Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

B-29 Superfortress

2008-01-28T20:58:12Z

Pcb8:

{{Infobox warplane
|image=B-29.jpg
|image_size=350
|caption=B-29 in flight over the [[Pacific Ocean]]
|func=Heavy, long-range [[bomber]]
|dates=1943-1953
|obsplane=[[B-17 Flying Fortress]]
|newplane=[[B-36 Peacemaker]]
|contr=[[Boeing]]
|arms=10 50-calibre machine guns<br/>1 20-mm tail-mounted cannon
|load=20,000 [[pound]]s of [[bomb]]s
|engines=4 [[Wright R-3350]]s, 2,200 hp each
|maxspeed=358 mph at 25,000 [[feet]]
|cruisespeed=220 mph
|range=3,700 [[mile]]s
|servceil=23,950 [[foot (length)|feet]]
|combceil=36,150 [[foot (length)|feet]]
|length=99 feet 0 [[inch]]es
|height=29 feet 7 inches
|span=141 feet 3 inches
|emptywt=70,140 pounds
|towt=124,000 pounds
|crew=10 (12 in the B-50)
|cost=US $639,000
}}
The '''B-29 Superfortress''' was a long-range heavy [[bomber]] first placed into service in [[World War II]] in the [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]] theater of that war. The most famous missions that this aircraft ever performed were the dropping of the two [[atomic bomb]]s on [[Hiroshima]] and [[Nagasaki]], [[Japan]]. After the war, the B-29 was the first bomber used by the [[Strategic Air Command]].

== Development ==
The [[United States Army Air Forces]] recognized the need for a very high altitude, long-range bomber late in the 1930s.<ref name=NASM>Willie, S., and Lee, R.E. "[http://www.nasm.si.edu/research/aero/aircraft/boeing_b29.htm Boeing B-29]." [http://www.nasm.si.edu/ National Air and Space Museum], Smithsonian Institution, 2004. Retrieved August 7, 2007.</ref> In February of 1940, the Army issued a specification for a bomber that could carry 2,000 [[bomb]]s at 400 mph for at least 5000 [[mile]]s.<ref name=NASM/><ref name=ace>Authors unknown. "[http://www.acepilots.com/planes/b29.html Boeing B-29 Superfortress]." ''[http://www.acepilots.com/index.html#top AcePilots.com]''. Retrieved August 8, 2007.</ref><ref name=Baugher>Baugher, Joseph. "[http://www.csd.uwo.ca/Elevon/baugher_us/b029i.html Boeing B-29 Superfortress]." ''Joe Baugher's Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft.'' May 29, 1998. Retrieved August 8, 2007.</ref>

Four aircraft builders submitted proposals to the army. [[Boeing]], with its Model 345, won the contest.<ref name=NASM/><ref name=Boeing1>Authors unknown. "[http://www.boeing.com/history/boeing/b29.html Boeing B-29 Superfortress]." [http://www.boeing.com/ Boeing Group], product history section. Retrieved August 8, 2007.</ref>

Model 345 boasted many features that Boeing had had under development since 1934, among them:

* A long, narrow, high-aspect-ratio wing with Fowler flaps for increased lift. This allowed for much heavier base and take-off weights.<ref name=Boeing1/>
* Three pressurized crew areas: flight deck, gunner's compartment, and tail gunner's station.<ref name=NASM/><ref name=Boeing1/> The first two of these were connected by a long tube over the bomb bays;<ref name=ace/> the tail gunner's station remained isolated, and ingress and egress were possible only on the ground or at an altitude that did not require pressurization.<ref name=Boeing1/><ref name=ace/>
* Remote-control gun turrets, and a sighting system that allowed one gunner to control two or more turrets at once to concentrate on a single target.<ref name=NASM/>
* Advanced radar systems for aid in navigation, targeting, and air-to-air defense.<ref name=NASM/>

