Just picked up an Academy 1/144 scale B-47 and it got me to thinking. I know that on many of the cold war bombers (B-47, B-36 , et al) they had this “Anti-flash” paint job which was basically the white underbelly. What was the purpose of this? Was the white paint supposed to reflect the flash of the nuke as the plane was turning away? I just thought it was interesting because as most everyone knows, the anti-glare panel in front of the pilot is usually black or OD. I figured, if they paint the anti-glare panel black or OD to keep the sun from glaring in the pilot’s eyes, why didn’t they paint the bottom the same color (assuming that was the same purpose of the white underbelly).
Yes, the white was supposed to reflect the energy away. Anti-glare panels work in the opposite fashion by absorbing (for lack of a better word) the light and not letting it disperse, ie. blinding the pilot. Anti-glare panels can be any dark, matte colour. Black is just the best. In WWII they were OD.
Good point. I never really thought of them as “reflecting” it away. It does seem to play a different roll other than being an “anti-glare” device. I wonder how much the anti-flash paint scheme really worked. I always figured if you were close enough to a nuclear blast then you had other problems to deal with other than the light.
Its always been to my understanding that the anti flash white that was applied overall to the British V-Bombers was a lead chromate based paint that shielded the crew and other internal things from the radiation, more or less like the heavy apron the dentist puts on you when they x-ray your teeth.
Did anti flash white paint actually have a special composition like what I’ve heard?
I seriously doubt that. Think about the typical anti-radiation apperal. If they were able to produce something so thin with all the right qualities then you wouldn’t have to wear that 10 ton apron in the dentist chair (which is for xray any ways.) let alone keep radioactive active stuff in lead lined rooms.
The white in reality as best as my understanding was to reflect the heat and light generated by the fireball. Basic color physics - white reflects all colors along all spectrums where as black works the opposite. Also note that gloss white works best for reflection as matte white is too diffuse (hills and vallies to trap and disperse light wave energy).
Don’t know if it worked or not. None of the bombers used in the tests crashed because of the flash to the best of my knowledge. The actual shockwave may have caused more damage along with the EMP. I don’t know what effect the EMP had on the electronics because they were mostly vacuum tubes.
Also, the gloss finish would be easier to wash down IF the bomber made it back.
I did hear that up until recently all Russian aircraft electronics were based on tubes, because of EMP, not sure how true that is, but, look at the size of say, a Foxbat. Add the fact that most of their interceptors were guided from the ground, and it begins to have a ring of truth to it.
I mentioned this in another thread, but there was a proposal to hang Folland Gnats under Vulcan wings for self defence on the way in, not sure what colour they would be??!!
Pete