List of United States bomber aircraft explained

This is a list of United States bomber aircraft, including those with the capability of bombing, meaning aircraft such as strike aircraft (also known as tactical bombers) and torpedo bombers are included.

1915–1935 (First Flight)

width=40%	Name & Role!	Year of first flight	Introduction	Status	Number built	Photo
Airco DH.4	1917		retired 1932
Curtiss Model H patrol flying boat	1917		Retired
Curtiss HS patrol flying boat	1917		Retired
Curtiss F5L patrol flying boat	1918		Retired
Martin MBT/MT	1918		Retired
Consolidated P2Y patrol flying boat	1929		retired 1941
Bellanca 77-140 medium bomber	1934		retired 1942
Consolidated PBY Catalina maritime patrol flying boat/amphibian	1935		retired 1980s	ca.
Curtiss A-3/A-4 Falcon attack/light bomber	1924		retired 1937
Curtiss A-8 attack/light bomber	1931		retired 1939
Curtiss A-12 Shrike attack/light bomber	1933		retired 1942
Curtiss XA-14 attack/light bomber	1935		retired prototype
Curtiss A-18 Shrike attack/light bomber	1935		retired 1943
Curtiss B-2 Condor heavy bomber	1929		retired 1934
Curtiss BF2C Goshawk fighter-bomber	1933		retired 1949
Curtiss CS torpedo bomber	1923		Retired
Curtiss T-32 Condor II bomber/transport	1933		Retired
Douglas DT torpedo bomber	1921		Retired
Douglas B-18 Bolo medium bomber	1935		retired 1946
Douglas Y1B-7 heavy bomber	1931		retired prototype
Fokker XB-8 heavy bomber	1929		retired prototype
Great Lakes BG dive bomber	1933		retired 1941
Huff-Daland XB-1 heavy bomber	1927		retired prototype
Keystone B-3 light bomber	1929		retired 1940
Keystone B-4 heavy bomber	1930		retired
Keystone B-5 heavy bomber	1929		retired
Keystone B-6 heavy bomber	1931		retired
Martin NBS-1 night bomber	1920		retired 1929
Martin T3M torpedo bomber	1926		retired 1932
Martin T4M torpedo bomber	1927		retired 1938
Martin B-10 & related heavy bomber	1932		retired 1949
Curtiss SBC Helldiver dive bomber	1935		retired 1943
Douglas TBD Devastator torpedo bomber	1935		retired 1944
Northrop A-17 attack bomber	1935		retired 1944
Northrop BT dive bomber	1935		retired 1941
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber	1935^[1]	1938	retired 1959

1936–1945 (First Flight)

width=40%	Name!	Year of first flight	Retired/Status	Number built	Photo
Beechcraft XA-38 Grizzly medium/attack bomber	1944	retired prototype
Boeing B-29 Superfortress/Washington heavy bomber	1942	retired 1960
Boeing Model 306 heavy bomber	n/a	abandoned 1935 project
Boeing XB-15 heavy bomber	1937	retired prototype 1944
Boeing XB-38 Flying Fortress heavy bomber	1943	Lost 1943 project cancelled
Boeing XB-39 Superfortress heavy bomber	1944	retired prototype
Boeing XF8B fighter bomber	1944	retired prototype
Boeing XPBB Sea Ranger maritime patrol bomber	1942	retired prototype
Brewster SB2A Buccaneer scout bomber	1941	retired 1944
Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber	1939	retired 1968	^[2]
Consolidated B-32 Dominator heavy bomber	1942	retired 1945
Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer patrol bomber	1943	retired 1962
Consolidated PB2Y Coronado maritime patrol flying boat	1937	retired 1945
Consolidated XP4Y Corregidor maritime patrol flying boat	1939	retired prototype
Curtiss SB2C Helldiver/A-25 Shrike dive bomber	1940	retired 1959
Curtiss XBTC torpedo bomber	1945	retired prototype
Curtiss XSB3C dive bomber	n/a	abandoned 1941 project
Douglas A-1 Skyraider attack aircraft	1945	retired 1985
Douglas A-20 Havoc medium bomber	1939	retired 1949
Douglas A-26 Invader medium bomber	1942	retired 1980
Douglas XB-19 heavy bomber	1941	retired prototype
Douglas XB-22 medium bomber	n/a	abandoned project
Douglas B-23 Dragon medium bomber	1939	retired
Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber	1940	retired 1959
Douglas BTD Destroyer torpedo bomber/dive bomber	1943	retired 1945
Douglas XTB2D Skypirate torpedo bomber	1945	retired prototype
Grumman Avenger torpedo bomber	1941	retired 1966
Grumman AF Guardian anti-submarine aircraft	1945	retired 1955	^[3]
Grumman XTB2F torpedo bomber	n/a	abandoned 1944 project
Hall XPTBH torpedo bomber	1937	retired prototype
Kaiser-Fleetwings XBTK torpedo/dive bomber – prototype	1945	project scrapped 1946
Lockheed Hudson medium bomber/maritime patrol	1938	retired 1948
Lockheed P2V Neptune maritime patrol	1945	retired 1984
Lockheed Ventura/Harpoon medium bomber/maritime patrol	1941	retired 1974
Lockheed XB-30 heavy bomber – project	n/a	abandoned project
Martin B-26 Marauder medium bomber	1940	retired 1946
Martin Baltimore medium bomber	1941	retired 1949
Martin PBM Mariner maritime patrol	1939	retired 1964
Martin Maryland medium bomber/reconnaissance bomber	1939	retired 1945
Martin AM Mauler attack aircraft	1944	retired 1953
Martin XB-27 heavy bomber	n/a	abandoned project
Martin XB-33 Super Marauder heavy bomber	n/a	abandoned project
Naval Aircraft Factory SBN dive bomber	1936	retired 1942
North American A-27 attack	1940	retired 1941
North American T-6 Texan light attack	1940	retired	^[4]
North American XB-21 medium bomber	1936	retired prototype
North American B-25 Mitchell medium bomber	1940	retired 1979
North American XB-28 medium bomber	1942	retired prototype
Northrop N-3PB patrol bomber	1940	retired 1943
Republic P-47 fighter-bomber	1941	retired 1966	^[5]
Vought F4U Corsair fighter-bomber	1940	retired 1979
Vought SB2U Vindicator/Chesapeake dive bomber	1936	retired 1945
Vought TBU/Consolidated TBY Sea Wolf torpedo bomber	1941	retired 1948
Vultee A-31/A-35 Vengeance dive bomber	1941	retired 1945

