Boeing
B-29 Superfortress
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" and "Bock's
Car" are famous for dropping the A-bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which
ended the war.
After the war it became the main means of intended
delivery for nuclear bombs. It was last used operationally in the Korean War
conducting strategic bombing.
|
|
Role |
Heavy Bomber |
|
Year |
1943 |
|
Crew |
10 |
|
Engines |
Four 1600kW Wright R-3350-23 turbofan engines |
|
Span |
141 feet |
|
Length |
99 feet |
|
Max Speed |
357 mph,
ceiling of 31,856 ft |
|
Range |
2,823 miles |
|
Armament |
(tail) 20mm cannon
12 x .50 cal. MG, four each in the top turrets and two each in the belly turrets,
which were remotely controlled. |
|
Bombload |
20,000 lbs. |
|