The B36 could carry WWII era 26,000 lb Grand Slam bombs. Built by Wallis of dambuster fame. B52 should be able to do the same since early nukes were that heavy. B1 as well - they have a longer bomb bay.
Diameter of the MOAB?
“The B36 could carry WWII era 26,000 lb Grand Slam bombs. Built by Wallis of dambuster fame. B52 should be able to do the same since early nukes were that heavy. B1 as well - they have a longer bomb bay.” [Robert A Cook PE, post 21]
Initial design of the B-36 dates to 1941. The dimensions of early atomic bombs played no role in design considerations. It proved adaptable because of its very large size, required principally to hold all the fuel required to fly 10,000 miles.
Initial design of the B-52 dates to1947, but many dimensional details were not finalized until the early 1950s. By then, the hydrogen bomb was a reality: the first B-52 flight and the first hydrogen bomb test detonation were both accomplished in 1952. Reduction in weapon case size was already under way; the B-52 did not begin to enter the operational USAF inventory until 1955.
The B-1B is equipped with three stores bays, with a bulkhead between two that is repositionable to a limited extent (allows for different length launchers). Total length is somewhat longer than that single weapons bay of the B-52, but interior space is no greater. Munitions must be configured in a much more closely-packed fashion - far more “dense” than the B-52. Which enables the B-1B to carry a greater total weight.