This aircraft, now restored to its original B-17G configuration, is on display in the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon. Townsend. Dorr, Robert F. "Stratofortress… The Big One from Boeing.". ", "May 1960 – The U-2 Incident. [82], As use by Bomber Command had been curtailed, the RAF transferred its remaining Fortress I aircraft to Coastal Command for use as a long-range maritime patrol aircraft, instead. [14] The aircraft was to have a crew of five or more turret gunners, and a six-man relief crew. Here are some amazing things you probably won’t know about this mighty bomber: The prototype B-17 Bomber was built at the company’s own expense and was a fusion of the features of Boeing XB-15 and Boeing 247 Transport Aircraft. [111], By 1941, the Far East Air Force (FEAF) based at Clark Field in the Philippines had 35 B-17s, with the War Department eventually planning to raise that to 165. Zamorano, Marti, "B-52 synthetic fuel testing: Center commander pilots first Air Force B-52 flight using solely synthetic fuel blend in all eight engines. ", "Report on the accident to Boeing 777-236ER, G-YMMM, at London Heathrow Airport on 17 January 2008. [124] In 2018, the USAF proposed another plan to re-engine the B-52, known as the Commercial Engine Re-engining Program (CERP). [141] This aircraft now is on display at the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History in Albuquerque, NM. [74] The British heavy bombers, the Avro Lancaster and Handley Page Halifax, dropped 608,612 long tons (681,645 short tons) and 224,207 long tons (251,112 short tons)[75] respectively. [98] While the attack was successful at disrupting the entire works, severely curtailing work there for the remainder of the war, it was at an extreme cost. [60][61], The YB-40 was a heavily armed modification of the standard B-17 used before the North American P-51 Mustang, an effective long-range fighter, became available to act as escort. "Anniversary talks: Battle of the Bismarck Sea, "B-17 Pilot Training Manual (Formation). The B-17 Flying Fortress became symbolic in the United States of that country's air power. These minefields would force the Soviet fleet to disperse, making individual ships more vulnerable to Harpoon attacks. ", "Why We Celebrated the Beehive and Its Maker", "Boeing B-52:The Strategic Stratofortress", "Boeing B-52 – the Strategic Stratofortress", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Boeing_B-52_Stratofortress&oldid=984167412, Pages containing links to subscription-only content, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Articles containing potentially dated statements from June 2019, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Pages using quote template with unknown parameters, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2014, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2020, Wikipedia articles needing factual verification from January 2016, Articles containing potentially dated statements from January 2013, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2019, Wikipedia articles needing factual verification from February 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2019, Articles with self-published sources from February 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. After its acquisition by the Lone Star Flight Museum in June 1987, the B-17 began a four and a half year in-house restoration at Houston's Hobby Airport. [90] This was followed by a fuselage skin and longeron replacement (ECP 1185) in 1966, and the B-52 Stability Augmentation and Flight Control program (ECP 1195) in 1967. At first, the Luftwaffe was unprepared and didn’t know how to counter the raids but then improved tactics brought the loss ratio down to 10:15. The Germans shot down 36 aircraft with the loss of 200 men, and coupled with a raid earlier in the day against Regensburg, a total of 60 B-17s was lost that day. Subscribe to cleveland.com. [106] After testing of both the Air Force-backed Boeing AGM-86 and the Navy-backed General Dynamics AGM-109 Tomahawk, the AGM-86B was selected for operation by the B-52 (and ultimately by the B-1 Lancer). And by 27 April 1945, 2 days after the last heavy bombing mission in Europe, the rate of aircraft loss was so low that replacement aircraft were no longer arriving and the number of bombers per bomb group was reduced. Jun 30, 2020 - Explore randy frizzell's board "BOEING B - 17 "" FLYING FORTRESS """, followed by 521 people on Pinterest. It was required to cruise at 300 mph (260 knots, 480 km/h) at 34,000 feet (10,400 m) with a combat radius of 5,000 miles (4,300 nautical miles, 8,000 km). [155][165], B-17s were used by the CIA front companies Civil Air Transport, Air America and Intermountain Aviation for special missions. The weapons did not leave USAF custody and were secured at Barksdale. [102], In 2007, the LITENING targeting