Rules Only: Any advice on Aircraft Combat Rules in Traveller?

[Enoki]

Silliness aside I think you make a very valid point about aircraft performance. I'd never delved into the bomb load of the B17 B29 and Landcaster with a mind to a modern comparisson,

The B52, especially the next upgrade, is still a monster.

Even the B-45 Tornado puts WW 2 bombers to shame. The B-45 was the first serious jet bomber to go into service.

B-17 (1936 -) ~ 5,000 lbs. max for typical mission
B-29 (1943 -) ~ 12,000 lbs. max for typical mission
B-45 (1946 -) ~22,000 lbs. max for a typical mission

Basically, from the late 1930's bomb load for a typical "heavy" bomber was doubling every 5 years. Even if the bombs didn't change one bit, fewer and fewer bombers were needed to deliver a given payload and they were doing it flying faster and higher at the same time.