Trivia

Hard

The Underside Of Nuclear Bombers Are Traditionally Painted What Color?

Pale Pink
Gloss White
Matte Black
Light Blue
A Boeing B-52D next to a GAM-72 Quail decoy missile and trailer.
United States Government/Wikimedia

Answer: Gloss White

Many nuclear bombers in the United States Air Force, Navy, and other air forces around the world are painted a brilliant gloss white on the underside (and often in entirety).

The purpose of this paint scheme is not to camouflage the plane in any way (although over the years some military aircraft have had their undersides painted soft blues and pinks in order to blend in with the sky). The purpose is belied by the name of the paint, “anti-flash white”. The paint is intended to reflect some of the thermal radiation from nuclear explosions to protect the aircraft and its occupants.

This is, interestingly enough, the exact same reason the Concorde was painted gloss white: to deal with thermal radiation. In the case of the Concorde, however, one of the two main sources was much more distant and much less intense than a nuclear weapon. The planes were painted white to help keep them cool as they baked in the heat of the Sun and picked up aerodynamic heating due to supersonic flight at Mach 2.

More Trivia Questions

Trivia

Hard

The Most Snake Infested Place On Earth Is Located In?

Trivia

Very Hard

Three Entirely Non-Canonical Legend Of Zelda Games Were Created For Which Video Game System?

Trivia

Hard

The Introduction Of What Led To A Significant Rise In U.S. IQ Levels?

Trivia

Hard

The Top Power Producing Facility In The World Is Powered By?

Trivia

Hard

Photo Lab Printers Are Calibrated Using A Tool Known As A?

Trivia

Hard

“Buck”, The Common Slang Term For U.S. Dollars, Originated With Which Of These Industries?

Trivia

Easy

MP3, The Ubiquitous File Type, Stands For What?

Trivia

Hard

Before Star Trek, Multiple Cast Members Appeared On Another Space-Themed Show Called?

Trivia

Hard

The Largest Working Musical Instrument In The World Is Located In?

Trivia

Hard

When A TV Character Vanishes From A Series Without Mention, They’ve Fallen Victim To?