Editing Consolidated B-24 Liberator (section)

{{Short description|1939 bomber aircraft family by Consolidated Aircraft}}
{{Redirect|B-24}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox aircraft
| name = B-24 Liberator
| image = File:Maxwell B-24 (cropped).jpg
| image_caption = [[United States Army Air Forces]] Consolidated B-24D Liberator over [[Maxwell AFB|Maxwell Field]], Alabama
| aircraft_type = {{Plainlist|
* [[Heavy bomber]]
* [[Anti-submarine warfare]]
* [[Maritime patrol aircraft]]}}
| manufacturer = [[Consolidated Aircraft]]
| designer = 
| first_flight = 29 December 1939
| introduction = 1941
| retired = 1968 ([[Indian Air Force]])<ref>Bhargava, Kapil, Group Captain (ret'd). "[http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/Aircraft/Liberator.html India's Reclaimed B-24 Bombers]". {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091212001649/http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/Aircraft/Liberator.html |date=12 December 2009 }} ''bharat-rakshak.com''. Retrieved: 16 June 2010.</ref>
| primary_user = [[United States Army Air Forces]] <!-- List only one user; for military aircraft, this is a nation or a service arm. Please DON'T add flag templates, as they limit horizontal space. -->
| more_users = {{Plainlist|
* [[United States Navy]]
* [[Royal Air Force]]
* [[Royal Australian Air Force]] <!-- Limited to THREE (3) 'more users' here (4 total users). -->}}
| produced = 1940–1945
| number_built = 18,188<ref>Munson, Kenneth, "Bombers 1939-45, Patrol and Transport Aircraft", Macmillan Publishing Company, Inc., New York, Blandford Press Ltd., 1969, LCCN 77-92035, page 156.</ref>
| developed_from = 
| variants = {{Plainlist|
* [[Consolidated C-87 Liberator Express]]
* [[Consolidated Liberator I]]}}
| developed_into = {{Plainlist|
* [[Consolidated R2Y]]
* [[Consolidated B-32 Dominator]]
* [[Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer]]}}
}}

The '''Consolidated B-24 Liberator''' is an American [[heavy bomber]], designed by [[Consolidated Aircraft]] of [[San Diego, California]]. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models designated as various LB-30s, in the Land Bomber design category.

At its inception, the B-24 was a modern design featuring a highly efficient shoulder-mounted, high aspect ratio [[Davis wing]]. The wing gave the Liberator a high cruise speed, long [[Range (aeronautics)|range]] and the ability to carry a heavy [[Aerial bomb|bomb]] load. In comparison with its contemporaries, the B-24 was relatively difficult to fly and had poor low-speed performance; it also had a lower [[Ceiling (aeronautics)|ceiling]] and was less robust than the [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress]]. While [[Aircrew#Military|aircrew]]s tended to prefer the B-17, [[General Staff]] favored the B-24 and procured it in huge numbers for a wide variety of roles.<ref>{{cite book |last=Birdsall |date=1968 |title=Famous Aircraft: The B-24 Liberator}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/2017/06/30/boeing-b-17-flying-fortress-vs-the-consolidated-b-24-liberator/ |title=The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress vs. the Consolidated B-24 Liberator|website=warfarehistorynetwork.com|date=30 June 2017 }}</ref> At approximately 18,500 units – including 8,685 manufactured by [[Ford Motor Company]] – it holds records as the world's [[List of most-produced aircraft|most produced]] bomber, heavy bomber, multi-engine aircraft, and American military aircraft in history.

The B-24 was used extensively in [[World War II]] where it served in every branch of the American armed forces, as well as several [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] air forces and navies. It saw use in every theater of operations. Along with the B-17, the B-24 was the mainstay of the US [[strategic bombing]] campaign in the [[European theatre of World War II|Western European]] theater. Due to its range, it proved useful in bombing operations in the [[Pacific War|Pacific]], including the bombing of [[Japan]]. Long-range [[Anti-submarine warfare|anti-submarine]] Liberators played an instrumental role in closing the [[Mid-Atlantic gap]] in the [[Battle of the Atlantic]]. The [[Consolidated C-87 Liberator Express|C-87 transport derivative]] served as a longer range, higher capacity counterpart to the [[Douglas C-47 Skytrain]].

By the end of World War II, the technological breakthroughs of the [[Boeing B-29 Superfortress]] and other modern types had surpassed the bombers that served from the start of the war. The B-24 was rapidly phased out of U.S. service, although the [[Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer|PB4Y-2 Privateer]] [[Maritime patrol aircraft|maritime patrol]] derivative carried on in service with the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] in the [[Korean War]].