Boeing B-29 Superfortress

One of the greatest airplanes of WWII

Overview

Boeing United States ICAO: B29 1943–1946 Active $640,000 (1943)

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was a US 4-engine propeller bomber. It was designed by Boeing and was used throughout the Korean War as well as World War II. This aircraft is considered as one of the greatest airplanes of WWII, having an analog computer-managed bombing configuration and advanced technology for the time.

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Specifications

Units
Engine
4 × Wright R-3350-23 Duplex-Cyclone
Engine type
Piston
Power
4 × 2,200 hp · 1,641 kW
Avionics
—
Wing tips
No winglets
Seats
11
Crew
—
Cabin width
—
Cabin height
—
Cabin length
—
Exterior length
99 ft 0 in  ·  30.18 m
Tail height
27 ft 9 in  ·  8.46 m
Fuselage diameter
9 ft 6 in  ·  2.90 m
Wing span
141 ft 3 in  ·  43.05 m
Baggage volume
—
Gross weight
—
Empty weight
—
Max takeoff weight
134,500 lb  ·  61,000 kg
Max landing weight
—
Max payload
22,000 lb  ·  10,000 kg
Fuel capacity
9,550 gal · 36,100 L · 26,000 kg (AvGas)
Max cruise speed
317 kt  ·  365 mph  ·  587 km/h
Maximum speed
—
Cruise speed
—
Approach speed
91 kt  ·  105 mph  ·  169 km/h
Range
5,066 nm  ·  5,830 mi  ·  9,380 km
Fuel burn
—
Ceiling
31,850 ft  ·  9,700 m
Rate of climb
900 ft/min  ·  5 m/s
Takeoff distance
—
Landing distance
—
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Boeing B-29 in flight.

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Operational Context

Development and Production

The US Army Air Corps claimed that this aircraft would be the core strategic American bomber during World War II. They concluded that it would be scanty for the Pacific Theater as it required a bomber to transmit a bigger payload above 3,000 miles. In response to this conclusion, Boeing started working on pressurized long-array bombers. 

In 1938, he designed a study for the prototype called Model 334. It was a pressurized derivative of the original version, with muzzle wheel undercarriage. Even though the Air Corps had financial concerns to continue the design, Boeing pursued this masterpiece using its own funds. 

In 1939, Lindbergh persuaded General Arnold to manufacture a new bomber in huge numbers to fight the production of the German. In the same year, the Air Corps released a formal “super bomber” specification that could transport 20,000 lbs of bombs to a target 4,292 kilometers away with a maximum speed of 640 kilometers per hour. 

Cockpit / Flight Deck 

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was a middle-wing solo-plane design centered on a cylindrical fuselage. It was powered by four immense air-cooled radial piston engines. This aircraft can accommodate almost ten personnel, usually navigators, pilots, bombardiers, dedicated gunners, and specialists. The majority of the weapon systems were electrically operated and mounted in the tail, ventral, dorsal gun positions. This design represented a huge departure from several bomb protections during the fight.  

Versions / Variants

The versions of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress were externally identical in appearance. However, they differ in the built wing center areas, often affected by the dimensions of the wingspan. The annex of the Renton B-29A-BN has several subassembly procedures.  The Georgia B-29B-BA, on the other hand, considered less through weapon reduction. A designed C series with more unswerving R-3350s was not developed. 

In addition, engine packages altered, including the range of the flexible pitch and kind of propellers. The other distinctions came about through an advanced device for diverse mission roles. Some of these roles include rescue aircraft, aerial tankers, trainers, weather ships, and cargo carriers. 

Applications

The converted and modified models of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress were used primarily for the training of the crew, as dedicated Search and Rescue schemes. 

Notable Accidents and Incidents

In 1944, the crash of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress was reported near Clovis, Mexico. Based on the report, fifteen crew members were found killed during the incident. Six years after, another accident was reported. The Boeing B-29 Superfortress departed the Air Force Base of Kirtland and crashed into a mountain a few minutes after its take-off.  

In 1950, an explosive-laden Boeing B-29 Superfortress crashed into an uptown place in California. The news reported that 17 were killed and 68 were injured during the said incident.