Editing Light bomber

{{Short description|Bomber class made for attacking ground targets with small bomb loads over short distances}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2013}}
[[File:Pzl23 karas.jpg|thumb|Circa 1937. The single-engine [[PZL.23 Karaś|PZL.23 ''Karaś'']] was the main light bomber used by [[Poland|Polish]] forces at the beginning of [[World War II]].]]
[[File:2 Squadron RAAF Hudson and personnel Batchelor N.T. Oct 1942 AWM 027611.jpg|thumb|1943. A twin-engine [[Lockheed Hudson]] of [[No. 2 Squadron RAAF]]. Its crew and ground staff pose for the photographer, prior to loading the Hudson with its bomb load in the foreground.]]

A '''light bomber''' is a relatively small and fast type of [[Military aircraft|military]] [[bomber]] [[Fixed-wing aircraft|aircraft]] that was primarily employed before the 1950s. Such [[Fixed-wing aircraft|aircraft]] would typically not carry more than one [[ton]] of [[Explosive weapon|ordnance]].

The earliest light bombers were intended to drop their [[Aerial bomb|bomb]]s in [[High level bombing|level flight]] over a target. During [[World War I]] some [[air force]]s began to distinguish {{citation needed|date=April 2018}} between light bombers and the earliest purpose-built '''[[attack aircraft]]''' which carried out ground attack, [[close air support]], [[Anti-surface warfare|anti-shipping]] and similar missions. After World War I, attack aircraft were typically identifiable by their ability to carry multiple fixed [[machine gun]]s, [[Autocannon|automatic cannon]]s and [[Rocket (weapon)|rocket]]s in addition to [[Aerial bomb|bombs]]. Light bombers have often served as attack aircraft and vice versa.

Purpose-built light bombers disappeared from military aviation by the end of World War II, as advancements in [[Aircraft engine|propulsion]] and [[Aerospace engineering|aeronautical design]] enabled newer attack/strike aircraft, [[fighter-bomber]]s, and [[Multirole combat aircraft|multirole aircraft]] types to deliver equal or greater [[aerial bomb|bomb]] loads while also having superior performance, [[Range (aeronautics)|range]] and defensive capabilities. Modern aircraft carrying out similar missions include light [[attack aircraft]], [[strike fighter]]s, and [[counter-insurgency aircraft]].

==History==
===Before 1914===
The first aircraft purposely designed for bombing missions were the [[Italy|Italian]] [[Caproni Ca 30]] and British [[Bristol T.B.8]], both built in 1913.<ref name= "Aerial">{{cite book|pages=9–10|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kr2Gc7btCxEC&pg=PA9|title=Aerial Interdiction: Air Power and the Land Battle in Three American Wars|isbn=978-0-7881-1966-8|last=Mark|first=Eduard|date=July 1995}}</ref> The T.B.8 was a single [[Piston engine|engine]] [[biplane]] built by the [[Bristol Aeroplane Company]]. It was fitted with a prismatic [[bombsight]] in the front [[cockpit]] and a cylindrical bomb carrier in the lower forward fuselage capable of carrying 12 x 10&nbsp;lb (12 x 4.5&nbsp;kg) bombs, which could be dropped individually or all together.<ref>{{Cite book|author=Mason, Francis K|title=The British Bomber since 1914|publisher=Putnam Aeronautical Books|location=London|year=1994|isbn=0-85177-861-5}}</ref> The T.B.8 was purchased for use both by the [[Royal Naval Air Service]] (RNAS) and the [[Royal Flying Corps]] (RFC).

===World War I===
[[File:Albatros C.III.jpg|thumb|left|200px|An [[Albatros C.III]] of the German ''[[Luftstreitkräfte]]'', circa 1916. While it was designed as an "armed [[Aerial reconnaissance|reconnaissance]]" type, the C.III was also a light bomber of World War I.]]

