[VEHICLE] of the week 669 – Anachronistic Intercontinental Bomber

  This is a weekly posting with GURPS vehicles (and the like) to the 
GURPSnet mailing list. I grant the permission for all non-commercial 
redistribution of my work, but I would like to know if you put it on 
a website or the like. My site is down for rebuilding, but sooner or 
later the old stuff should reappear at   omeyer.gmxhome.de
  Onno Meyer, 2007-08-19

Anachronistic Intercontinental Bomber v1.0 (TL6)
  Copyright 2007 by Onno Meyer

  In some alternate history stories, one side finds efficient uses for 
historical technologies. In other novels, genuine time travelers bring 
modern concepts with them. This intercontinental bomber has the speed 
and range for premature cold war patrols ... or desperate do-or-die 
attacks.
  The heavy bomber has a combat radius of over 2,500 miles at 520 mph 
top speed or more than 4,500 miles at a more economic 310 mph, with a 
full load of 32 500-lb. bombs. The defensive armament consists of twin
12.7mm HMGs in a dorsal turret and a tail barbette. The usual crew are 
a pilot, copilot, engineer, navigator, bombardier, radio operator, and 
two gunners. In a game, the exceptional range could be the excuse for 
different missions in each adventure, transporting VIPs to the Crimea 
or spies to China, hunting ships in the Pacific or bombing bridges in 
Eastern Europe, even if dedicated squadrons would be more realistic.
  At routine travel speed, the engines burn 400 gallons of avgas per
hour. A full load of fuel and 12.7mm ammunition is $5,005.

Subassemblies: Body +5, six retractable Wheels +1, two STOL Wings +3,
  four Pods +3, full-rotation Turret +1. 
Powertrain: Four 2,000-kW aerial propellers; four 2,000-kW aerial
  turbocharged HP gas engines; 5,000-kWs lead-acid batteries.
Fuel: 12,000 gallons avgas (fire 14).
Occ: 7 RCS, 1 CCS [half in turret].

Armor       F    RL     B     T     U
Body:      3/6   3/6   3/6   3/6   3/6
Wheels:    3/6   3/6   3/6   3/6   3/6
Wings:     3/6   3/6   3/6   3/6   3/6
Pods:      3/6   3/6   3/6   3/6   3/6
Turrets:   3/6   3/6   3/6   3/6   3/6

Weaponry
Two 12.7mm HMGs [Bod:B] (320 rounds each) +0.*
Two 12.7mm HMGs [Tur1:F] (320 rounds each) +0.*
* Linked in pairs.

Equipment
  Body: Casemate mounts for two 12.7mm HMGs; 16,000-lb. weapon bay; 
two long-range radios; intercom; 10-mile radar, surface search, no 
targeting; set of navigation instruments; set of precision navigation 
instruments; IFF; autopilot; improved bombsight; advanced radar 
detector; sensitive radio direction finder; 8-man environmental 
controls. Pods: Fire extinguisher systems. Turret: Universal mounts for 
two 12.7mm HMGs. 

Statistics
Size: 100'x150'x30'   Payload: 48 tons     Lwt.: 80 tons
Volume: 4,100 cf      Maint.: 9 man-hrs.   Price: $3,761,688.1

HT: 8.   HP: 2,250 Body, 88 each Wheel, 900 each Wing, 225 each Pod,
             75 Turret

gSpeed: 150   gAccel: 10   gDecel: 10   gMR: 0.5   gSR: 3
Ground Pressure Extremely High. No Off-Road Speed.

aSpeed: 520   aAccel: 3   aDecel: 6   aMR: 2   aSR: 3
Stall Speed 140. Ceiling 8,000 yards.

Design Notes
  Body is 3,000 cf, with very good streamlining. Wheels are 150 cf, 
retract into wings and body. Wings are 300 cf. Pods are 120 cf each. 
Turret is 20 cf. Structure is medium and expensive. Armor is expensive 
metal. Sealed. Light, self-sealing tanks. Mechanical controls with 
duplicate maneuver controls. 131.555 cf empty space in body, 15.625 cf 
empty space in each pod and 2.605 cf empty space in each turret. 640 
rounds of 12.7mm AP in the turret and 640 rounds in the body. Empty 
weight is 64,000 lbs.
  The vehicle uses the design rules from GURPS Vehicles [2nd edition, 
3rd printing, Dec 2004 errata], WWII (only the aerial engine and cruise 
speed/fuel consumption rules, not the entire modular system), VXii (the 
armor volume, stall speed and ceiling rules), and the text format from 
Vehicles Lite. 


Next Week: An anachronistic helicopter.