Bomb Bay hits

[GiftGruen]

Hello guys

while shooting down a bomber is a rather easy task( aiming for the motors seems to be the best idea to me ) I never managed to execute hits in the bomb bay so the whole thing explodes.

Did you? Is this effect modelled in IL2?

[Leifr]

1 hour ago, GiftGruen said:

Did you? Is this effect modelled in IL2?

No.

[Devil5O5]

On 4/19/2026 at 2:38 AM, GiftGruen said:

Hello guys

while shooting down a bomber is a rather easy task( aiming for the motors seems to be the best idea to me ) I never managed to execute hits in the bomb bay so the whole thing explodes.

Did you? Is this effect modelled in IL2?

I've blown up more than one Ju-88 with just the 12.7mm BS machine guns in my Moscow career. One of them was with just a single burst of the two cowl guns into the fuselage. So something there makes them go boom.  

[GiftGruen]

Hmm. So - yes ? Or no ?

[Boaty__McBoatFace]

2 hours ago, GiftGruen said:

Hmm. So - yes ? Or no ?

I'm unsure. With cannons I have certainly seen violently satisfying explosions on occasion where the thing just disintegrates. 

[CatteMoto]

I was flying an A20B on Combat Box a few weeks ago when some tracers zipped over my nose. Then suddenly I stopped existing 

 

I've done it a few times myself but it's very rare that a bomber just vaporizes unless an engine fire cooks too long

[MDzmitry]

5 часов назад, Boaty__McBoatFace сказал:

With cannons I have certainly seen violently satisfying explosions on occasion where the thing just disintegrates.

Same, but I think it's fuel tanks detonating. At least because my latest "disintegration" kill was a Bf 109 E, which had no bombs.

[Avimimus]

On 4/19/2026 at 8:39 AM, Leifr said:

No.

Are you sure about that?

That said - under what conditions would a WWII era bomb be detonated by an incoming round? Didn't quite a few bombers fly to the target with their bombs unarmed? Also most of them have a minimum flight distance before the bomb arms. So we're talking about penetrating the bomb casing with such force that it is able to detonate the filling directly.

Note: Gun ammunition detonating is more likely as I gather that the propellant charge in the cartridge tends to be more volatile than the high explosives. Usually when tanks 'cook off' it is the propellant - not the warheads themselves.

[BlitzPig_EL]

Hitting the onboard oxygen tanks might be exciting.

[Stonehouse]

Looking at the effects for air it doesn't appear to be specifically modelled. Fuel tank explosions, ammo box explosions and just a general aircraft exploding are modelled but nothing related directly to bombs exploding in the aircraft, nor O2 tanks exploding - which definitely was a real-life thing particularly for single seaters. They may be covered by the general aircraft explosion, but I don't think you can tell for sure with what we can access.

Certainly, if you look at the individual aircraft definitions you can see a section for fuel tank explosions

From the B26 definition

[Avimimus]

4 hours ago, Stonehouse said:

Looking at the effects for air it doesn't appear to be specifically modelled. Fuel tank explosions, ammo box explosions and just a general aircraft exploding are modelled but nothing related directly to bombs exploding in the aircraft, nor O2 tanks exploding - which definitely was a real-life thing particularly for single seaters. They may be covered by the general aircraft explosion, but I don't think you can tell for sure with what we can access.

Certainly, if you look at the individual aircraft definitions you can see a section for fuel tank explosions

From the B26 definition

 

Can we rule out the possibility bombs are their own objects - with their own capacity to explode independently? There are effects specified for each of the bombs.

In comparison, fuel-tanks are not existing as separate objects within the simulation, but only exist as part of the bomber itself.

[Leifr]

11 hours ago, Avimimus said:

Are you sure about that?

That said - under what conditions would a WWII era bomb be detonated by an incoming round? Didn't quite a few bombers fly to the target with their bombs unarmed? Also most of them have a minimum flight distance before the bomb arms. So we're talking about penetrating the bomb casing with such force that it is able to detonate the filling directly.

