United States' Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber

Photos

Boeing YB-29 Superfortress bomber:	Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, Enola Gay:	Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber:	Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber:
Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber:	Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber:	Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber:	Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber:
Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber:	Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber:	Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, Enola Gay:	Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber:
Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber:	Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber:	Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber:	Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber:
Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber:	Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber:	Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber:	Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber:
Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber:	Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber:	Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber:	Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber:
Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber:	Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, 52nd Squadron:	Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, Capt. Townsend taking off:	Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, Capt. Townsend taking off:
Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, Capt. Townsend taking off:	Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, Capt. Townsend taking off:	Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, Dinah Might, which was the first to land on Iwo Jima on March 4, 1945:	Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, at Dudkundi base:
Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers in the factory:	Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber in India:	Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber in the Korean War:	Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber passing Mt. Fuji on the first Tokyo raid after the Doolittle raid, November 24, 1944:
Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber refueling a F-86:	Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber and a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress:		Nose Art on B-29 Superfortresses
Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber:	Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber:

Design

In 1940 the US Army Air Corps put out a requirement for a "hemisphere defense weapon."² It was to carry 2,000 lb / 907 kg of bombs at 400 mph / 644 kph for 5,333 miles / 8,582 km.² After Pearl Harbor the project was given priority.²

Originally it was intended to bomb Germany from the United States.¹

Was first bomber to be pressurized.^1,3,4 There was a tunnel that went over the bomb bay that connected the cabin with the rear area.¹ Bunks were located in the rear area for the crew on long missions.¹ There were two bomb bays that had winches to hoist the bombs.¹

During take-off there was a retractable bumper that helped protect the tail.¹ The B-29 had a tricycle undercarraige.³

$3 billion had been spent before the first plane flew.¹

Prototype

On August 24, 1940, two prototypes were ordered to be built.⁴ The XB-29 first flew on September 21, 1942.^2,3,4 Eddie Allen flew the first prototype.⁴

The second prototype flew on February 18, 1943, and crashed on landing after a fire started in an engine.⁴ Allen was at the controls and died with the eleven Boeing technicians on the prototype.⁴

Production

An initial order for 500 B-29s was placed in 1941.⁴ An order for 1,000 B-29s was placed in September 1942.⁴

The B-29s were produced at Boeing Wichita, Bell Atlantic, Martin Omaha, and Boeing in Renton.^2,4very Production started in late 1943.³

• Boeing XB-29: 3³
• Boeing YB-29: 14³
• Boeing B-29: 2,513³
  • Boeing Wichita: 1,620³
  • Boeing Renton: 536³
  • Bell: 357³
• Boeing B-29A: 1,119 at Boeing Renton³
• Boeing B-29B: 311 at Bell³
• Total: 3,960³, 3,970^2,4
  • Manufacturer: Boeing Aircraft Company⁴

Variants

• Boeing XB-29: Prototype.²
• Boeing YB-29: Pre-production.²
• Boeing B-29A-BN: Increased wingspan and added a forward four gun upper turret.^2,3
• Boeing B-29B-BA: Had fewer guns which allowed for a larger bomb load.^2,3
• Boeing B-29-45-MO: Modified to carry atomic bombs.²
• Boeing KB-29: After World War II, was first flying refueling tanker.¹

Usage

Pacific

It was decided to use the B-29s only in the Pacific against the Japanese.²

First use in China and India

The XX Bomber Command used the B-29s first from China and India.² The B-29 equipped four groups.³

The 58th Very Heavy Bombardment Wing received the first YB-29s in July 1943.^2,4 B-29-BWs arrived three months later.²

Bangkok Raid

On June 5, 1944 the first raid on Bangkok was conducted by four groups that had moved to India in early 1944.^2,3,4 On June 15, 1944 the B-29s bombed the Japanese mainland.^2,3,4

Mariana Island Bases

B-29s started missions from the Mariana Islands in October 1944.³

2nd Tokyo Raid

On November 24, 1944, B-29s attacked Tokyo for the first time since the Doolittle raid in 1942.⁴

