Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

B-17 Flying Fortress
A B-17G performing at the 2014 Chino Airshow
Role	Heavy bomber
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Boeing
First flight	July 28, 1935 (1935-07-28)
Introduction	April 1938 (1938-04)
Retired	1968 (Brazilian Air Force)
Primary users	United States Army Air Forces Royal Air Force
Produced	1936–1945
Number built	12,731
Unit cost	US$238,329 (1945) US$2.8 million (in 2020 dollars)
Variants	XB-38 Flying Fortress YB-40 Flying Fortress C-108 Flying Fortress
Developed into	Boeing 307 Stratoliner

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
Hight	5,82 m
Wing area	131,92 m²
Wight (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