Note: Gun ammunition detonating is more likely as I gather that the propellant charge in the cartridge tends to be more volatile than the high explosives. Usually when tanks 'cook off' it is the propellant - not the warheads themselves.

Nothing happens to underslung bombs when rounds hit them in IL2, and I suspect therefore also that nothing happens to the internal loadouts. The detonations folk are seeing are probably fuel-tank, ammo or otherwise spectacular effects coming in to play.

[Stonehouse]

  

43 minutes ago, Avimimus said:

Can we rule out the possibility bombs are their own objects

 

Hard to say - the bomb definitions don't seem to have a damage model, at least that I recognise based on what an aircraft/vehicle damage model looks like. The parachute dropped containers sort of have one in they define the energy lost to a projectile hitting the container. The parachute has a simplistic one. The bomb definition does have two armor lines but I think they are defining the armor penetration characteristics possibly of the bomb itself ie considering it like a projectile itself......could easily be wrong about that though. Then you have the various hit effects eg explosion on water, ground, armor, building, metal, forest plus some catch all's like misc and a dummy.

eg french 20kg bomb 

Spoiler

Class_name = "CBallistics"
object_name = "BOMB_FRA_20kg"

//////    PhysicsBody properties
VisualImage=0,"graphics/Ammo/Bomb_115mm_20kg.mgm",false

VisualRadius=5

VisArg=100

NoDirecion=false
CalcWind=true
ProcessNetwork=true

Armor=-1,370,    14,14195,    6,28390,    0,56779
Armor=-1,50,                1,259,        0,1037

DefaultStartSpeed=0        //дефолтная начальная скорость, нужно устанавливать в 300 при "простреле" бомбы утилитой балистического калькулятора
MaxDistance=10000        //предельная дальность, дальше которой объект удалится
Mass=20                    //масса бомбы
Mkr=0.73                //значение числа Маха, после которого начинается повышение Cx до момента M=1, зависит от формы тела но не от размера
Mmax=1.7                //значение числа Маха, до которого завершается понижение Cx, начавшееся при M=1, зависит от формы тела но не от размера
Cx_0=0.13                //значение к-та сопротивления при (M <= Mkr), зависит от формы тела но не от размера
Cx_max=0.298            //значение к-та сопротивления при (M = 1), зависит от формы тела но не от размера
Cx_1=0.27                //значение к-та сопротивления при (M >= Mmax), зависит от формы тела но не от размера
R=0.09                    //радиус бомбы
KPhi=0.0575                //параметр скорости уменьшения угла атаки
KPhiAcc=0.0                //параметр ускорения уменьшения угла атаки
KJ=7                    //параметр общей калибровки уменьшения угла атаки
LiveTime=70                //время жизни объекта (если поставить MaxDistance=1000, то 4с)
TimeToDestroy=0            //время жизни объекта после попадания в скрытом состоянии, что бы трейл трассера не пропадал пока не расствориться

Spin=-1.5,1.5            //Rocket rotation angular speed random limits
Deviation=1                //Deviation of the thrust 
EngineThrust=0            //Engine power
EngineDuration=1000.0,1000.1    //Engine work time random limits

RNDWindFactor=0.05        //коэф-т бокового разброса
RNDWindChangeTimer=100.0    //таймер на смену к-та бокового разброса (можно сделать зиг-заг)

