The B-29 was the heaviest production plane because of increases in range, bomb load and defensive requirements.
The B-29 Enola Gay dropped the world’s first atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
B-29 Bockscar dropped the second atomic bomb on Nagasaki
B-29 Superfortress Specifications
Primary Function:Bomber
Contractor:Boeing
Crew:10 crew
Unit Cost:$639,000
Powerplant
Four 2,200-horsepower Wright Double Cyclone engines
Dimensions
Length:99 feet
Wingspan:141 feet 3 inches
Height:27 feet 9 inches
Weights
Empty:69,610 lb
Maximum Takeoff:105,000 pounds (140,000 pounds postwar) — gross
Performance
Speed:365 mph (mach 0.55)
Ceiling:31,850 feet
Range:5,830 miles
Armament
Eight .50-cal. machine guns in remote controlled turrets plus two .50-cal. machine guns and one 20mm cannon in tail; 20,000 lbs. of bombs.
Service Life
First Flight:September 21, 1942 (B-29)
End of Service:1960
Number Built:[3,970 total]
B-29 Superfortress Achievements
The B-29 was the heaviest production plane because of increases in range, bomb load and defensive requirements.
The B-29 Enola Gay dropped the world’s first atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
B-29 Bockscar dropped the second atomic bomb on Nagasaki[tubepress mode=’tag’, tagValue=’B-29 Superfortress’]