B-17 Early - External bomb racks.

[Gerhard]

Anybody ever built a B-17 with these external bomb racks?

 

 

B-17 Max Bomb load? Answer = 17,000 lbs of bombs. Though anything over 8000 lbs carried internally had to be carried on external racks. These, up to two 4000 lb bombs. The limiting factor is Bombay design from 1934, anticipating then USAAC bomb design, and in design the R1820 engines only had 900 horsepower. Of course this was later increased to 1200. With 10 crew and ammo, B-17s could carry 16,000 lbs out to 400 miles, 6000 lbs out to 600 miles, and 5000 lbs 850 miles, and 4000 lbs to 1000 miles. 

 

 

I believe it was Billy Mitchell who wanted the Bomber and could see it potentially being the key to our offensive air arm. As the story went they locked the air corps 'Bean counters' and their Boeing counterparts in a room and told them to find a way to get the airplane. A couple things were dropped from the airplane to meet in the middle. One of the casualties was the external bomb racks. But the wing structures were not modified. Boeing had always thought these racks would return at a later date and left the structural in place to handle them.