FuseArmDelay=-1            //Задержка до взведения взрывателя. Если <=0 то работает стандартный механизм вертушки (таск BOS-744). Если нет - фиксированное значение.
HitDefaultDelay=2        //Задержка до взрыва после попадания бомбы
ExplosionExternalControl=true    //Управляемая из GUI задержка взрыва

debug=false

// Настройки рикошета, рандомы тем меньше, чем тяжелее бомба
VelDecK = 1.0            // Коэфициент падения скорости при нулевом угле к поверхности, 0..1
VelDecKRnd = 0.2        // Рандом на него (равномерный в сторону уменьшения, значение задает нижнюю границу диапазона) -[0..1]*rnd
VelDirKRnd = 10.0        // Рандом изменения направления отскока по горизонтали, нормаьлное распределение, град
VelPitchKRnd = 0.3        // Коэффициент рандома изменения угла отскока по вертикали, +-[0..1]*rnd * УГОЛ, [0..1]
VelAngMax = 20.0        // Максимальный угол к поверхности для возможности рикошета, при этом угле скорость отскока =0, град
VelAngMaxRnd = 8.0        // Рандом на него (равномерный в сторону уменьшения, значение задает нижнюю границу диапазона) -[0..1]*rnd, град
VelXMin = 45.0            // Минимальная продольная состовляющая скорости для возможности рикошета, м/с
VelXMinRnd = 15.0        // Рандом на неё (равномерный в сторону уменьшения, значение задает нижнюю границу диапазона)  -[0..1]*rnd, м/с
OrientDev = 20.0        // максимальное отклонение ориентации от направления вектора скорости после рикошета, нормаьлное распределение, град

// эффекты падения бомбы

HitDummyEffect=""
HitMiscEffect="LuaScripts/WorldObjects/Explosions/Effects/hit_bomb_object.txt"
HitWaterEffect="LuaScripts/WorldObjects/Explosions/Effects/hit_bomb_water.txt"
HitGroundEffect="LuaScripts/WorldObjects/Explosions/Effects/hit_bomb_ground.txt"
HitArmorEffect="LuaScripts/WorldObjects/Explosions/Effects/hit_bomb_object.txt"
HitBuildingEffect="LuaScripts/WorldObjects/Explosions/Effects/hit_bomb_object.txt"
HitMetalEffect="LuaScripts/WorldObjects/Explosions/Effects/hit_bomb_object.txt"
HitForestEffect="LuaScripts/WorldObjects/Explosions/Effects/hit_bomb_object.txt"

//    взрывы от детонации бомбы

HitDummy="LuaScripts/WorldObjects/Explosions/Bombs/HE_115mm_20kg_12kg_object.txt"
HitMisc="LuaScripts/WorldObjects/Explosions/Bombs/HE_115mm_20kg_12kg_object.txt"
HitWater="LuaScripts/WorldObjects/Explosions/Bombs/HE_115mm_20kg_12kg_water.txt"
HitGround="LuaScripts/WorldObjects/Explosions/Bombs/HE_115mm_20kg_12kg_ground.txt"
HitArmor="LuaScripts/WorldObjects/Explosions/Bombs/HE_115mm_20kg_12kg_object.txt"
HitBuilding="LuaScripts/WorldObjects/Explosions/Bombs/HE_115mm_20kg_12kg_building.txt"
HitMetal="LuaScripts/WorldObjects/Explosions/Bombs/HE_115mm_20kg_12kg_object.txt"
HitForest="LuaScripts/WorldObjects/Explosions/Bombs/HE_115mm_20kg_12kg_object.txt"

 

Edited April 22 by Stonehouse
sorry notepad does weird stuff to Cyrillic so updated my cut and paste

[Gutholz]

The bombs are build to survive falls from several thousand meters. Some can go through layers of dirt or even concrete. Would cannons/machine guns really set them off?

Their round shape would lead to many rounds ricocheting maybe. If HE rounds explode in the bombbay or close to the wings then the aircraft is doomed anyway.💥

[GiftGruen]

Interesting discussion, thanks for all the answers.

yes, explosions as desintegrations of course I also already explored, but in a way that I‘d value them as fuel tank hits or something like this, cause it also happens if you bring down a fighter.

My question was motivated by Eric Browns Book, where I found an episode ( I think in the He111 chapter ) where he mentioned a bomber exploding in such a violent manner that wingmen planes also were destroyed.

