Boeing B-29 Superfortress
Technical Information

Background
During WWII it was used only in the Pacific by the 20th Air Force against the Japanese. It was a very advanced bomber for it's day, with pressurized crew compartments and remote-controlled gun turrets. While envisioned as a high altitude daylight bomber, it's greatest successes were low-level nighttime raids dropping incendiary bombs on the combustible Japanese cities. The B-29 "Enola Gay" 44-86292 and B-29 "Bockscar" 44-27297 are famous for dropping the A-bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which ended the Pacific War. After World War II, the B-29 became the main means of intended delivery for nuclear bombs and were used during the Korean War for strategic bombing.

Production
Built by Boeing in Wichita, KS, and Martin in Omaha, Nebraska (production "MO") and Bell-Atlantic (production "BA").

WB-29
Modified for weather reconnaissance mission. These bombers had a observation position above the central fuselage. They conducted weather an nuclear weapon test air sampling tests and data collection.

RB-29
Modified for photographic reconnaissance.

KB-29 Tanker
Postwar, the USAF converted some B-29s into a fuel tanker version, KB-29M and KB-29P.

Tupolev Tu-4
The Tupolev Tu-4 was reverse-engineered from the Boeing B-29 Superfortress.

Technical Details
Crew  Ten or more (pilot, co-pilot, bombardier, navigator, engineer, radio, CFC gunner, waist gunners, tail gunner, radar)
Engine  4 x 1600kW Wright R-3350-23 turbofan engines with four bladed propellers
Span  141' / 43.05m
Length  99' / 30.18m
Height  27' 9" / 8.46m
Maximum Speed 357 mph at 31,856'
Range  2,823 miles
Armament  12 x .50 cal. MG, four each in the top turrets and two each in the belly turrets plus a single 20mm cannon in tail
Bombload  20,000 pounds of bombs