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
4,100 miles
WINGSPAN
141 ft 3 in
SERVICE DATES
1944-1960
NUMBER BUILT
3,970
LENGTH
99 ft
About The B-29
The B-29 Superfortress is an American-made four-engine heavy bomber flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. The B-29 was developed to replace the B-17 Flying Fortress bomber, the United States' primary bomber during World War II. The United States military 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 fly longer distances over 3,000 miles.
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The B-29 was one of the largest planes of World War II. It 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 control the B-29's four exterior machine gun turrets remotely. As the first pressurized United States bomber, the B-29 crews could fly at high altitudes without oxygen masks or bulky, electrically heated suits to protect themselves from the extreme cold at high altitudes.
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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 ($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 the Royal Air Force called them "Washingtons".
Two British B-29s were transferred to Australia and served with the Royal Australian Air Force in the early 1950s
During World War II several B-29s made emergency landings in Soviet Russia 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 when they were transferred to China and operated them into the 1980s.
Variants
​Several B-29 variants were produced including an air refueling fuel tanker version (KB-29), a 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 flown nationwide for public education and enjoyment for over thirty years until 2006 when FIFI underwent a $3 million restoration, which 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 tour stops as part of the B-29/B-24 Squadron's AirPower History Tour.