pod was fitted, which increased the effectiveness of the aircraft in the attack of ground targets with a variety of standoff weapons, using laser guidance, a high-resolution forward-looking infrared sensor (FLIR), and a CCD camera used to obtain target imagery. ", Frisbee, John L. "Valor: A Tale of Two Texans. About 130 B-17s were converted to the air-sea rescue role, at first designated B-17H and later SB-17G. The Politics of Strategic Aircraft Modernization. [62][63][64] The final production blocks of the B-17F from Douglas' plants did, however, adopt the YB-40's "chin turret", giving them a much-improved forward defense capability. On 28 May 1962, N809Z, piloted by Connie Seigrist and Douglas Price, flew Major James Smith, USAF and Lieutenant Leonard A. LeSchack, USNR to the abandoned Soviet arctic ice station NP 8, as Operation Coldfeet. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. [86], Structural fatigue was accelerated by at least a factor of eight in a low-altitude flight profile over that of high-altitude flying, requiring costly repairs to extend service life. The B-17 dropped more bombs than any other U.S. aircraft in World War II. This was to be the B-17 Flying Fortress whose primary purpose would be to reinforce bases in Hawaii, Alaska & Panama. [72][89] The wet wing introduced on G and H models was even more susceptible to fatigue, experiencing 60% more stress during flight than the old wing. Nevertheless, the government was concerned about the high fuel consumption rate of the jet engines of the day, and directed that Boeing still use the turboprop-powered Model 464-35 as the basis for the XB-52. Thus modified, B-52Ds could carry 22,000 lb (9,980 kg) more than B-52Fs. [11] Requirements were for it to carry a "useful bombload" at an altitude of 10,000 ft (3,000 m) for 10 hours with a top speed of at least 200 mph (320 km/h).[12]. [113] A series of disputed discussions and decisions, followed by several confusing and false reports of air attacks, delayed the authorization of the sortie. [170][note 5], Many pilots who flew both the B-17 and the B-24 preferred the B-17 for its greater stability and ease in formation flying. [43][44] In a final attempt to increase range, Boeing created the larger 464-67, stating that once in production, the range could be further increased in subsequent modifications. [210][211], From the 1980s B-52Hs were modified to use Harpoons in addition to a wide range of cruise missiles, laser- and satellite-guided bombs and unguided munitions. The new design (464-49) built upon the basic layout of the B-47 Stratojet with 35-degree swept wings, eight engines paired in four underwing pods, and bicycle landing gear with wingtip outrigger wheels. Boeing is committed to serving and supporting its customers. [203], On 24 March 1999, when Operation Allied Force began, B-52 bombers bombarded Serb targets throughout the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, including during the Battle of Kosare. Stitt, Robert M. Boeing B-17 Fortress in RAF Coastal Command Service. The B-52F and G models were powered by Pratt & Whitney J57-P-43WB turbojets, each rated at 13,750 lbf (61.16 kN) static thrust with water injection. Seattle Times reporter Richard Smith dubbed the new plane, with its many machine-gun mounts, the “Flying Fortress,” a name that Boeing quickly adopted and trademarked. [279][280], Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era, American strategic bomber with the US Air Force since 1955, "B-52" and "BUFF" redirect here. ", "Lockheed Martin's Sniper ATP Continues Successful B-52 Integration Test Program. ", "B-52 Stratofortress - United States Nuclear Forces", "Photos show B-52s loaded with mines for simulated massive naval mine drop outside Sweden", "These Madmen Flew B-52 Bombers at Wave-Top Heights", "Lower Than a Snake's Belly in a Wagon Rut Redux > Vintage Wings of Canada", "Transforming the B-52 into a Maritime Patrol Plane", "U.S. Air Force B-52s train with U.S. Navy P-8s in East China Sea". [23] It was becoming obvious to the Air Force that, even with the updated performance, the XB-52 would be obsolete by the time it entered production and would offer little improvement over the Convair B-36 Peacemaker; as a result, the entire project was postponed for six months. To conform with SALT II Treaty requirements that cruise missile-capable aircraft be readily identifiable by reconnaissance satellites, the cruise missile armed B-52Gs were modified with a distinctive wing root fairing. [123], In 1982, Pratt & Whitney studied retrofitting B-52s with four Pratt & Whitney PW2000 (F117) engines, but this was not done, since all B-52s were to be replaced by B-1s and B-2s by the late 1990s. Brereton planned B-17 raids on Japanese air fields in Formosa, in accordance with Rainbow 5 war plan directives, but this was overruled by General Douglas MacArthur.