What guns were on a B-17?
What guns were on a B-17?
What guns were on a B-17?
The B-17’s armament consisted of five . 30 caliber (7.62 mm) machine guns, with a payload up to 4,800 lb (2,200 kg) of bombs on two racks in the bomb bay behind the cockpit. The aircraft was powered by four Pratt & Whitney R-1690 Hornet radial engines, each producing 750 hp (600 kW) at 7,000 ft (2,100 m).
How many guns did the B-17 Flying Fortress have?
Technical Specifications
| First flight | July 28, 1935 (prototype) |
|---|---|
| Ceiling | 35,600 feet |
| Power | Four 1,200-horsepower Wright R-1820-97 engines |
| Accommodation | 2 pilots, bombardier, navigator, radio-operator, 5 gunners |
| Armament | 11 to 13 machine guns, 9,600-pound bomb load |
What did the B-17 do?
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.
What replaced the B-29?
A strategic reconnaissance version of the B-50B, the RB-50, was developed in 1949 to replace the aging RB-29s used by SAC in its intelligence gathering operations against the Soviet Union. In 1953 the Air Force started replacing its aging WB-29 weather reconnaissance aircraft with modified B-50Ds.
Where are the waist gunners on a B-17?
In all the models of the B-17 except the “G”, both waist gunners were directly opposite one another. This made maneuvering inside the tight confined of the aircraft difficult.
What was the B-17 called in World War 2?
Bristling with machine guns manned by trained aerial machine gunners, the B-17 was described by a reporter as a “Flying Fortress” when it was first unveiled, and Boeing quickly adopted and trademarked the nickname. A B-17 waist gunner. Flickr
What kind of tail gun did the B-17 have?
The B-17 (left) had hand-operated tail guns with a limited field of fire while the B-24 (right) had a powered tail turret that covered a wide area. In May 1943, enemy flak and fighters set ball turret gunner SSgt Maynard Smith’s B-17 afire over Brest, France.
What happens to a gunner in a B-17 bomber?
Often the gunners would accidentally unplug one another from the plane’s oxygen system. If this went un-noticed during combat, the affected gunner would first get dizzy then pass out. If oxygen was not restored quickly, he would turn black and die from anoxia, a lack of oxygen.