So I tend to believe that something like this could happen in RL ( even beeing aware that also Eric Brown may not always beeing 100% correct ) and asked myself if this is modeled in GB.

Edited April 24 by GiftGruen

[Avimimus]

51 minutes ago, GiftGruen said:

Interesting discussion, thanks for all the answers.

yes, explosions as desintegrations of course I also already explored, but in a way that I‘d value them as fuel tank hits or something like this, cause it also happens if you bring down a fighter.

My question was motivated by Eric Browns Book, where I found an episode ( I think in the He111 chapter ) where he mentioned a bomber exploding in such a violent manner that wingmen planes also were destroyed.

So I tend to believe that something like this could happen in RL ( even beeing aware that also Eric Brown may not always beeing 100% correct ) and asked myself if this is modeled in GB.

 

I've often been taken out by debris form a disintegrating bomber in the sim. I wonder how close the formation was in the historical case being referred too though.

 

[Dash,Polder]

Well if the V-1 buzz bomb explodes... 

[Gutholz]

Yea, with the V1 it was a well known "problem" for fighters.

However normal bombers carried more exploside tonnage than a V1, yet somehow it does not come up often often. If you read those manuals for fighter pilots (for example "Schiessfiebel") they always put focus to get as close as possible during attacks. There is never a mention about watching out for exploding bombs. Of course flying debris/shrapnel can always cause problems randomly.

Maybe the V1 was different because it had a very thin wall for its warhead? (I remember few mm sheet metal but I could not find a source right now) Or because all the explosive was concentrated in a single warhead instead of spread into multiple bombs?

[MajorMagee]

The difference between the V1 and the Bombs in a bomber is that the Arming Wire was pulled on the launch pad for the V1. That started the other Safe Arm devices that would make the fuses fully active 7 minutes later. In a bomber the arming wires are attached to the airplane and are pulled as the bombs drop away. The bomb's other Safe Arm devices then activated the fuses in between the bomber and the ground.

The high explosive in both cases is rather insensitive to impact or fire, so will not explode without the fuse being active to initiate it.

 

Edited April 26 by MajorMagee

[MaxPower]

There are different bombs with different wall thicknesses as well.  But from my experience, bombs exploding in the bomb bay aren't a thing in the sim.  Aircraft that are destroyed by fuel tank explosions fall out of the sky with parts still attached.  aircraft involved in a head on midair disintegrate completely.  I don't think I've ever seen an aircraft completely disintegrate from gunfire, and that would be the expected behavior from x tons of bombs detonating inside the fuselage.

[migmadmarine]

I have seen a couple of cases of aircraft exploding to the point of full disintegration in sim, but it is rare. 

 

A little off topic, but I'll take the chance to relate a favorite story of mine from this sim. During a 109 career on Kuban, I was intercepting A-20s and flew close beneath one after a diving attack from astern. As I passed below it, my nose jerked up suddenly, but I kept control of the aircraft. Surprised, I paused and swapped to an external view, and after a moment I realized that the A-20 had jettisoned it's bomb load, and one of the bombs had struck my aft fuselage and rolled down the side, thankfully without hitting the horizontal stab or worse, fuzeing. 

[GiftGruen]

So we poor fighter pilots not only have to watch out for annoying tailgunners, they even throw bombs after us 🤕

[BlitzPig_EL]

Back in the original IL2 I was flying an IL2 armed with the VAP 250 incendiary canisters.  A 109 did a head on attack on me so I pulled up and pickled off the VAP 250s and deep fried him as he passed below me,  he was quite surprised.

[GiftGruen]

6 hours ago, BlitzPig_EL said:

Back in the original IL2 I was flying ….

Gosh. Friend - what‘s your age? 😶

Edited April 28 by GiftGruen

[AEthelraedUnraed]

57 minutes ago, GiftGruen said:

Gosh. Friend - what‘s your age? 😶

A quick calculation shows he's at least 100.

Unless of course he's talking about the original IL2 *game*. In which case he can be anywhere from his mid-30s upward.