Bomber

A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground targets.

• Bombers are primarily designed for long-range strike missions against strategic targets such as supply bases, bridges, factories, and shipyards. Examples: B-52 Stratofortress, [Tu-16 Badger]?, B-25 Mitchell

• Ground-Attack (or close-support) aircraft are designed to loiter over a battlefield and attack tactical targets, such as tanks, troop concentrations, etc. Examples: [A-10 Warthog]?, [Su-25 Frogfoot]?

• Attack aircraft (aka fighter-bombers) are multirole combat aircraft which can be equipped for either air-to-air combat or air-to-ground combat. Examples: [FA-18 Hornet]?

Bombers often have some defensive armament, but they are not designed to engage in combat with other aircraft. They are relatively large, slow, and unmaneuverable. If enemy air opposition is expected, bombers must be escorted. Attack aircraft are smaller, faster, and more maneuverable, but still less-so than a fighter? when armed for an air-to-ground mission, and they do not have enough air-to-air weaponry for protracted combat unless loaded-out for an air-to-air mission.

(insert a bit here about the development of bombers)

(dive-bombers, torpedo-bombers, strategic bombers, stealth bombers, low-level bombing, carpet-bombing, air-launched cruise-missiles)

See also: Bomb?, Kamikaze, cruise missile