Boeing B-29 Superfortress Strategic Heavy Bomber (1943)
The B-29 Superfortress was charged with dropping two atomic bombs on the Empire of Japan.
The B-29, like the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress before it, was developed to a US Army Air Corps requirement for a high-level heavy bomber capable of extended operational ranges and increased payloads while operating at speeds nearing 400 miles per hour. The range requirement was of particular note for the vast distances of the Pacific required a long-range thoroughbred. The B-29 program began at a slow pace prior to America's entry into World War 2. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the B-29 program was pushed into full gear. The first of three XB-29 prototypes took to the air in 1942 with government orders already secured for over 1,500 production units.
The B-29 Superfortress was a mid-wing monoplane design centered on a tubular fuselage powered by four large radial piston engines. The pencil-like fuselage was heavily-glazed at the nose and provided the identifiable appearance for the series. Crew accommodations included ten personnel made up of pilots, bombardiers, navigators, specialists and gunners. All weapon systems were held in electrically-powered turret "barbettes" operated by way of integrated periscopes and fitted in dorsal, ventral and tail gun positions. At any rate, this armament arrangement represented a vast departure from any bomber defenses fielded during the war, essentially necessitated by the B-29's high operating altitude (the B-17 still utilized open air machine gun ports, exposing the crew to the bitter cold temperatures of high-level flight). Several modified - or converted - models of the B-29 were used exclusively for crew training, as dedicated Search and Rescue (SAR) systems, dedicated reconnaissance platforms outfitted with camera and weather survey platforms before the end of the aircraft's production run. By the time of the Korean War, daylight bombing runs had become becoming increasingly costly to B-29 crews thanks to the arrival of the Soviet-built, single-seat, jet-powered Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 "Fagot" fighters. As such, night time bombing campaigns grew in number as the B-29 continued serving under the new USAF Strategic Air Command (SAC).
The B-29 fitted a bevy of 12.7mm Browning M2 heavy machine guns. Four were installed in an electrically-operated dorsal turret while a second dorsal turret fitted two more. A pair of 12.7mm machine guns were installed in a chin position with another two-gun system under the rear fuselage. A pair of machine guns was installed in the tail to counter any trailing enemy aircraft attempting to make the interception. Beyond her machine gun armament, the B-29's true value came in her ability to carry up to 20,000lbs of internal ordnance.
American authorities limited the B-29s combat action solely to the Pacific Theater during World War 2. Operational B-29s were being delivered to front lines as early as 1943 (these being largely service evaluation aircraft) and were utilized into 1944 as daylight, high-level bombers. These early attacks ranged from bases within British India against Japanese targets in Thailand and, later, against mainland Japan proper. Night time, low-level attacks were next on the B-29 agenda and destruction of Japanese cities and military production facilities were utterly lethal - one fire-bomb attack alone by some 279 Superfortresses killed upwards of 80,000 Japanese.
Production of B-29 Superfortress was split among several factory lines under different contractors to keep up with demand. This would ultimately include Boeing, Bell and Martin. Production totaled nearly 4,000 examples by war's end. An improved B-29 model appeared in the years following the end of the war and was designated as the "B-50". Outwardly similar to the original B-29, the B-50 was completed with some 75% of the airframe newly designed, hence her all-new designation. The B-50 was differentiated from her predecessor by a revised vertical tail fin as well as more powerful engines. Additionally, the B-50's structure was further strengthened. She appeared in 1948 and was produced in about 370 examples up until 1953.
Beyond the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia both utilized the B-29 Superfortress in their respective inventories. The Soviet Union, always willing to gain more ground in the technology field against her American adversaries, reverse-engineered B-29s from three captured examples that were forced to crash-land in Soviet territory after raids over Japan (among these was the "Ramp Tramp"). On Stalin's orders, the Tupolev firm took on the task and worked out the Boeing product right down to the last rivet, resulting in the Tupolev Tu-4 "Bull" which, itself, spawned the Tupolev Tu-70 dedicated transport platform. For all intents and purposes, the Tu-4 was nothing more than an inferior copy of the excellent American product.
The B-29 proved a critical design achievement for the American military, particularly concerning actions in World War 2 and Korea. It undoubtedly lay the ground work for future projects that would ultimately culminate in the world-renowned Boeing B-52 "Stratofortress" of Vietnam War fame. The B-52 essentially marked the end of the dedicated Boeing "heavy bomber" era, the mantel since taken up by the sleek swing-wing Rockwell B-1 "Lancer" and the technologically advanced Northrop B-2 "Spirit" stealth bomber and missile-launching warships and submarines. Text ©2003-2013 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • No Reproduction Permitted
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Specifications for the
Boeing B-29 Superfortress
Strategic Heavy Bomber
Country of Origin: United States
Manufacturer: The Boeing Company - USA
Initial Year of Service: 1943
Production: 3,970
Focus Model: Boeing B-29A Superfortress
Crew: 10
Length: 99.02ft (30.18m)
Width: 142.26ft (43.36m)
Height: 29.56ft (9.01m)
Weight (Empty): 71,361lbs (32,369kg)
Weight (MTOW): 141,102lbs (64,003kg)
Powerplant: 4 x Wright R-3350-23 Cyclone Eighteen air-cooled radial piston engines generating 2,200 horsepower each.
Maximum Speed: 358mph (576kmh; 311kts)
Maximum Range: 4,100miles (6,598km)
Service Ceiling: 31,808ft (9,695m; 6.0miles)
Rate-of-Climb: 526 feet per minute (160m/min)
Hardpoints: 0
Armament Suite:
STANDARD:
4 x 12.7mm Browning M2 machine guns in electrically-operated dorsal turret
2 x 12.7mm Browning M2 machine guns in electrically-operated under-nose turret
2 x 12.7mm Browning M2 machine guns electrically-operated dorsal turret at rear fuselage.
2 x 12.7mm Browning M2 machine guns electrically-operated turret under rear fuselage
2 x 12.7mm Browning M2 machine guns in tail turret emplacement.
1 x 20mm M2 cannon in tail turret emplacement.
OPTIONAL:
Up to 20,000lbs of internal ordnance.
Variants:
XB-29 - Prototype
YB-29 - Preproduction model evaluation aircraft
B-29A - Fitted with 4 x Wright R-3350-23 Cyclone Eighteen air-cooled radial piston engines of 2,200 horsepower each.
B-29A-BN - Increased wingspan; four gun upper forward turret.
B-29B - No defensive armament except for single remote controlled tail gun emplacement.
B-29B-BA - Increased bombload; reduced defensive gun armament.
B-29D - Revised engines.
B-29-45-MO
RB-29 - Reconnaissance Model (redesignated from previous RB-29 designation).
SB-29 - Search and Rescue Model
TB-29 - Crew Trainer Model
WB-29 - Weather Reconnaissance Model
KB-29 - Aerial Refueling Tank Model
F-13A - Reconnaissance Model (later redesignated to RB-29).
B-50A - Redesignated from B-29D; revised tail fin and improved engines; 4 Pratt & Whitney R-4360 radial piston engines; reinforced structure; introduced in 1948 with 370 examples produced.
Tu-4 "Bull" - Direct, illegal Soviet copy of captured B-29 systems.
Tu-70 - Soviet designation for Tu-4 dedicated transport variant.
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