Tutorial: Intermediate
Bombs are free falling projectilles without any propellant, instead gaining speed from its launch-vehicle and the force of gravity. All the space usually reserved for propellant is free to be filled with explosives, making a more powerful weapon than missiles in same weight class.
Before we start - make sure that you know what the main purpose of your vehicle is - most of the time we can find them in strategic bombers, tactical bombers and fighters, and sometimes even in helicopters.
Bombs are heavy - from 50kg to 1000kg. Their extreme weight limits their numbers, which is why you have to use them wisely. First what you have to do is to check what the load capacity of your plane is - most of the time it depends on the weight of your baseplate. Try to put bomb racks as close as possible to the center of mass of your vehicle - there is no bomber in real life with 1000kg bombs on the wingtips, and there must be a reason :)
Usually a big 2 or 4 engine bomber. The best examples are planes like B-25, B-17 or Lancaster. Strategic Bombers usually have a large load capacity along with a large base weight. Due to the extreme weight its agility suffers, so you will be flying straight most of the time.
There are 3 weight classes of strategic bomber - most of the time it based on load capacity rather than its weight:
- Heavy bomber - Big 4+ engine bomber with more than 5000kg load capacity.
example
- Medium Bomber - Usually a two-engine bomber with 1000-5000kg load capacity - its more agile than heavy
example
- Light bomber - One or Two-engine bomber with a maximum of 1000kg load capacity - usually as agile as an fighter.
Looks like a fighter but much slower and heavier. Usually carries 1-3 bombs, some of them even carrying a big 500kg bomb. It's a good plane class if you're looking for a tank buster, but because of its low speed, it's an easy target for Anti-air artillery.
Most of the time it's just a modified light/medium two-engine strategic bomber (for example the Bristol Beaufighter or some B-25 versions) or other two-engine planes (Messerschmitt Bf-110 etc). A very similar class to the tactical bomber, but its main weapon are usually cannons or machineguns - some of them even mount 75mm howitzers. This plane-type mostly uses small 50kg or 100kg bombs as secondary armaments or unguided rockets and even ATGMs - sometimes it can carry anti air weapons for self defence. The difference vs a light bomber is that bombers don't have guns controlled by the pilot.
Its main purpose is to intercept enemy planes - sometimes carries small bombs (like 100kg) if any at all. A fighter typically doesn't carry bombs as they're ineffective air-to-air weapons and will explode if struck by gunfire during a dogfight.