Boeing itself built 2766 B-29s at its plants in [[Wichita]], [[Kansas]], and [[Renton]], [[Washington]]. Two other aircraft builders, in addition to Boeing, would take part in building B-29s. They were [[Bell Aircraft]] (668 B-29s) and the [[Glenn L. Martin Company]] (536 aircraft).<ref name=Boeing1/> The total cost of the program was $3 billion US.<ref name=Lewis>Lewis, P. "[http://history.sandiego.edu/GEN/st/~plewis/0%7Eindex.html The B-29 Superfortress]." University of San Diego, 1995. Retrieved August 8, 2007.</ref>

Two XB-29s were built, and the first of these was delivered on September 21, 1942. Fourteen YB-29 service-test planes were delivered beginning in 1943. Finally, in April of 1944, the first 130 operational B-29s began to arrive in India for the Twentieth Air Force.

== Deployment ==
=== Conventional Bombing of Japan ===
The first missions of the B-29 took place beginning in June 5, 1944. Here the B-29 groups tried to duplicate the results of [[daylight precision bombing]] that had produced such good results in [[Europe]]. But their results were very poor, though combat losses were minimal at first. Even when the AAF acquired bases much closer to Japan with the capture of several strategic islands in the Mariana chain, results did not improve.<ref name=NASM/><ref name=ace/><ref name=Baugher/><ref name=Lewis/>

Then-[[Major General]] [[Curtis LeMay]] then gave a series of seemingly draconian orders: to strip out the guns and ammunition, ground the gunnery crews, and fly all missions at low altitudes. It was a fearsome gamble, but it paid off in increased bombing accuracy and lower casualties in men and aircraft.<ref name=Swinhart>[http://www.aviation-history.com/swinhart.htm Swinhart, Earl]. "[http://www.aviation-history.com/boeing/b29.html Boeing B-29 Superfortress]." [http://www.aviation-history.com/index.html Aviation-history.com]. Retrieved August 8, 2007.</ref>

In March of 1945, General LeMay changed the orders again. From then on, the B-29s flew low-altitude (5,000 feet) night strikes with incendiary bombs.<ref name=NASM/><ref name=ace/> LeMay reasoned that because the Japanese economy depended largely on [[cottage industry|cottage industries]] spread out over a large number of cities (and because many of the buildings in Japanese cities were still built of wood), massive incendiary bombing would be more effective than precision high-explosive bombing. The results were devastating against Japanese industry and infrastructure.<ref name=NASM/><ref name=ace/> By April of 1945, the Japanese could no longer build engines for their aircraft. The incendiary campaign continued into August of 1945.<ref name=ace/><ref name=Baugher/><ref name=Swinhart/>

=== The Atomic Bomb Missions ===
Late in 1944, the AAF ordered a special batch of fifteen modified B-29s, called "Silverplate" models. These planes had no gun turrets except for the tail turret, no armor plate, and new Curtiss electric propellers. These planes were specifically designed to carry one of the two [[atomic bomb]]s from the [[Manhattan Project]]: either [[Little Boy]] or [[Fat Man]].<ref name=NASM/>

The 509th Composite Group, [[Colonel]] [[Paul Tibbetts]] commanding, took possession of these aircraft for the atomic attacks on [[Hiroshima]] and [[Nagasaki]]. Ten of these aircraft are known to have taken part in what became Special Missions 13 and 16 against Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively. The most famous of these, of course, was [[Enola Gay]],<ref name=Boeing1/> which dropped [[Little Boy]] on Hiroshima, and [[Bockscar]],<ref name=Boeing1/> which dropped [[Fat Man]] on Nagasaki.<ref name=NASM/><ref name=Baugher/> (The other aircraft performed weather reconnaissance, blast measurement, and strike photography duties in connection with these missions.)<ref name=wagoner>Wagoner, Sally Ann. "[http://home.att.net/~sallyann2/b29.html The B-29 Then and Now]." 2007. Retrieved August 8, 2007.</ref>

