Verdástrun B57 Eltanin

B57 Eltanin
Role	Strategic bomber
National origin	Carloso
Manufacturer	Verdástrun
First flight	25 September 1966
Introduction	14 November 1969
Status	In service
Primary user	Carlosian Air Force
Produced	1966–present
Number built	588

The Verdástrun B57 Eltanin is a long-range, jet-powered flying wing strategic bomber in service with the Carlosian Air Force. It serves alongside the supersonic B58 Lesuth and stealth B72 Sheratan. It is an evolution of the Emergency War-era B45 Alracis, a turboprop aircraft used extensively in the bombing of Bourgougia. In operation since 1969, it is designed to carry both conventional and nuclear weapons.

Initially considered an unlikely contender for the Carlosian Air Force's requirements due to its limited payload capacity and unimpressive range caused by faulty, inefficient engines, an extensive redesign which saw, among other changes, the six TBD turbojets replaced by four larger, more powerful turbofan engines made it a serious competitor, subsequently being accepted for service. Serial production began in 1969 and ended in 1991 with a total of 588 airframes built. It first saw combat in the Bourgougian Blitz in 1987, flying approximately 10,000 sorties over the course of the conflict and dropping over 80,000 tonnes of bombs on Bourgougian infrastructure. Three aircraft would be lost to combat during the Blitz, one being shot down by an air-to-air missile while two others were shot down by long-range surface-to-air missiles. It also saw action during the Carlosian intervention in the Acrary Civil War and Operation Aúger.

The B57 Eltanin remains in service as the flagship strategic bomber of the Carlosian Air Force, having undergone several extensive upgrades which have modernised avionics and reduced weight by removing obsolete equipment. Combat capabilities have also been expanded, allowing it to carry air-launched anti-ship, ballistic and cruise missiles. 144 remain in combat service, with several dozen more mothballed and the remainder scrapped for spare parts. Despite its age, it is expected that the B57 Eltanin will serve well into the future with the Carlosian Air Force, potentially as late as the 2050s or 2060s. Beginning in 2024, amidst rising tensions in Musgorocia, the Carlosian Air Force announced it was bringing an additional 54 B37s out of storage.

Development

By the early 1960s, it became increasingly apparent that the turboprop B45 Alracis had become obsolete, lacking aerial refuelling capabilities and speed in an age of increasingly more capable jet fighters. Other aspects of the B45's design had also become obsolete, such as the tail gun; largely irrelevant as air-to-air missiles had become the primary weapon of aerial combat, avionics and all-mechanical flight controls. Additionally, the relatively small bomb bays of the aircraft limited its ability to carry large ordinance such as bunker busters without mounting it externally, which increased drag and therefore eliminated one of the main advantages of the flying wing configuration.

Beginning in 1962, the Air Force approached Verdástrun, asking them to design a successor to the B45 Alracis with the same flying wing configuration, albeit larger, powered by turbojets and equipped with modern avionics. After an extensive design period, the first prototype rolled out in early 1966, with its maiden flight on 25 September 1966. It quickly became apparent that the six turbojet engines were inefficient, heavy and suffered from poor workmanship. Amidst threats that the Carlosian Air Force would go with an alternative, more conventional design like the strategic bombers employed by other countries, TBD took over the project and led an extensive redesign, replacing the six turbojets with two extremely powerful turbofan engines derived from that used by a commercial liner. While it proved difficult to fit these in the airframe, it was evident that performance had massively approved. Over a period of several months, intensive air trials were held to test the aircraft, while avionics were incrementally improved. Eventually, the B57 was accepted for service and the first batch of aircraft were commissioned on 14 November 1969.

Design

Armament

The B57 has three internal bomb bays located on the underside of the aircraft, each with a width of 1.75 metres, length of metres 6.5 metres and depth of 1.75 metres. Though initially intended to reduce drag, having internal bays rather than external hardpoints also helped to reduce the plane's RCS. Altogether, the bays have a a capacity for 19,500 kg of ordnance, including a wide variety of bombs and missiles. These include the general-purpose bombs of the R550-series, ranging from the 125 kg R551 to the 4,000 kg R556, typically equipped with Accuracy & Stand-off Rectification (ASOR) modules. Other bombs that can be carried including cluster munitions and minelaying systems, as well as purpose-built glide bombs and bunker busters. By the far the heaviest munition it can carry is a 9,000 kg rocket-assisted bunker buster, capable of penetrating up to 50 metres of reinforced concrete. Two of these can be carried at a time. It can also carry a number of subsonic or supersonic cruise and anti-ship missiles, as well as air-launched ballistic missiles.

