made the Liberator easily identifiable. During the period of their construction the original prototype was re-engined with turbocharged Pratt & Whitney R-1830-4I, at the same time having the oil coolers mounted on each side of the engine. The first production B-24A were delivered in 1941 to the USAAF (and others to Britain 4s LB-30A transports for transatlantic ferry flights). These had the same engines as the prototype, but introduced pneumatic de-icing boots for wing and tail unit leading edges. The prototype XB-24 flew for the first time on 29 December 1939, by which time the USAAC had ordered seven YB-24 for service trials and others had been ordered by Great Britain and France. Instead of conventional bomb doors, which can affect flight characteristics when open, the bomb bay was closed by roller-shutter-type doors. The bomb bay was deep enough for bombs to be stowed vertically and wide enough to comprise two bays separated by a catwalk providing communication between the flight deck and rear fuselage. For the first time on a large aircraft a retractable tricycle-type landing gear was introduced. The aim of the design team was to achieve better load/range performance than that of the B-17, the basis of the design being a wide-span narrow-chord cantilever wing, mounted high on a deep-section fuselage.Ĭonstruction was conventional all-metal, but there were several innovations in addition to the new wing. When in 1939 Consolidated Aircraft Corporation began design of a bomber aircraft intended to be superior to the Boeing B-17, the company could never have imagined that more than 18,000 of these aircraft would be built (as the B-24A to -M for the USAAF and Liberator I to IX for RAF Coastal Command and Bomber Command). Virtual Aircraft Museum / USA / Consolidated
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