The destruction of Hiroshima took place on August 6, 1945. The Japanese did not respond to this, perhaps because the Japanese high command did not fully appreciate the magnitude of a disaster that had virtually cut off all communications from one of Japan's largest cities. Then on August 9, 1945, came the destruction of Nagasaki. On that day the [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics|Soviet Union]] formally declared war on Japan and launched an invasion of Japanese-occupied [[Manchuria]] in [[China]]. The Emperor of Japan then instructed his government to surrender unconditionally.<ref name=ace/><ref name=Swinhart/><ref name=Lewis/>

=== [[Strategic Air Command]] ===
In 1946, the [[Strategic Air Command]] acquired many of the B-29s still in service. However, these planes were largely antiquated and had seen heavy use during the war. Boeing responded to SAC's need, first with the B-29D, a much-improved model that the new [[United States Air Force|Air Force]] redesignated as the B-50. This aircraft had 59 percent more power than the original B-29, along with better aerodynamic surfaces, larger flaps, faster-retracting landing gear, and improved hydraulic control systems. It also sported a higher tail that could fold during storage, and a stronger, lighter wing. It also had twelve guns (the original B-29 had ten) and required a crew of twelve. In all, Boeing built 371 B-50s, including 79 B-50As.<ref name=boeing2>Authors unknown. "[http://www.boeing.com/history/boeing/b50.html B-50 Bomber]." [http://www.boeing.com/ Boeing Group], product history section. Retrieved August 8, 2007.</ref>

B-29 and B-50 squadrons saw intensive action during the [[Korean War]], this time against jet fighter/interceptors using electronic weaponry.<ref name=Boeing1/> Losses were correspondingly much heavier. The last B-50s (actually KB-50D tankers) were retired from active service in 1965.<ref name=boeing2/><ref name=Baugher/>

=== Flight test ===
[[Image:B-29 and x-1.jpg|250px|right]]
A specially modified B-29 served as the launch aircraft for the [[X-1]], the plane in which then-Captain [[Charles Yeager]] achieved the first supersonic flight.<ref name=Baugher/>

== Post-retirement disposition ==
Very few B-29s survive today, primarily because the Air Force was late in declaring the B-29 to be war surplus.<ref name=ace/> The researchers at [http://www.acepilots.com/index.html#top AcePilots.com] have identified sixteen B-29s that they know have survived and remain on display today.

The Enola Gay has been fully restored and is on diaplay at the Paul E. Garber facility of the [[National Air and Space Museum]].<ref name=NASM/> The Bockscar, likewise, is on display at [[Wright-Patterson Air Force Base]] as part of the National Museum of the United States Air Force.<ref name=AF2>Authors unknown. "[http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=2546 Fact Sheet: Boeing B-29 Bockscar]." [[United States Air Force]]. Retrieved August 8, 2007.</ref>

In July of 1948, a B-29A, on a climate research mission, crashed into [[Lake Mead]], [[California]]. All five aboard the plane got out safely. The plane sank to the bottom of the lake, where it lay for 53 years until divers were able to spot it again.<ref name=LakeMead>Authors unknown. "[http://www.indepthconsulting.com/B29/B29Lost.htm Lake Mead's B-29 Bomber]." In Depth Consulting, 2006. Retrieved August 8, 2007.</ref>

On May 21, 1995, efforts to recover a B-29 that had landed on a frozen lake in [[Greenland]] were abandoned after the aircraft caught fire and burned.<ref name=ace/>

== Soviet copy ==
Late in 1944, three B-29s made emergency landings in [[Vladivostok]], [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics|USSR]]. The Soviets detained the crews, then quietly allowed them to escape--but not with their aircraft. Then in 1947, the Soviets demostrated their newest bomber: the [[Tu-4]], an exact replica of the B-29. With this aircraft, the US-Soviet [[arms race]] might be said to have begun.<ref name=ace/><ref name=Baugher/>

== The B-29 in Popular Culture ==
* The [[motion picture]] [[Test Pilot (film)|Test Pilot]] (1938) featured an aircraft similar in many respects to the B-29 (though not specifically identified as such) undergoing speed and load trials. This is a truly remarkable example of art anticipating life, especially considering that the first XB-29 was still years away from its maiden flight.

