Boeing B-29 Superfortress

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was a long-range American heavy bomber used in World War II and the Korean War. It carried the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone: An American 18-cylinder radial aircraft engine that powered the B-29 and several other aircraft. Four R-3350 engines supplied the power for the B-29's long-range missions.
Strategic bombing during World War II: The sustained attack on an enemy's war-making capacity through bombing during the Second World War. The B-29 became a major instrument of the United States' strategic bombing campaign against Japan.
Boeing: An American aerospace manufacturer founded in 1916 by William Boeing. Boeing designed and produced the B-29 under an urgent wartime development program.
Manhattan Project: The U.S.-led wartime research and engineering program that developed the first nuclear weapons. Its weapons program produced the bombs carried by specially modified B-29s.
Pressurized cabin: An aircraft compartment maintained at higher pressure than the surrounding atmosphere to support occupants at altitude. The B-29's pressurized crew sections reduced the need for bulky high-altitude flying equipment.
Operation Matterhorn: A U.S. Army Air Forces campaign in 1944 that used B-29s based in India and China to attack Japan and nearby targets. It was the first B-29 combat campaign, conducted before bases in the Mariana Islands were available.
Boeing XB-29: The experimental prototype designation for the B-29 Superfortress, first flown in 1942. The prototypes revealed technical problems that had to be solved before mass production.
Silverplate: The U.S. Army Air Forces program that modified B-29s to carry and release atomic bombs. Silverplate modifications prepared aircraft for the Hiroshima and Nagasaki missions.
Central fire control system: A B-29 system that coordinated remote-operated gun turrets using a gunner's sight and analog computing equipment. It let gunners aim multiple powered turrets from positions inside the aircraft.
Strategic bombing during the Korean War: The United Nations air campaign against North Korean and other military and industrial targets during the Korean War. B-29s returned to combat, first bombing ground targets and later facing jet interception.

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