Engines

B57 Eltanin is powered by two Jardaín turbofans, one located either side of the aircraft. Each engine produces 95 kN of thrust. Though stealth was not a primary focus during development, a decision was made late in the design phase to partially bury the engines inside the fuselage, which was found to reduce the infrared signature of the exhaust, a feature would be developed further in later low-observable aircraft. As it was never intended for the aircraft to be capable of supersonic speeds, afterburners were not equipped.

Operational history

During the Bourgougian Blitz in 1987, B57 Eltanin took part in nearly continuous bombing raids over Bourgougia, conducting thousands of sorties and dropping tens of thousands of tonnes of explosives on military targets. While early destruction of enemy air defence (DEAD) operations neutralised much of the threat posed by Bourgougia's surface-to-air missile systems, over the course of the war two B57 Eltanins were downed by long-range SAMs, while another was shot down by a Bourgougian jet fighter. All aircraft had been returning home following the completion of their missions, allowing the crews to eject safely over friendly territory.

B57 Eltanins of the 26th and 77th Bomber Squadrons took part in Operation Aúger on the night of 10–11 August 2011, which was launched in response to the shootdown of a Carlosian military transport by rogue elements of the Bourgougian Armed Forces. The 28 aircraft that took part in the action attacked a variety of targets in Bourgougia, including air bases, air defences, barracks, radar facilities and docked warships with a mixture of cruise and air-launched ballistic missiles, crippling the country's military infrastructure. Due to the use of stand-off weapons and the severely degraded nature of Bourgougia's air defence network, as well as the major upgrades of the B57D variant, military analysts remarked that the B57 Eltanins faced far less of a threat then they did in 1987.

Replacement

In 2016, Verdástrun began development of a successor to the B57 to satisfy the Carlosian Air Force's request for a flying wing stealth aircraft that could match the plane's payload and range. The B59 was publicly unveiled in late 2020 and performed its first flight. The first squadron of 18 aircraft is expected to to enter service by 2026 and will replace the B57 Eltanin on a one for one basis.

Variants

B57A

Initial production variant.

B57B

B57C

Entered service immediately after the Bourgougian Blitz following the loss of three aircraft to missile fire. Included an updated electronic warfare suite and chaff pods. Improvements to the bomb bays were also made, allowing better intergration of air-launched cruise and ballistic missiles.

B57D

Newest variant which entered service in 2011. Upgraded engines and a new radar.

Operators

• Carloso
  • Carlosian Air Force

Specifications

Data from the Carlosian Air Force

General characteristics

• Crew: 4 (pilot, co-pilot, bombardier, defensive systems officer)
• Length: ()
• Wingspan: ()
• Height: ()
• Powerplant: 4 × Jardaín (General Electric CF34-8C) non-afterburning turbofans, 65 kN () each

Performance

• Maximum speed: Mach 0.85
• Service ceiling: 14,100 m ()

Armament

• 3 internal bays for 19,500 kg of ordnance
  • 108 × R551 125 kg
  • 60 × R552 250 kg
  • 36 × R553 500 kg
  • 12 × R554 1,000 kg
  • 6 × R555 2,000 kg
  • 3 × R556 4,000 kg
  • 12 × 2,000 kg rocket-assisted bunker busters
  • 2 × 9,000 kg rocket-assisted bunker busters
  • 36 × 500 kg cluster bombs/mine systems
  • 12 × 500 kg glide bombs
  • 12 × air-launched cruise missiles (AGM-158 JASSM)
  • 12 × air-launched subsonic anti-ship missiles (AGM-158C LRASM)
  • 6 × air-launched long-range cruise missiles AGM-129 ACM
  • 6 × air-launched supersonic anti-ship missiles (ASM-3)
  • 3 × air-launched ballistic missiles (AGM-183 ARRW)