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List of surviving Boeing B-29 Superfortresses

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The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is a United States heavy bomber used by the United States Army Air Forces in the Pacific Theatre during World War II, and by the United States Air Force during the Korean War. Of the 3,970 built, 26 survive in complete form today, 24 of which reside in the United States, and two of which are airworthy.

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In September 1945, following the surrender of Japan, all contracts for further production of the B-29 were terminated, after 3,970 aircraft (2,766 by Boeing Aircraft, 668 by Bell Aircraft, and 536 by Glenn L. Martin Co.) had been accepted by the USAAF. Uncompleted airframes at the Boeing plant in Wichita, Kansas, were stripped of all government-furnished equipment and scrapped on site.[1]

A vast majority of the B-29s were stored by a new process of cocooning. However, this process trapped heat and moisture inside the fuselage, resulting in damage to numerous airframes, primarily the avionics and instruments. Between 1946 and 1949, many early and high-time combat veteran aircraft were sold or scrapped. None were released to civilian use.

The majority of the surviving B-29s came from airframes that had served with the United States Navy at NAWS China Lake as target-tow aircraft, then unmanned target aircraft, and finally as ground targets.[2] Additional B-29s were used at Aberdeen Proving Ground as ground targets and for survivability studies. Since the early 1970s, various B-29s have been recovered from China Lake and Aberdeen for museum displays – the last B-29 (Doc) removed from China Lake in 2000 was restored to flying condition.

Additional aircraft have been discovered at both post-war crash sites and near World War II Pacific airfields. There is a search for the first B-29 to bomb Japan, Dauntless Dotty[3] which crashed into the Pacific Ocean on take-off during her return flight to the United States. If the airplane is found, there are plans to recover and restore it for display. In 1995, an attempt to recover the Kee Bird, which had crashed in 1947 in northern Greenland, resulted in the almost complete destruction of the plane's fuselage by fire, started by a malfunctioning auxiliary power unit in the tail.[4]

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Surviving aircraft

Surviving aircraft by manufacturers

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Known wrecks

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References

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