CAC MB-38 'Sky Drummer' Medium Bomber
After the Alaska War of 1935 against the USSR, Cascadia came to conclude that they were in dire need of a new bomber. While the earlier MB-33 Sentinel had proven itself during the conflict, its thin construction made it vulnerable to Soviet flak and it lacked decent point-defense capabilities due to relying on a single rear turret.
As Cascadia began preparations to assist the Axis by staging an invasion of the United States, Vancouver looked to the newly-formed Cascade Aeronautic Company for a possible solution to their bomber problem. CAC was eventually able to draft a new twin-engine medium bomber, known in-house as the 'Sky Drummer.' The design managed to cover most of the Sentinel's problems; a thicker, tougher shell, three turrets (one on the roof, one at the rear, and one at the front) instead of one, and a bigger payload. The plane was put on trial in 1937 at the Warm Springs Proving Grounds in Madras, Warm Springs province, where it went up against three other competing designs, including one from Boeing, and a home-grown draft copy of the Junkers JU-52. Complexities of the Junkers copy, the Boeing design breaking a control surface and diving into the ground (the crew somehow managed to survive the crash), and the final design's wings getting ripped off during takeoff, the CAC design won and was adopted into the Cascadian military as the MB-38 Sky Drummer.
After World War II broke out, followed by the Japanese betraying Cascadia and invading the Aleutian Islands, the Sky Drummer soon saw service flying into the Pacific to attack Japanese fortifications and shipping lanes. As the Allies hopped across each island they hit, Sky Drummers were quick to follow alongside America's own designs, helping to fill gaps wherever needed when ordinance needed to be dropped on something. The Sky Drummer ultimately served to the war's end, and even went on to serve in Korea where it proved invaluable in blasting Chinese supply lines.
Ultimately though, the Sky Drummer was fazed out in 1953 after the Korean War, serving a whopping 15 years worth of service. Roughly 6,500 Sky Drummers were manufactured for the war effort. While some were converted to be used in short-medium haul passenger flights (not very cozy), most were sent away to be cut up for scrap. However, five unconverted Sky Drummers were lucky enough to be spared the cutter's torch, with one eventually landing in the Erickson Collection in Madras. Another, alongside a unit converted for passenger service, would go on to land in the Evergreen Aviation Museum. Ultimately, the MB-38 Sky Drummer is a valuable piece of Cascadian aviation history, one which could've gone down a completely different path...
Controls:
Group 1 - Toggle bow/roof turrets
Group 2 - Toggle rear turret
Group 3 - Release bombs
VTOL slider - Bay doors. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THEM OPEN!
Specifications
Spotlights
- M107AA12BFG50 3.0 years ago
General Characteristics
- Created On Windows
- Wingspan 51.4ft (15.7m)
- Length 47.5ft (14.5m)
- Height 12.4ft (3.8m)
- Empty Weight 15,293lbs (6,937kg)
- Loaded Weight 17,930lbs (8,132kg)
Performance
- Horse Power/Weight Ratio 0.223
- Wing Loading 35.0lbs/ft2 (170.9kg/m2)
- Wing Area 512.3ft2 (47.6m2)
- Drag Points 5627
Parts
- Number of Parts 82
- Control Surfaces 8
- Performance Cost 529
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