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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!brl-tgr!wmartin
From: wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin )
Newsgroups: net.aviation
Subject: Re: Re: More on B-1 vs B-52
Message-ID: <5388@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 19-Oct-84 11:10:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.5388
Posted: Fri Oct 19 11:10:00 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 20-Oct-84 07:43:42 EDT
References: <3220@rabbit.UUCP>, <2190@hplabsc.UUCP> <665@ihnp4.UUCP>
Organization: Ballistic Research Lab
Lines: 28

Just out of curiosity: Given the age of the B-52 fleet, but still having
a continuing requirement for a number of aircraft to fill their role,
and given the high cost of the B-1, would it be feasible and cost-effective
to use an existing and proven commercial aircraft design (747, DC-10, L1011,
or some standard cargo or passenger craft) and modify it to become a
carrier of ALCM (or maybe even an actual bomber)?

Couldn't such a modified standard aircraft be built at a cost close to
that of a commercial airliner, using existing tooling and facilities,
and have a very low development cost and short design time to boot?

I would think a bunch of these could be churned out to replace the B-52's
while the B-1 and stealth development continued; after all, the missions
these aircraft would perform would be different. Maintenance on these
new aircraft would be cheaper and easier; not only would they be so much
newer, but they would use many industry-standard parts or subassemblies,
which could be bought off-the-shelf the same as the airlines do.

Am I completely off-base here? Are the airframe requirements for a
military aircraft so different from the commercial airplanes that
one of the latter designs is completely inappropriate? I was under
the impression that the Soviet air fleet is all designed for a dual
civil/military role, but does that mean simply that passenger-type
aircraft would carry troops, not that an airliner becomes a bomber?

Will Martin

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