* The film [[Dive Bomber (film)|Dive Bomber]] (1941) alluded to many of the advanced features under development in the between-wars period that the film covered, including pressurized crew compartments and pressure suits for pilots. Because the B-29 had pressurized flight deck and gunnery spaces, this film can also be said to have anticipated one of the B-29's key features.

* The film [[Command Decision (film)|Command Decision]] (1949) made repeated allusions to "a B-29 command" in the Pacific theater being an assignment presenting a good opportunity for the holder of such a command either to advance professionally or to demonstrate the utility of the fortress-like bombers of that era.

* The film [[Strategic Air Command (film)|Strategic Air Command]] (1955) features as its lead character a former B-29 pilot recalled to the Air Force and learning how to fly [[B-36 Peacemaker]]s and [[B-47 Stratojet]]s. The film also makes several comparisons between the B-29 and the B-36.

== References ==
<references/>

== See Also ==
* [[Strategic Air Command]]

== External Links ==
* [http://www.nps.gov/archive/amme/wwii_museum/air_offensive/b29_operations.html B-29 Bombers Operating From Saipan And Tinian]." World War Two Virtual Museum, [[National Park Service]].
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtIL_VjBUGo Watch a 7-minute video] of a radio-controlled B-29 scale model carrying aloft a model [[X-1]] and launching it. The demonstration includes aerobatics and a simulated bail-out. Both planes make safe landings. (Video courtesy of user "winchesterz" on <http://www.youtube.com/>.)

B-29 Superfortress

2008-01-28T20:55:27Z

Pcb8:

{{Infobox warplane
|image=B-29.jpg
|image_size=350
|caption=B-29 in flight over the [[Pacific Ocean]]
|func=Heavy, long-range [[bomber]]
|dates=1943-1953
|obsplane=[[B-17 Flying Fortress]]
|newplane=[[B-36 Peacemaker]]
|contr=[[Boeing]]
|arms=10 50-calibre machine guns<br/>1 20-mm tail-mounted cannon
|load=20,000 [[pound]]s of [[bomb]]s
|engines=4 [[Wright R-3350]]s, 2,200 hp each
|maxspeed=358 mph at 25,000 feet
|cruisespeed=220 mph
|range=3,700 [[mile]]s
|servceil=23,950 [[foot (length)|feet]]
|combceil=36,150 [[foot (length)|feet]]
|length=99 feet 0 [[inch]]es
|height=29 feet 7 inches
|span=141 feet 3 inches
|emptywt=70,140 pounds
|towt=124,000 pounds
|crew=10 (12 in the B-50)
|cost=US $639,000
}}
The '''B-29 Superfortress''' was a long-range heavy [[bomber]] first placed into service in [[World War II]] in the [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]] theater of that war. The most famous missions that this aircraft ever performed were the dropping of the two [[atomic bomb]]s on [[Hiroshima]] and [[Nagasaki]], [[Japan]]. After the war, the B-29 was the first bomber used by the [[Strategic Air Command]].

== Development ==
The [[United States Army Air Forces]] recognized the need for a very high altitude, long-range bomber late in the 1930s.<ref name=NASM>Willie, S., and Lee, R.E. "[http://www.nasm.si.edu/research/aero/aircraft/boeing_b29.htm Boeing B-29]." [http://www.nasm.si.edu/ National Air and Space Museum], Smithsonian Institution, 2004. Retrieved August 7, 2007.</ref> In February of 1940, the Army issued a specification for a bomber that could carry 2,000 [[bomb]]s at 400 mph for at least 5000 [[mile]]s.<ref name=NASM/><ref name=ace>Authors unknown. "[http://www.acepilots.com/planes/b29.html Boeing B-29 Superfortress]." ''[http://www.acepilots.com/index.html#top AcePilots.com]''. Retrieved August 8, 2007.</ref><ref name=Baugher>Baugher, Joseph. "[http://www.csd.uwo.ca/Elevon/baugher_us/b029i.html Boeing B-29 Superfortress]." ''Joe Baugher's Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft.'' May 29, 1998. Retrieved August 8, 2007.</ref>