1946–current

width=40%	Name of Bomber!	Year of first flight	Retired/Status	Number built	bombload (kg)	Photo
Boeing B-47 Stratojet strategic bomber	1947	retired 1977
Boeing B-50 Superfortress strategic bomber	1947	retired 1965
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress strategic bomber	1952	operational
Boeing XB-54 strategic bomber	n/a	abandoned 1948 project
Boeing XB-56 strategic bomber	n/a	abandoned 1950 project
Boeing XB-59 strategic bomber	n/a	abandoned 1952 project
Cessna A-37 Dragonfly light attack aircraft	1963	retired
Convair B-36 Peacemaker heavy bomber	1946	retired 1959
Convair B-58 Hustler strategic bomber	1956	retired 1970
Convair XB-46 heavy bomber	1947	retired prototype
Convair YB-60 heavy bomber	1952	retired prototype
Douglas A2D Skyshark attack aircraft	1950	retired prototype
Douglas A-3 Skywarrior strategic bomber	1956	retired 1991
Douglas A-4 Skyhawk attack aircraft	1954	retired
Douglas B-66 Destroyer tactical bomber	1954	retired 1973
Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft	1972	operational
General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark medium bomber	1967	retired 1998
Grumman A-6 Intruder attack aircraft	1960	retired 1997
Grumman F9F Panther fighter-bomber	1947	retired 1969
Grumman OV-1 Mohawk light attack	1959	retired 1996
Grumman S-2 Tracker anti-submarine aircraft	1952	retired 1976
Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk stealth attack aircraft	1981	retired 2008
Lockheed P-3 Orion/CP-140 Aurora/Arcturus maritime patrol	1959	operational
Lockheed S-3 Viking anti-submarine aircraft	1972	retired
Martin B-57 Canberra reconnaissance bomber	1953	retired	^[6]
Martin P4M Mercator maritime patrol	1946	retired 1960
Martin P5M Marlin maritime patrol	1948	retired 1967
Martin P6M SeaMaster strategic bomber	1955	retired 1959
Martin XB-48 medium bomber	1947	retired prototype
Martin XB-51 attack bomber	1949	retired prototype
McDonnell Douglas A-12 Avenger II attack aircraft	n/a	abandoned 1983 project
McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II attack aircraft	1978	operational
McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II fighter-bomber	1958	retired 2016
McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet fighter/attack aircraft	1978	operational
North American A-5 Vigilante reconnaissance bomber	1958	retired 1980
North American AJ/A-2 Savage nuclear attack bomber	1948	retired 1964
North American B-45 Tornado reconnaissance bomber	1947	retired 1959
North American Rockwell OV-10 Bronco light attack	1965	operational
North American T-28 Trojan light attack	1949	retired 1994
North American XA2J Super Savage bomber	1952	retired prototype
North American XB-70 Valkyrie strategic bomber prototype	1964	retired prototype
Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit stealth bomber	1989	operational
Northrop YA-9 attack aircraft	1972	retired prototype
Northrop YB-35 heavy bomber	1946	retired prototype
Northrop YB-49 heavy bomber	1947	retired prototype
Piper PA-48 Enforcer counter-insurgency/attack aircraft	1971	retired prototype
Republic F-84 Thunderjet fighter-bomber	1946	retired 1973
Republic F-84F Thunderstreak fighter-bomber	1954	retired 1991
Republic F-105 Thunderchief fighter-bomber	1955	retired 1984
Rockwell B-1 Lancer strategic bomber	1974	operational, to be retired by 2036
Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider stealth bomber	2023	in development

See also

• Bomber
• List of bomber aircraft
• List of military aircraft of the United States
• Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider, US heavy bomber under development

Bibliography

• Book: Andrade, John M. . U.S. Military Aircraft Designations and Serials Since 1909 . Midland Counties Publications . 1979 . 978-0-904597-22-6.
• Book: Fahey, James C.. James C. Fahey

. 1946 . U.S. Army Aircraft 1908–1946 . James C. Fahey.

• Book: Jane's American Fighting Aircraft of the 20th Century . Michael J.H. Taylor . 1991 . Mallard Press . New York, NY . 978-0-7924-5627-8.

Notes and References

1. Web site: B-17G Flying Fortress . 2023-12-31 . Air Mobility Command Museum . en-US.
2. Production figure includes aircraft used as transports
3. Production figure includes AEW variant
4. Production figure includes trainers
5. Production figure includes fighters or other non-bomber variants
6. Production figure includes reconnaissance variants