Douglas B-66B Destroyer - Light Bomber
Overview
The B-66 is a lesser-known American light bomber from the cold war years. This variant, the B-model, is the bomber variant of the Destroyer, and can dish out some serious punishment with its four 3,000 pound bombs. The Destroyer's true claim to fame was in its service in as an electronic warfare and reconnaissance platform, But since neither of these are possible (to my knowledge) in Stormworks, I had to settle with the bomber variant.
Specifications
-Length: 22.75m
-Width: 2.75m
-Wingspan: 22.25m
-Top Speed: ~300 knots
-Range: ~130km (enough to fly from the arid isles to the arctic one way)
-Crew: 3 (pilot, gunner, navigator/bombardier, only pilot is required)
-Price: 90,000
-Mass: 13610
Armament
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[*] 2x 20mm Autocannon (tail gun, can be set to radar guided mode)
[*] 4x 3,000lb bomb
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B-66 LORE
(you technically don't have to read this but I strongly recommend doing so)
Design
The design of the B-66 Destroyer was derived from that of the Navy's A-3 Skywarrior, which at the time had been designed but was yet to be built. This was because the USAF was looking to cut costs by using an existing design. Originally, the B-66 was to be pretty much the same as the A-3, with minor modifications and the removal of naval equipment. Eventually, however, more and more modifications such as a tail gun, (later replaced with an ECM pod) new electronics and hydraulics, anti-skid brakes, and larger landing gear were added during development, which in the end resulted in a completely different aircraft. The first B-66 flew in the summer of 1954.
One of the main limiting factors of the B-66 was its engines. the B-66 used the under powered and unreliable J71 engine, because during development the more powerful J57 engine was being used in higher priority programs such as the F-100 and B-52. This engine choice would plague the B-66 for its whole service life, as many aircraft and crewmen were lost as a result of engine failures. The J71 engine was also used on the Snark cruise missile, which led to the B-66 being known to some as an airplane with "one way engines".
Service
The USAF began to receive B-66 aircraft in 1956. A total of 294 aircraft were produced, 72 of which were B-66B bomber aircraft. 13 of the B-66Bs would later be converted into EB-66B Brown Cradle electronic countermeasures aircraft. During the early cold war, the B-66 was deployed to bases around Europe, loaded with atomic bombs (later hydrogen bombs) ready to strike if needed. Eventually the B-66B bomber variant was retired, but the reconnaissance variants were not. During the Vietnam War, unarmed EB-66B, EB-66C, and EB-66E aircraft played a valuable role, mapping SA-2 missile sites and providing protection to formations of F-105 aircraft by jamming North Vietnamese radars. It was indeed for its service in Vietnam that the B-66 is most known for, flying unarmed and vulnerable to MiGs and SAMs to provide support to other aircraft. The last B-66 variant, the WB-66 weather reconnaissance aircraft, was retired in 1975. The B-66 was in service for 19 years total.
Operation
Starting Procedure and Takeoff (pretty easy)
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[*] Enter the aircraft through the ramp on the bottom. Open the hatch above and climb inside. Get in the pilot's seat in front.
[*] Flip the power breaker on the top right of the right panel.
[*] OPTIONAL: in front of the gunner seat you can press the "auto gunner" button so the tail gun works automatically.
[*] Double click the "deploy ramp" button to the right to close it. After this only one click is needed.
[*] Activate navigation lights and landing lights as needed. Buttons are on the right.
[*] Flip all engine switches on the top of the right panel.
[*] Advance thrust spoiler lever to full. Set throttle to desired setting. If taxing off, set throttle to full.
[*] IF TAXIING: Set thrust spoiler to something high like 0.8, Set throttle to something like 0.1 or 0.2. Turn off brakes. (brake button is in the middle of the right panel) Use arrow keys to turn while taxiing.
[*] When ready to takeoff, advance throttle to full and decrease thrust spoiler to 0. W/S for pitch control, A/D for roll, arrow keys for yaw.
[*] if the aircraft begins to wobble back and forth in flight, decrease throttle and increase it again. This usually fixes it for me. Another way to prevent the issue is taking off at low throttle.
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Weapons Operation
Bombs:
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[*] In the pilot seat, you can arm the bombs on the bottom right of the right panel. Press 5 to drop bombs. Bombs will not drop if not armed.
[*] In the navigator/bombardier seat, press the "arm bomb bay" button. Then press 1 to drop a bomb. You can look through the viewing scope to see the bomb bay.
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Tail Guns:
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[*] When in the gunner seat, you can use WASD to aim the gun. Up/down keys can zoom the camera. Space to fire. The gun has 600 rounds.
[*] To enable auto gunner, simply press the button in the middle. The turret will automatically aim and fire at targets detected by the radar within range.
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Credits
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[*] [i]Glory Days: The Untold Story of the Men who Flew the B-66 Destroyer into the Face of Fear[/i]
VERY good history book on the B-66 by Wolfgang W.E. Samuel. His books are 100% worth reading!
[*] "Seat to Lever Controller" by No Nōryoku
Used this so I could have a throttle lever and up/down controls.
Final Remarks
This is the first aircraft of mine. it did take me a few weeks to research and build but I like how it came out! Once again if you notice any issues feel free to report them in the comments and I might have a look. And other questions/comments/concerns may also be posted in the comments and I will probably address them. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy my creation!
Please do not reupload without permission.
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