The [[No. 203 Squadron RAF|Eastbourne RNAS Squadron]], operating the T.B.3, carried out the first bombing attack of World War I: on 25 November 1914, under the command of [[Charles Rumney Samson]], the squadron attacked coastal gun batteries operated by [[German Empire]] forces, at [[Middelkerke]], [[Belgium]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Taylor|first=Michael J. H.|title=Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation|year=1989|publisher=Studio Editions|location=London|pages=204}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|author=Thetford, Owen|title=British Naval Aircraft since 1912|edition=Fourth|publisher=Putnam|location=London|year=1994|isbn=0-85177-861-5}}</ref>

Most bombers used on [[World War I]] battlefields were in fact light bombers: typically single-[[Reciprocating engine|engine]] [[biplane]]s with a bomb load of 50–400&nbsp;kg. Two of the most famous were the [[Airco DH.4]] designed by [[Geoffrey de Havilland]], and the [[Breguet 14]] designed by [[Louis Breguet]]. The same type often also served as [[Aerial reconnaissance|reconnaissance]] aircraft; examples include the [[Albatros C.III]], [[Avro 504]], [[DFW C.V]], [[LVG C.II]], [[Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8]], [[Rumpler C.I]] and [[Voisin III]]. The [[Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2]] was even modified as a pioneering [[night fighter]] in attempts to shoot down [[German Empire|German]] [[Zeppelin]]s.

===1918–1939===
[[File:Sabiha_Breguet_19.jpg|thumb|200px|1937. Turkish air force pilot [[Sabiha Gökçen]] inspects her [[Breguet 19]] as it is loaded with [[Aerial bomb|bomb]]s.]]
By the early 1930s many [[air force]]s were seeking to replace their older [[biplane]] aircraft (for example, the [[Royal Air Force|RAF]]'s [[Hawker Hart]] and [[Soviet Air Forces|''VVS'']]'s [[Polikarpov R-5]]) with more modern and higher performance [[monoplane]] designs. Specialised light bomber designs were single-engine or twin-engine aircraft with a bomb load of about 500–1,000&nbsp;kg. Typical single-engine light bombers of this era included the [[Fairey Battle]], [[Kawasaki Ki-32]] (later known by the [[World War II Allied names for Japanese aircraft|Allied reporting name]] "Mary"), [[Mitsubishi Ki-30]] ("Ann"), [[Mitsubishi Ki-51]] ("Sonia"), [[PZL.23 Karaś|PZL.23 ''Karaś'']], and [[Sukhoi Su-2]]. Contemporaneous twin-engine light bombers included the [[Bristol Blenheim]], [[Douglas B-23 Dragon]], [[Kawasaki Ki-48]] ("Lily"), [[Martin Maryland]] (also known as the A-22), [[Lockheed Hudson]], [[Tupolev SB]], and [[Mitsubishi G3M]] ("Nell"). While the Mitsubishi G3M was classified by the Imperial Japanese Navy as a [[medium bomber]], it was a land-based day bomber with bomb loads as small as 800&nbsp;kg (1,800&nbsp;lb) and had a secondary role as a [[torpedo bomber]]. Many of these aircraft were also used in other non-offensive roles, such as [[Aerial reconnaissance|reconnaissance]] and [[Maritime patrol aircraft|maritime patrol]].

A sub-type of light bomber also emerged in the 1930s, the [[Schnellbomber|fast bomber]] (German ''Schnellbomber''), which prioritised speed as a self-defense measure; even the bomb load was minimised towards this design goal. Early examples were the [[Bristol Blenheim]] and [[Dornier Do 17]] (both introduced in 1937).  A weakness of the fast bomber design concept was that improvements in the speed of bombers were, in most cases, quickly matched in subsequent fighter designs (which would additionally eclipse the [[Payload|load]]-carrying ability of light bomber aircraft within a few years).

===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.

===Post-World War II===
The substantial increases in performance, [[Payload|load]]-carrying ability, and multirole versatility of new combat aircraft designs (including the advent of [[jet aircraft]]) by the end of World War II signaled the end of the dedicated light bomber type. [[Attack aircraft]], [[strike fighter]]s, [[counter-insurgency aircraft]] and combat [[Unmanned aerial vehicles|UAV]]s are types which today carry out technologically enhanced equivalents of the former light bomber role.

==See also==
[[File:Embraer EMB-314 Super Tucano Brazilian Air Force 1.jpg|thumb|Brazilian Air Force [[Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano|Embraer A-29 Super Tucano]]s in flight over the Amazon Rainforest.]]
*[[Attack aircraft]]
*[[Strike fighter]]
*[[Fighter-bomber]]
*[[Medium bomber]]
*[[Heavy bomber]]
*[[Strategic bomber]]
*[[Strategic bombing]]
*[[Tactical bombing]]
*[[Counter-insurgency aircraft]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Military aircraft types (roles)}}

[[Category:Bomber aircraft]]
[[Category:Light bombers| ]]