Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

The Boeing 17 Flying Fortress was a heavy bomber, that was used by the United States Strategic Air Force during World War II. It first flew in 1935, and was introduced in 1938. It had a shorter range, and a smaller bomb load, than its sister bomber the B-24 Liberator, but it had more defensive armament. It dropped large amounts of bombs during air raids against Germany, such as the raid on Dresden. The B-17 was also used in the Pacific, including the Battle of Midway. The Flying Fortress had its name for a good reason, it could survive the hits and was able to fly while under enemy fire. The B-17 was a heavy bomber plane that carried 2 tons of bombs. The reason why few B-17's survived WWII was because lack of escort by allied fighters and enemy fire. Later in WWII, the U.S. increased escort fighters for the bombers giving more protection. The escort fights flew until the end of WWII.

The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress was a large American aircraft, and arguably one of the most successful or dangerous bombers. These 4-propeller destroyers could carry well over 10,000 pounds of bombs, and can travel hundreds of miles without refuelling. Similar to other long-range bombers, the B-17 was armed with plenty of small turrets to cover all angles from anti-air. Flocks of these massive aircraft with escorts would be spotted from kilometres out, making them a large target for enemy Flak.

 Technical data (Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress) 

 Data Units Years of production  1935-1945 Manufacturer  Boeing Wingspan  31,62 m Length  22,66 m Height  5,82 m Wing area  131,92 m² Weight (empty)  16.391 kg  Max takeoff weight   29.710 kg Crew   9 Speed  462km/h  Service ceiling  10.800 m Range  3.220 km Powerplant  4x Wright-R-1820-97 Cyclone  Power  4x 895 kW (1.217 HP)Weapons  8 T bombs and 13* machine guns 12.7mm

References

Category:Boeing aircraft
Category:United States Air Force aircraft
Category:Royal Air Force aircraft
Category:World War II American aircraft