Four aircraft builders submitted proposals to the army. [[Boeing]], with its Model 345, won the contest.<ref name=NASM/><ref name=Boeing1>Authors unknown. "[http://www.boeing.com/history/boeing/b29.html Boeing B-29 Superfortress]." [http://www.boeing.com/ Boeing Group], product history section. Retrieved August 8, 2007.</ref>

Model 345 boasted many features that Boeing had had under development since 1934, among them:

* A long, narrow, high-aspect-ratio wing with Fowler flaps for increased lift. This allowed for much heavier base and take-off weights.<ref name=Boeing1/>
* Three pressurized crew areas: flight deck, gunner's compartment, and tail gunner's station.<ref name=NASM/><ref name=Boeing1/> The first two of these were connected by a long tube over the bomb bays;<ref name=ace/> the tail gunner's station remained isolated, and ingress and egress were possible only on the ground or at an altitude that did not require pressurization.<ref name=Boeing1/><ref name=ace/>
* Remote-control gun turrets, and a sighting system that allowed one gunner to control two or more turrets at once to concentrate on a single target.<ref name=NASM/>
* Advanced radar systems for aid in navigation, targeting, and air-to-air defense.<ref name=NASM/>

Boeing itself built 2766 B-29s at its plants in [[Wichita]], [[Kansas]], and [[Renton]], [[Washington]]. Two other aircraft builders, in addition to Boeing, would take part in building B-29s. They were [[Bell Aircraft]] (668 B-29s) and the [[Glenn L. Martin Company]] (536 aircraft).<ref name=Boeing1/> The total cost of the program was $3 billion US.<ref name=Lewis>Lewis, P. "[http://history.sandiego.edu/GEN/st/~plewis/0%7Eindex.html The B-29 Superfortress]." University of San Diego, 1995. Retrieved August 8, 2007.</ref>

Two XB-29s were built, and the first of these was delivered on September 21, 1942. Fourteen YB-29 service-test planes were delivered beginning in 1943. Finally, in April of 1944, the first 130 operational B-29s began to arrive in India for the Twentieth Air Force.

== Deployment ==
=== Conventional Bombing of Japan ===
The first missions of the B-29 took place beginning in June 5, 1944. Here the B-29 groups tried to duplicate the results of [[daylight precision bombing]] that had produced such good results in [[Europe]]. But their results were very poor, though combat losses were minimal at first. Even when the AAF acquired bases much closer to Japan with the capture of several strategic islands in the Mariana chain, results did not improve.<ref name=NASM/><ref name=ace/><ref name=Baugher/><ref name=Lewis/>

Then-[[Major General]] [[Curtis LeMay]] then gave a series of seemingly draconian orders: to strip out the guns and ammunition, ground the gunnery crews, and fly all missions at low altitudes. It was a fearsome gamble, but it paid off in increased bombing accuracy and lower casualties in men and aircraft.<ref name=Swinhart>[http://www.aviation-history.com/swinhart.htm Swinhart, Earl]. "[http://www.aviation-history.com/boeing/b29.html Boeing B-29 Superfortress]." [http://www.aviation-history.com/index.html Aviation-history.com]. Retrieved August 8, 2007.</ref>

In March of 1945, General LeMay changed the orders again. From then on, the B-29s flew low-altitude (5,000 feet) night strikes with incendiary bombs.<ref name=NASM/><ref name=ace/> LeMay reasoned that because the Japanese economy depended largely on [[cottage industry|cottage industries]] spread out over a large number of cities (and because many of the buildings in Japanese cities were still built of wood), massive incendiary bombing would be more effective than precision high-explosive bombing. The results were devastating against Japanese industry and infrastructure.<ref name=NASM/><ref name=ace/> By April of 1945, the Japanese could no longer build engines for their aircraft. The incendiary campaign continued into August of 1945.<ref name=ace/><ref name=Baugher/><ref name=Swinhart/>

