Was the B-17 a heavy bomber?
Developed by the Boeing Company in the 1930s, the B-17 was a four‑engine heavy bomber aircraft used by the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II. It was a very effective weapons system, dropping more bombs during the war than any other American aircraft.
How many B-17 bombers did the United States possess at the beginning of the war?
While the US had less than 200 at the start of the war, more than 12,000 B-17s were produced by the end and served in every theater.
Which plane is called the flying coffin?
Gurevich MiG-21
The Russian-built Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 was included in the Air Force in the early 1960s and is known as the “flying coffins” because of their poor safety record. In March, Group Captain A Gupta had also lost his life due to the MiG -21 fighter jet accident.
What was the name of the B-17 bomber?
Two experimental versions of the B-17 were flown under different designations, the XB-38 Flying Fortress and the YB-40 Flying Fortress.
Where was the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress built?
The competition for the air corps contract was to be decided by a “fly-off” between Boeing’s design, the Douglas DB-1, and the Martin Model 146 at Wilbur Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio .
How many tons of bombs did the B-17 drop?
Sentimental Journey Wartime Mission: Designed for daylight precision bombing, B-17s flew unescorted bombing missions over Europe for much of the war. B-17s were legendary for their ability to return home after taking brutal poundings. They dropped over 640,000 tons of bombs over Europe.
When was the B-17G Sentimental Journey built?
Our Sentimental Journey is one of only five B-17s around the world actively flying today and was built in November, 1944. After World War II, B-17s were used for other military purposes including photo-mapping, atmospheric nuclear weapon testing drone control, fighting forest fires, and other civilian purposes.