Boeing B-29 Superfortress

1942 bomber aircraft family; heaviest bomber widely used by US forces in World War II

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was a heavy bomber aircraft with four engines used by the United States Army Air Forces in World War II, and by other countries' military after that. The name "Superfortress" came from its famous previous model, the B-17 Flying Fortress.

B-29 Superfortress in flight.

The B-29 Boeing Model 345[1] was one of the biggest aircraft to serve during World War II. It was one of the most advanced bombers of its time. It was the most used aircraft in the U.S. bombing against Japan in the final months of World War II, and B-29s carried the atomic bombs that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The B-29 stayed in service for a long time after the war ended. By the time it was retired in the 1960s, some 3,900 planes had been built.

The American B-29 Superfortress was one of the most ambitious and expensive projects of WWII, even more expensive than the Manhattan Project. This enormous heavy bomber was equipped with numerous remote-controlled turrets and 4 powerful propellers. This heavy bomber  was used in later parts of the war, and was designed to finally supress the Japanese forces.

References

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  1. "USAF Museum Fact Sheet- XB-29". Archived from the original on 2007-12-02. Retrieved 2007-08-29.