Designed as a replacement for the B-17 and B-24, the B-29
was considered the ultimate bomber of World War II. An
extremely complex airplane, it introduced such concepts as
pressurization and remotely controlled gun turrets, and its
severe development troubles led to a delay in service
introduction. In December 1943, the Air Force decided not to
use the B-29 in Europe but to put its great range to use in
the Pacific. The first B-29 unit, the 58th Bomb Wing (VH),
was established in Marietta, Ga., on June 15, 1943. The
first B- 29 raid against Japan came on June 15, 1944. B-29s
from the 509th Composite Group dropped the only nuclear
weapons ever used in wartime. On August 6, 1945, the Enola
Gay, piloted by Col. Paul W. Tibbets, dropped the "Little
Boy" (uranium) bomb on Hiroshima. Three days later,
Bockscar, commanded by Maj. Charles W. Sweeney, dropped the
"Fat Man" (plutonium) bomb on Nagasaki. After the war, B-29s
were modified as the first aerial tankers in quantity. The
remaining B-29s were sent into combat during the Korean War.
After World War II, B-29s were used as "mother ships" for
several of the Air Force's and Navy's high-speed
experimental aircraft, such as the X- 1, X-2, and D-558. In
the late 1940s, a significantly modified version of the B-29
was developed and was designated B-50. One of the B-50s,
nicknamed Lucky Lady II, completed the first nonstop flight
around the world. Eventually, 370 B-50s were built and
served as late as 1964.
| Contractors: |
Boeing Aircraft Co. |
| Bell Aircraft Co. |
| Glenn L. Martin Co. |
| Locations Built: |
Wichita, Kan., and Renton, Wash. |
| Marietta, Ga. |
| Omaha, Neb. |
| Number Built: (USAF) |
3,967 (3,967) |
| First Flight: |
September 21, 1942 |
| First Flight Model: |
XB-29 |
| First Flight Location: |
Seattle, Wash. |
| First Flight Pilot: |
Edmund T. "Eddie" Allen and crew |
| Models/Variants: |
YB-29, B-29, B-29A, B, F.
KB-29M, P. F-13 |
| Powerplant: |
Four Wright R-3350-23 Cyclone
18-cylinder twin-row radials of 2,200 hp each |
| Wingspan: |
141ft 3 in. |
| Length: |
99 ft 0 in. |
| Height: |
29 ft 7 in. |
| Weight: |
124,000 lb gross |
| Armament: |
Usually eight (some with 10)
.50-cal. machine guns in four remotely controlled
turrets and two .50-cal. machine guns and one 20-mm
cannon or two, three, or four .50-cal. machine guns
in tail and up to 20,000 lb of bombs. |
| Accommodation: |
Crew of 10 (pilot, copilot,
bombardier, navigator, flight engineer, radio
operator, and four gunners) |
| Cost: |
$639,000 |
| Max. Speed: |
358 mph |
| Range: |
3,250 mi. |
| Ceiling: |
31,850 ft. |
|
