B-29: The Airplane that Changed the World

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“Never before had so much brain-power been focused on a single problem.”(Laurence qtd. in “Eyewitness”). Many inventions can be said to have changed the world, and the way it worked. Only a core few of these many inventions can be said to change air warfare, and few of those are as game-changing as the B-29 Superfortress by Boeing. The B-29 was the plane that dropped the atomic bombs in World War Two (“bomber”). The plane by Boeing was used most in World War Two as a strategic long-range bomber. This invention revolutionized the concept of war, and war is a factor in all life on planet earth. The B-29 bomber changed warfare by sparking the innovation of aircraft technology, saving lives, and allowing more power to be carried by the means of aircraft. Aircraft technology vastly changed when the B-29 was brought into warfare. Technology was adapted to create a more accurate plane that could easily drop bombs on specific targets. Bombsights were used to hone in on chosen territory to allow bombs to destroy enemy targets (“bomber”). Radio navigation was used to help pilots fly to exact locations and were highly useful in bad weather conditions and storms (“bomber”). Radar sighting may be the most valuable gadget in the B-29 because it allowed pilots to know when enemies were coming and targeting their bombers (“bomber”). Technology allowed so much more to be done out of the planes. They could use these few gadgets to huge avail, but many inventions have helped this magnificent plane to take-off. These inventions have been and still are used in air warfare and help pilots today. Designs of the B-29 also enhanced aerodynamics and the plane’s agility. Examples of technology on the B-29 are long, narrow, high-aspect ratio wing eq... ... middle of paper ... ...s "Enola Gay"" Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Home Page. National Air and Space Museum, n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. . "bomber." [sic]. Britannica School. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2014. Web. 13 Jan. 2014. . "Eyewitness Account of Atomic Bomb Over Nagasaki." Atomicarchive.com: Exploring the History, Science, and Consequences of the Atomic Bomb. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2014. . Powell, John. Weapons & Warfare. Pasadena, CA: Salem, 2002. Print. Powell, John. Weapons & Warfare. Pasadena, CA: Salem, 2002. Print. Swanston, Alexander, and Malcolm Swanston. Atlas of Air Warfare: The History of Aerial Combat--featuring More than 120 Detailed Battle Maps. New York: Fall River, 2009. Print.

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