RM Vol 3: For a World without Boundary – Chapter 41-1: Flight of the Polar Bears (Part 1)

RM Vol 3: For a World without Boundary – Chapter 41-1: Flight of the Polar Bears (Part 1)

Specifications (Gotha B-40)

General characteristics:

Crew: 5-8 (pilot, co-pilot, offensive systems officer, defensive systems officer, flight engineer, plus an additional gunner or three additional crew members depending on mission profile)Length: 54.1 mWingspan: 70.10 mHeight: 6.185 mEmpty weight: 75,371 kgMax takeoff weight: 186,973 kgPowerplant: 6 × Gothaer R-4360-53 Wasp Major 28-cylinder 4-row air-cooled radial piston engines, 3,800 hp (2,800 kW) each for take-offPropellers: 8-bladed HSP24F60-344, 4.65 m diameter contra-rotating fully-feathering constant-speed pusher propellers

Performance:

Maximum speed: 925 km/hCruise speed: 710 km/hRange: 16,000 kmService ceiling: 14,000 mRate of climb: 10 m/s

Armaments:

Six remote-controlled retractable gun turrets. Each is fitted with two radar-aimed 30 mm autocannons, for a total of 12.Two internal weapon bays for 40,000 kg of mixed ordnance, bombs, mines, and missiles, in various configurations. (hence the designation B-40).

Avionics:

Forward-looking offensive passive electronically scanned array radarRadar warning receiver and ECM equipmentDefensive management system (flares, chaffs, towed decoy)Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod

Special equipment:

Mana condenser for passive aerial refueling

The Gotha B-40 "Polar Bear" is a strategic bomber built by the Gotha Aeronautic company and operated solely by the Belkan Air Force. The B-40 is the largest mass-produced piston-engined aircraft, with the longest wingspan of any combat aircraft ever built, at 70 m. It's of a strange design language, being the first mass-produced aircraft of a flying-wing design, and one of massive scale at that. And unlike many, many propeller aircraft out there, the B-40 employs its engines in a pusher configuration. These design choices, when combined together, have created a platform that can carry a greater payload faster, farther, and cheaper than a conventional bomber.

The B-40 is also the first bomber capable of delivering any of the WMDs in the Belkan arsenal from an internal weapon bay without aircraft modifications. With a range of 16,000 km and a maximum payload of 40,000 kg, the B-40 is capable of intercontinental flight without refueling and can stay aloft for as long as three days. The latter is only possible thanks to the built-in mana condenser system that passively recharges 1/4 of the amount of fuel that is lost at cruising speed.

With the advent of more and more precision-guided weapons, the B-40 Polar Bear can, by itself and provide there's no interception effort, strike globally, anytime, anywhere, and with superb accuracy. It's large, deadly, and marvelous. Naming it after the majestic beast that is the Polar Bear is only fitting, it also coincides with the anti-flash white paint scheme that all B-40s bombers are coated in.

Despite its impressive size, however, the Polar Bear's defensive armaments may seem lacking at first glance since there are only 12 guns aboard. That said, enemy pilots should learn to fear these gun turrets for they are automated, radar-aimed, and have built-in targeting systems. These 30mm are the same cannons used on the Phantom's infamous Gatling gun, fitted in a dual-barrel setup with a fast rate of fire. Being hit by a singular burst of these 30mm equals death for most aircraft. The six turrets are dispersed evenly across the bomber, with three on the ventral side and a similar number on the dorsal frame, providing a 360-degree field of protection for the Bear. Currently, Gotha is suggesting to the Reich Marshal to incorporate MANPADs into the Polar Bear, thus increasing the self-defense range of the bomber by three times. The development will allow for a significant weight reduction, thus showing promise. Nonetheless, Gotha is struggling to create an aerodynamic missile turret to replace the cannon turrets of the Bear. Without that ability, the mobility and range of the bomber will be compromised. The Reich Marshal has sent some help in this regard and the project is proceeding at an acceptable pace.

In the event that the guns and missiles fail to intercept a threat to the B-40, the Polar Bear is equipped with the largest and brightest chaffs and flares deployment system in the Belkan arsenal. Another surprising feature is the ability to deploy a towed decoy that can act as a radar and infrared trap, attracting enemy missiles to hit the decoy instead of the Bear itself. There's also the fact that the Bear has a reduced radar cross-section, however, due to the piston engines, the Bear isn't a true stealth aircraft.

That said, the Reich Marshal is tasking the brightest Belkan minds to come up with a new design for a stealth bomber plane that is based on the Polar Bear. Other notable variants are maritime patrol aircraft MB-40 and Airborne Operations Centers 'Doomsday Plane' AOC-40.

The B-40 Polar Bear is Belka's first and most powerful answer for strategic-level bombardment worldwide.

P.S: To aid with the crew's comfort, the B-40 features many design choices previously unheard of for a combat aircraft. The B-40 has a crew of 8 at maximum. The pressurized flight deck and crew compartment are linked to the rear compartment by a pressurized tunnel, running parallel to the normal walkway. This system is also connected to the two internal bomb bays, allowing the flight engineer to quickly address any issue that arises in either of them. In the B-40, movement through the tunnel is on a motorized wheeled trolley, but one can pull on a rope manually if they have to. The rear compartment features four bunks and a dining galley and can lead to the six automated turrets.

"Grab the stick then, it's our turn to taxi. Let's ease her into the lane."

"You got it. Come on Enola, let's go for a nightly stroll."

As the chief increases the throttle, thus increasing the output of the engine strap behind them, she comments. "Purrs like a kitty, she is."

As the large aircraft is going to the takeoff lane alongside three others, the chief spots something that just gently landed on the cockpit canopy but quickly melted away. This happens a few more times before the chief speaks up.

"Wonderful, we will be taking off under the first sign of snow. Quite romantic if we aren't about to blow up thousands of souls."

The flight engineer follows up on that. "You can look at it this way, it's just like popping off a couple of fireworks."

The offensive systems officer chimes in. "It will be shock and awe if you haven't seen one before."

"But we saw a few of them when we're still in training though." Said the defensive systems officer. "Only this time I brought a recorder instead."

The chief raises an eyebrow at that but still keeps a keen eye on the runway as she maneuvers the Enola May. "Can you even snap a view 14 km up in the air?"

"I link it with the ventral turrets. That should give it both the zoom and the night vision recording capability."

"Just make sure it doesn't interfere with any of our systems." The chief reminded before warning. "Alright, we got the go-ahead for take-off so hang on to your teeth, people."

With the take-off flaps deployed, the chief pushed the throttle all the way in a calm manner. Despite its size, the Enola goes down the runway with a certain grace to it before softly lifting off under a light screen of snow. Its pusher engines echo in the night like a cacophony of dragons roaring. Soon enough the Enola May joins many of its brethren in a formation bound for Sardegnian soil. By a few hours later, Taranto will be welcoming an early daybreak, the first of many that the world has yet to see.