=== The Atomic Bomb Missions ===
Late in 1944, the AAF ordered a special batch of fifteen modified B-29s, called "Silverplate" models. These planes had no gun turrets except for the tail turret, no armor plate, and new Curtiss electric propellers. These planes were specifically designed to carry one of the two [[atomic bomb]]s from the [[Manhattan Project]]: either [[Little Boy]] or [[Fat Man]].<ref name=NASM/>

The 509th Composite Group, [[Colonel]] [[Paul Tibbetts]] commanding, took possession of these aircraft for the atomic attacks on [[Hiroshima]] and [[Nagasaki]]. Ten of these aircraft are known to have taken part in what became Special Missions 13 and 16 against Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively. The most famous of these, of course, was [[Enola Gay]],<ref name=Boeing1/> which dropped [[Little Boy]] on Hiroshima, and [[Bockscar]],<ref name=Boeing1/> which dropped [[Fat Man]] on Nagasaki.<ref name=NASM/><ref name=Baugher/> (The other aircraft performed weather reconnaissance, blast measurement, and strike photography duties in connection with these missions.)<ref name=wagoner>Wagoner, Sally Ann. "[http://home.att.net/~sallyann2/b29.html The B-29 Then and Now]." 2007. Retrieved August 8, 2007.</ref>

The destruction of Hiroshima took place on August 6, 1945. The Japanese did not respond to this, perhaps because the Japanese high command did not fully appreciate the magnitude of a disaster that had virtually cut off all communications from one of Japan's largest cities. Then on August 9, 1945, came the destruction of Nagasaki. On that day the [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics|Soviet Union]] formally declared war on Japan and launched an invasion of Japanese-occupied [[Manchuria]] in [[China]]. The Emperor of Japan then instructed his government to surrender unconditionally.<ref name=ace/><ref name=Swinhart/><ref name=Lewis/>

=== [[Strategic Air Command]] ===
In 1946, the [[Strategic Air Command]] acquired many of the B-29s still in service. However, these planes were largely antiquated and had seen heavy use during the war. Boeing responded to SAC's need, first with the B-29D, a much-improved model that the new [[United States Air Force|Air Force]] redesignated as the B-50. This aircraft had 59 percent more power than the original B-29, along with better aerodynamic surfaces, larger flaps, faster-retracting landing gear, and improved hydraulic control systems. It also sported a higher tail that could fold during storage, and a stronger, lighter wing. It also had twelve guns (the original B-29 had ten) and required a crew of twelve. In all, Boeing built 371 B-50s, including 79 B-50As.<ref name=boeing2>Authors unknown. "[http://www.boeing.com/history/boeing/b50.html B-50 Bomber]." [http://www.boeing.com/ Boeing Group], product history section. Retrieved August 8, 2007.</ref>

B-29 and B-50 squadrons saw intensive action during the [[Korean War]], this time against jet fighter/interceptors using electronic weaponry.<ref name=Boeing1/> Losses were correspondingly much heavier. The last B-50s (actually KB-50D tankers) were retired from active service in 1965.<ref name=boeing2/><ref name=Baugher/>

=== Flight test ===
[[Image:B-29 and x-1.jpg|250px|right]]
A specially modified B-29 served as the launch aircraft for the [[X-1]], the plane in which then-Captain [[Charles Yeager]] achieved the first supersonic flight.<ref name=Baugher/>

== Post-retirement disposition ==
Very few B-29s survive today, primarily because the Air Force was late in declaring the B-29 to be war surplus.<ref name=ace/> The researchers at [http://www.acepilots.com/index.html#top AcePilots.com] have identified sixteen B-29s that they know have survived and remain on display today.

