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B-29 "Superfortress"
ONE OF THE LARGEST & MOST ADVANCED AIRCRAFT OF WORLD WAR II
TYPE
Heavy Bomber
MAX SPEED
357 MPH
CREW
11
BOMB LOAD
20,000 LBS
RANGE
3,250 miles
WINGSPAN
141 ft
SERVICE DATES
1944-1960
NUMBER BUILT
3,970
LENGTH
99 ft
About The B-29
The B-29 "Superfortress" is an American four-engine heavy bomber that was flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. The B-29 was developed as a replacement for the B-17 "Flying Fortress" bomber which was the United State's primary bomber during World War II. The United States Air Force needed a more capable aircraft for the Pacific theater which could fly higher than fighter aircraft of the era, carry a larger bomb payload, and could fly longer distances in excess of 3,000 miles.
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The B-29 was one of the largest planes of World War II and featured cutting edge advancements including a tricycle landing gear, an analog-computer controlled fire control system designed by General Electric, and a pressurized, climate controlled cabin. The fire control system allowed the crew to remotely control the B-29's four exterior machine gun turrets. As the first pressurized United States bomber, the B-29 allowed the crew to fly in comfort at high altitudes without oxygen masks or bulky, electrically, heated suits to protect themselves from the extreme cold at high altitude.
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The Price of Progress:
The B-29 program was the most expensive project of World War II with a price tag of $3 billion dollars ($51 billion today). The B-29 program exceeded the total cost of the Manhattan Project.
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(1944) B-29 Assembly Line
(1945) B-29s over Rangoon, Burma
Operators
B-29s were loaned to the United Kingdom where they became known as "Washingtons", by the Royal Air Force.
Two British B-29s were transferred to Australia and served with the Royal Austrailian Air Force in the early 1950s
Several B-29s made emergency landings in Soviet Russia during WWII and were interned despite American requests for their return. Soviet industry reverse engineered the B-29s and developed the Tupolev Tu-4. The USSR operated TU-4s until the 1960s. Tu-4s were transferred to China which operated them into the 1980s.
Variants
​Several B-29 variants were produced including an air refueling fuel tanker version (KB-29) and cargo version (C-97 Stratofreighter) and a passenger airliner (377 Stratocruiser)
377 Stratocruiser - Commercial Airline Variant
KB-29M Fuel Tanker Variant - Air Refueling
HISTORY
"FiFi" was acquired by the Commemorative Air Force in the early 1970s when a group of CAF members found her at the U.S. Navy Proving Ground at China Lake, California.
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The aircraft was rescued, restored, and flew nationwide for public education and enjoyment for over thirty years until 2006 when FiFi underwent a $3 million dollar restoration which also included replacing and modernizing all four engines. "FiFi" returned to the skies in 2010 and has since traveled the country from coast-to-coast and into Canada attracting large crowds at airshows, museums, and at stops as part of the B29/B24 squadron's annual AirPower History Tour.
