B-29 Superfortress

Boeing · United States · first flew 1942 · bomber

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine American very-heavy bomber with a pressurised cabin and remote-controlled gun turrets, best known for the strategic bombing of Japan.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, tapered
E — Engines	4 × piston, wing-mounted
F — Fuselage	30.18 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Very large smoothly streamlined airframe
Fully glazed rounded nose
Tall single fin and long thin wing

Spot it by its great size and exceptionally clean, streamlined fuselage with a fully glazed, rounded nose. The long, thin wing and tall single fin distinguish it from earlier four-engine bombers.

Specifications

The B-29 Superfortress has a length of 30.18 m (99 ft).
It has a wingspan of 43.05 m (141 ft).
Its maximum speed is 574 km/h (357 mph).
Typical crew: 11.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

First flown in 1942, the B-29 was the most advanced bomber of the war, with a pressurised crew compartment and a computer-controlled defensive armament. It carried out the long-range firebombing campaign and the atomic missions of 1945. Nearly 4,000 were built.

Variants

The improved B-29A and the B-29B with reduced armament followed. The post-war design spawned the B-50 and the Soviet Tupolev Tu-4, a reverse-engineered copy. Tanker and reconnaissance conversions extended its service.

Where you'll see it

The B-29 was not an RAF type, but Britain operated 88 examples in the early 1950s as the Boeing Washington B.1 to bridge a bomber gap before the V-force. A preserved Washington-era airframe and B-29 artefacts feature in UK collections, and the RAF Museum documents the type. Airworthy B-29s are extremely rare worldwide.

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