The Enola Gay has been fully restored and is on diaplay at the Paul E. Garber facility of the [[National Air and Space Museum]].<ref name=NASM/> The Bockscar, likewise, is on display at [[Wright-Patterson Air Force Base]] as part of the National Museum of the United States Air Force.<ref name=AF2>Authors unknown. "[http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=2546 Fact Sheet: Boeing B-29 Bockscar]." [[United States Air Force]]. Retrieved August 8, 2007.</ref>

In July of 1948, a B-29A, on a climate research mission, crashed into [[Lake Mead]], [[California]]. All five aboard the plane got out safely. The plane sank to the bottom of the lake, where it lay for 53 years until divers were able to spot it again.<ref name=LakeMead>Authors unknown. "[http://www.indepthconsulting.com/B29/B29Lost.htm Lake Mead's B-29 Bomber]." In Depth Consulting, 2006. Retrieved August 8, 2007.</ref>

On May 21, 1995, efforts to recover a B-29 that had landed on a frozen lake in [[Greenland]] were abandoned after the aircraft caught fire and burned.<ref name=ace/>

== Soviet copy ==
Late in 1944, three B-29s made emergency landings in [[Vladivostok]], [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics|USSR]]. The Soviets detained the crews, then quietly allowed them to escape--but not with their aircraft. Then in 1947, the Soviets demostrated their newest bomber: the [[Tu-4]], an exact replica of the B-29. With this aircraft, the US-Soviet [[arms race]] might be said to have begun.<ref name=ace/><ref name=Baugher/>

== The B-29 in Popular Culture ==
* The [[motion picture]] [[Test Pilot (film)|Test Pilot]] (1938) featured an aircraft similar in many respects to the B-29 (though not specifically identified as such) undergoing speed and load trials. This is a truly remarkable example of art anticipating life, especially considering that the first XB-29 was still years away from its maiden flight.

* The film [[Dive Bomber (film)|Dive Bomber]] (1941) alluded to many of the advanced features under development in the between-wars period that the film covered, including pressurized crew compartments and pressure suits for pilots. Because the B-29 had pressurized flight deck and gunnery spaces, this film can also be said to have anticipated one of the B-29's key features.

* The film [[Command Decision (film)|Command Decision]] (1949) made repeated allusions to "a B-29 command" in the Pacific theater being an assignment presenting a good opportunity for the holder of such a command either to advance professionally or to demonstrate the utility of the fortress-like bombers of that era.

* The film [[Strategic Air Command (film)|Strategic Air Command]] (1955) features as its lead character a former B-29 pilot recalled to the Air Force and learning how to fly [[B-36 Peacemaker]]s and [[B-47 Stratojet]]s. The film also makes several comparisons between the B-29 and the B-36.

== References ==
<references/>

== See Also ==
* [[Strategic Air Command]]

== External Links ==
* [http://www.nps.gov/archive/amme/wwii_museum/air_offensive/b29_operations.html B-29 Bombers Operating From Saipan And Tinian]." World War Two Virtual Museum, [[National Park Service]].
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtIL_VjBUGo Watch a 7-minute video] of a radio-controlled B-29 scale model carrying aloft a model [[X-1]] and launching it. The demonstration includes aerobatics and a simulated bail-out. Both planes make safe landings. (Video courtesy of user "winchesterz" on <http://www.youtube.com/>.)

B-52 Stratofortress

2008-01-28T20:44:51Z

Pcb8:

[[Image:B-52.JPG‎ |thumb|350px|A B-52 Stratofortress takes off]]
The '''B-52 Stratofortress''' is the primary manned strategic [[bomber]] used by the [[United States Air Force]]. The history of its use begins in the early years of the [[Strategic Air Command]].

This long range heavy bomber has capabilities that enable it to drop nuclear as well as conventional bombs<ref>http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/systems/b-52-describe.htm</ref>. The bomber is specifically designed to conduct strategic attacks, air interdictions, [[maritime]] and offensive counter-air [[operations]]. The B-52 can also fly at high subsonic speeds at 50,000 [[feet]]. The [[bomber]] has been used in [[United States]] missions in [[Vietnam]], [[Iraq]], [[Afghanistan]] and [[Kosovo]]. There are currently 85 active B-52 bombers<ref>http://www.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?fsID=83</ref>. Engineering analyses show the B-52's life span to extend beyond the year 2040.<ref>http://www.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?fsID=83</ref>

==History==
===1946-1952===
Now in its fifth decade of operation, the B-52 Stratofortress's origins go back to [[World War Two]]. The specific specifications they looked for in a new bomber which had the ability of operating in a radius of 5000 miles, and could fly at 300 mph at 34,000 feet. [[Boeing]] Company received a contract from the [[military]] to build the new plane. The bomber, the Convair [[B-36 Peacemaker]], was not ready until after the war and soon its capabilities proved useless against new technology. Boeing tried to improve the plan but their efforts failed, as the plane still was not much of an improvement over the B-36. The design for the B-52 was made by engineering staff and military experts in [[Seattle]].

