Belloli B.54 Avvoltoio
| Belloli B.54 Avvoltoio | |
|---|---|
| |
| Role | Light bomber |
| National origin |  Luminerra
|
| Manufacturer | Belloli |
| First flight | October 11, 1950 |
| Introduction | 1954 |
| Status | In limited service |
| Primary user | Lumenic Air Force |
The Belloli B.54 Avvoltoio is a twin engine, light bomber and torpedo bomber designed and produced by Belloli (now Tancredi) of Luminerra, and was used extensively by the Lumenic Air Force during the Omandan Continental War and beyond, continuing in limited service today. In addition to serving as a strike craft, the B.54 air frame was also used for multiple other purposes, including intelligence, reconnaissance, and electrons warfare operations. Several versions of the B.54 Avvoltoio remain in service with the Lumenic Air Force, as well as in other nations.
Background and design
Design
The B.54 is a twin engine, swept wing tactical bomber with a crew of three, including the pilot, bombardier-navigator and a third crewmen-navigator, who also operated the twin 20 mm cannon located in the bombers tail section, as well as the aircraft's defensive electronic systems. The unique cockpit arrangement set the pilot and bombardier-navigator side by side in a raised compartment, with the third crewmen sat behind and below the pilot in a rear-facing seat. The aft crew station provided equipment for long-age navigation as well. Later versions, including the B-49RBE electronic reconnaissance aircraft, would add an additional 4 crew stations in the converted bomb bay.
The initial production engine for the B.54 was the Andrade I-78 turbojet engine. This engine proved to be both inefficient in design and power, as it was originally designed as the powerplant for an air-breathing cruise missile and not for aircraft. It lacked several features inherent to other aircraft turbojets at the time, the most dangerous of which was a lack of drain feature in the compressor stage, which is used to drain excess fuel after the engine is shut down. The lack required that a ground crew member manually released a drain valve prior to the engines being shut down after landing, placing that crewmen in significant danger while working near the operating turbojet. In addition, the draining jet fuel became a fire hazard after it was drained onto the parking ramp.
While in service, the Andrade I-78 proved to have an excessively high meantime between failure rate due to poor construction quality. In 1959, the Lumenic Air Force selected the AE-920 turbojet, produced by Vaccari, to replace the Andrade I-78. New production B.54's received these engines, and existing air frames had their engines replaced when the existing Andrade I-78s reached their maximum life expediency.
Operational history
Variants
- B.54
- Production model light bomber for the Lumenic Air Force.
- RB.54
- All-weather photo reconnaissance version with 12 separate camera stations.
- EB.54
- Electronic reconnaissance and ECM version with extra crew seats, expanding the crew from 3 to 7, with the extra crew stations in the bomb bay. These aircraft wee intended to conduct electronic reconnaissance missions and ECM support operations. Aircraft were equipped with distinctive wingtip pods which housed the aircraft jamming equipment.
- WB.54
- Weather reconnaissance platform converted from existing RB.54 aircraft. A total of 21 conversions were completed. Often referred to as cacciatori di tempeste, or storm chasers, they are operated by the 154th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron of the same name.
- ZB.54
- Target drone version
Operators
- Luminerra
- Lumenic Air Force - Limited service of several versions.
Specifications (B.54)
General characteristics
- Crew: 3
- Length: 75 ft 2 in (22.9 m)
- Wingspan: 72 ft 6 in (22.1 m)
- Height: 23 ft 7 in (7.2 m)
- Wing area: 780 ft² (72.5 m²)
- Empty weight: 42,540 lb (19,300 kg)
- Loaded weight: 57,800 lb (26,200 kg)
- Max. takeoff weight: 83,000 lb (38,000 kg)
- Powerplant: 2 × Vaccari MAM-930 turbojets, 10,500 lbf (46.7 kN) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 631 mph (548 kn, 1,020 km/h)
- Combat radius: 900 mi (780 nmi, 1,500 km)
- Ferry range: 2,470 mi (2,150 nmi, 3,970 km)
- Service ceiling: 39,400 ft (12,000 m)
- Rate of climb: 5,000 ft/min (25 m/s)
- Wing loading: 74.1 lb/ft² (361.4 kg/m²)
- Thrust/weight: 0.35
Armament
- 2 x ARO CAPA.2038 20 mm cannons in radar-controlled/remotely operated tail turret
- 15,000 lb (6,803.9 kg) of free-fall bombs
Avionics
ECONLU B-213 bombing radar and BU-277 search radar