Low Level Raids

The bombing campaign against mainland Japan wasn't very success by attacking from high level raids.² On March 9, 1945 the raids were switch to low-level incendiary raids.²

Atomic Bombs

The 393rd Bomb Squadron dropped an atomic bomb ("Little Boy") on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, at 8:15 AM from the "Enola Gay."^2,4 On August 9, 1945 Fat Boy was dropped on Nagasaki by the "Bockscar".²

Korea

Only the F-86 Sabre shot down more enemy aircraft than the B-29.¹

Usage by the United Kingdom

Was called the Washington.¹ 88 were flown by the Royal Air Force (RAF).³

Usage by Russia

Three B-29s had crashed in Russian territory in 1944.⁴ The Tu-4 bomber was copied from the B-29 by the Tupolev design bureau.¹

End of Service

The B-29s were finally withdrawn from active service in the late 1950s.⁴

Specifications

	Boeing B-29 Superfortress1,3	Boeing B-29A Superfortress2,4
Type	Long-range strategic bomber1 Heavy bomber3	Bomber4, Heavy bomber2
Crew	10-111, 10-143 Pilots (2), bombardier, navigator, flight engineer, radio operator, radar operator, central gunner, left gunner, right gunner, tail gunner1	102,4
Engine (Type)	4: Wright R-3350 Cyclone 18 turbo charged piston1 4: Wright R-3350-23, -51, -57 Cyclone3	4: Wright R-3350 Cyclone4 4: Wright R-3350-57 piston2
Cylinders	Radial1, Radial 183	Radial2, Radial 184
Cooling		Air4
HP	2,200 each1,3	2,200 each2,4
Propeller blades	4 each3
Dimensions
Span	141' 3"1,3 43.05 m1,3	141' 3"4, 142' 3"2 43.36 m2
Length	99'3, 99' 2"1 30.18 m1,3	99'2,4 30.18 m2
Height	27' 9"3, 29' 7"1 8.46 m3, 9.02 m1	29' 7"2,4 9.01 m2
Wing area	1,736 ft2 1 161.27 m2 1	1,736 ft2 2 161.27 m2 2
Weight
Empty	70,140 lb1, 71,360 lb3 31,815 kg1, 32,370 kg3	71,360 lb2 32,269 kg2
Loaded	123,999 lb1, 138,000 lb3 56,245 kg1, 62, 597 kg3	141,000 lb4, 141,100 lb2 64,003 kg2
Performance
Speed	358 mph1 576 kph1
Speed @ 20,000' / 6,096 m	344 mph3 553 kph3
Speed @ 25,000' / 7,620 m		358 mph2,4 576 kph2
Maximum cruising speed	328 mph3 529 kph3
Range cruising	230 mph3 370 kph3
Climb	900'/minute3 274 m/minute3
Climb to 20,000' / 6,095 m		38 minutes2
Service ceiling	30,085'1, 31,850'3 9,170 m1, 9,700 m3	31,800'2, 31,850'4 9,695 m2
Range	3,250 miles1 5,230 km1	4,100 miles2,4 6,598 km2
Range with 5,000 lb	3,250 miles3 5,230 km3
Range with 12,000 lb	2,647 miles3 4,260 km3
Range with 20,000 lb / 9,080 kg	1,950 miles3 3,138 km3
Armament	1: 20 mm3 10-12: 0.5" MG3	1: 20 mm4 10: MG4
Remotely controlled turrets	4: turrets, 2: 12.7 mm MG each1
Tail turret	3: 12.7 mm MG1	1: 20 mm2 2: 12.7 mm2
OR	2: 12.7 mm MG1 1: 20 mm1
Over nose turret		4: 12.7 mm MG2
Under nose turret		2: 12.7 mm MG2
Over rear fuselage turret		2: 12.7 mm MG2
Bombs	20,000 lb1,3 9,072 kg1,3	20,000 lb2,4 9,072 kg2