Editing Light bomber (section)

===World War II===
During the early stages of [[World War II]], the above-mentioned designs of the late 1930s often saw considerable action. In some cases, they became the basis of newer, faster light bombers, such as the [[Martin Baltimore]] ([[United States|U.S.]] designation A-23/A-30 developed from the Maryland), as well as medium bombers with more powerful engines and heavier [[payload]]s.

Twin-engine light bombers were successful when converted into [[Radar in World War II#Aircraft Intercept|airborne radar]]-equipped [[night fighter]]s during World War II; examples include the [[Bristol Blenheim]], [[Douglas A-20 Havoc]] (as the P-70), and [[Dornier Do 17]]. Light bombers were selected as a basis for night fighters during this time because early airborne radar systems, used to find and track targets in the dark, were bulky and often required a dedicated operator in the [[Aircrew#Military|crew]]; most smaller day fighters of that era were unsuited to such extra weight and personnel. Conversely, the [[Petlyakov Pe-3]], which had been designed as a night fighter, was often used a light bomber.

Many other aircraft which originally had been designed as fighters or other mission-specific bombers but fit the size, performance and [[payload]] requirements for the light bomber role would also be adapted to perform such missions during World War II. Most '''[[dive bomber]]s''', such as the [[Junkers Ju 87]] ''Stuka'' and [[Vultee A-31 Vengeance|Vultee Vengeance]] were light bombers by definition, as these aircraft typically carried bomb loads of one ton or less.  Likewise, many '''[[torpedo bomber]]s''' were light bombers according to their size and warload and it was common for these aircraft to also be used for level bombing missions. The [[Bristol Beaufort]], [[Nakajima B5N]] and [[Grumman TBF Avenger]], while designed as torpedo bombers, saw some action purely in the light bomber role.  Types designed before the war as '''[[heavy fighter]]s''' were also frequently adapted as light bombers, including the [[Messerschmitt Bf 110]], [[Potez 630|Potez 633]], [[Fokker G.I]], [[Kawasaki Ki-45]], [[Bristol Beaufighter]], and [[Lockheed P-38 Lightning]].
[[File:A-26.jpg|thumb|left|[[Douglas A-26 Invader]] light bomber. Introduced at the end of World War II, it would go on to serve in [[Korean War|Korea]] and [[Indochina Wars|Indochina]] as the B-26 (and also replaced [[United States Army Air Forces|USAAF]]'s [[Martin B-26 Marauder|Martin Marauder]] [[medium bomber]] of that designation).]]
Light attack aircraft such as the [[Breda Ba.65]], [[Ilyushin Il-2]] ''Šturmovík'', [[Northrop A-17]], and [[Vultee V-11]] initially differed little in armament and operational role from light bombers. As World War II progressed, specialised attack designs became increasingly focused on low altitude [[strafing]] of surface targets, armed with [[automatic cannon]]s, heavy machine guns and newly developed [[Rocket (weapon)|rocket]]s; the [[Douglas A-20 Havoc|A-20]] and [[North American B-25 Mitchell|B-25 Mitchell]] (type-classed as a [[medium bomber]]) each had variants with 8 or more forward-firing [[M2 Browning|machine gun]]s for ground strafing missions. Later variants of the Ju 87 ''Stuka'' dive bomber were adapted to the role of ground attack [[Anti-tank warfare|against tanks]] armed with [[BK 3,7|37 mm cannon]], and the [[Curtiss SB2C Helldiver]] (a [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] dive bomber adopted later in World War II when that design role was beginning to disappear) also was assigned to ground attack [[sortie]]s using its [[Hispano-Suiza HS.404|cannon]], bombs and [[High Velocity Aircraft Rocket|rocket]]s.

The light bomber, as a discrete aircraft type, began to be superseded as World War II opened. The growth of [[engine power]] from the 1,000&nbsp;hp to the 2,000&nbsp;hp class during the war produced single-engine fighters with greater performance, offensive and defensive capabilities than the light bombers of only a few years earlier. This gave rise to the '''[[fighter-bomber]]''' type, notably the [[Focke-Wulf Fw 190|Fw 190]] F and G models, [[Hawker Typhoon]] and [[Republic P-47 Thunderbolt]]. Multirole twin-engine designs capable of hauling bomb loads greater than 2,000&nbsp;lbs such as the [[Lockheed P-38 Lightning]], [[Junkers Ju 88]] and [[de Havilland Mosquito]] also supplanted earlier 1930s-era light bomber designs during the war.

One of the last light bombers to be introduced in World War II, the [[United States|U.S.]] [[Douglas A-26 Invader]], replaced the earlier [[Douglas A-20 Havoc|A-20 Havoc]] type and also was designated by the [[United States Army Air Forces|USAAF]] as a replacement for its [[Martin B-26 Marauder]] (which had the same engines and a similar bomb load as the Invader) medium bomber.