===1952-2007===
[[Image:B-52a.JPG|thumb|280px|A B-52 Stratofortress drops its payload over a target]]
This prototype led to the XB-52, the first model of the B-52 which rolled out in 1951. The first model of the plane was created by Boeing Company, and flew in 1954, the second B-52B model entered in 1962. This model added two large wing tanks and a new avionic bomb system which proved to be a significant update from its predecessor<ref>http://www.stratofortress.org/history.htm</ref>. Although these plans were modified, Boeing built the B-52 H, the first of which was delivered in May of 1961. This new model replaced the [[machine guns]] used and incorporated more advanced avionics which permitted lower, more precise terrain–hugging perpetration. The B-52H continued to be produced until May of 1961, bringing the total number of B-52H to 742. The B-52H is the only model B-52 used by the military today. On January 10-11, 1962, a B-52H set a new distance record flying an unrefueled 12,532.28 mile flight from [[Okinawa]] to [[Spain]]. Over the years the B-52H became a major component of the [[United States Air Force]], later working alongside the stealth [[B-2 Spirit]] and the Rockwell [[B-1B Lancer]]. Because of the B-52H ability to use [[nuclear]] weapons, the B-52 served as a deterrent during the [[Cold War]], even though it was never used. During the [[Vietnam War]], the B-52 was used to carpet bomb enemy bases. The B-52 next major use was in [[Operation Desert Storm]]; here the planes dropped over 27, 000 [[tons]] of bombs<ref>http://www.stratofortress.org/history.htm</ref>. In 1999, the B-52 served in the United States and [[NATO]] mission to stop ethnic cleansing in [[Kosovo]]. The B-52, which dropped twenty-nine percent of all U.S. bombs dropped and thirty-eight percent of all Air Force bombs during the war, dropped [[Cluster Bombs]] that paralyzed enemy airfields<ref>http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/systems/b-52-ops.htm</ref>. In response to the attacks on the [[United States]] on [[September 11th 2001]], The B-52 was used in [[Operation Enduring Freedom]], to bomb [[Al-Qaeda]] bases in [[Afghanistan]], and in [[Iraq]] as part of the United States, “shock and awe” campaign<ref>http://www.stratofortress.org/history.htm</ref>.

==B-52 Information==
<ref>http://usmilitary.about.com/library/milinfo/affacts/blb-52stratofortress.htm</ref>

[[Image:B-52H static display arms 06.jpg|left|thumb|500px]]
{| class="wikitable"

|-
| '''Function'''
| Primarily used as a heavy bomber
|-
| '''Contractor'''
| Boeing Military Airplane Co. since its creation
|-
| '''Power plant'''
|Engines created by Pratt & Whitney engines TF33-P-3/103 turbofan
|-
| '''Length'''
|159 feet
|-
| '''Height'''
| 40 feet, 8 inches
|-
|-
| '''Thrust'''
| Each engine up to 17,000 pounds
|-
| '''Speed'''
| 650 miles per hour
|-
|-
| '''Wingspan'''
| 185 feet
|-
| '''Weight'''
| Estimated 185,000 pounds empty
|-
| '''Crew'''
| The B-52 can carry five crewmen
|-
| '''Cost'''
|$53.4 million (fiscal 98 constant dollars)
|-
|'''Range'''
|Unrefueled 8,800 miles
|-
|'''Maximum Weight'''
|488,000 pounds

|}

==External Links==
* [http://www.stratofortress.org/index.htm The Stratofortress Association]
*[http://www.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?fsID=83 Military Fact Sheet]

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Aircraft]]
[[Category:Military]]