Editing Lockheed XB-30 (section)

==Design and development==
Around 1938, General [[Henry H. Arnold|Henry H. "Hap" Arnold]], the head of the [[United States Army Air Corps]], was growing alarmed at the possibility of war in Europe and in the Pacific. Hoping to be prepared for the long-term requirements of the Air Corps, Arnold created a special committee chaired by Brigadier General [[Walter G. Kilner]]; one of its members was [[Charles Lindbergh]]. After a tour of ''[[Luftwaffe]]'' bases, Lindbergh became convinced that [[Nazi Germany]] was far ahead of other European nations.

In a 1939 report, the committee made a number of recommendations, including development of new long-range heavy bombers. When war broke out in Europe, Arnold requested design studies from several companies on a Very Long-Range bomber capable of traveling {{convert|5000|miles|km}}. Approval was granted on 2 December 1939.

Based on the design of the [[Lockheed L-049 Constellation|Lockheed L-049]] (subsequently adopted by the [[United States Army Air Forces]] as the [[Lockheed C-69 Constellation|C-69]]), the L-249 never progressed past the design stage, mainly because [[Boeing]] had a head start with its [[Boeing B-29 Superfortress]] {{citation needed|date=January 2024}}, using the same [[Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone]] radials as the XB-30 was intended to use. Only a scale model was built. Retaining the wings and tail surfaces of the Model 49, the Model 249-58-01 was to have had a new fuselage with up to six gun turrets (one in the nose, two above and two below the fuselage, and one in the tail) housing ten .50-caliber guns—twinned up in each turret for the nose, dorsal, and ventral emplacements; and one 20-mm cannon for the tail defensive position. Ventral bomb bays were to accommodate eight {{convert|2000|lb|kg|abbr=on}} bombs.