'31,000 feet above Hiroshima': This US aircraft was used to drop the atomic bomb in 1945
On August 6, 1945, the United States deployed a highly modified Boeing B-29 Superfortress to drop the first atomic weapon used in warfare. This unprecedented mission instantly altered global geopolitics and demonstrated a terrifying new threshold of military power.
The USD 3 Billion Bomber
The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was the most expensive weapons project of World War II, costing the US government USD 3 billion. This surpassed even the Manhattan Project, making it a massive financial gamble to secure aerial dominance.
Project Silverplate Modifications
Standard B-29s could not carry the massive atomic weapons. Under the highly classified 'Project Silverplate', engineers stripped the bomber of its heavy armour and gun turrets to accommodate the 9,700-pound nuclear payload.
The 'Enola Gay' Designation
Colonel Paul W. Tibbets Jr. piloted the historic aircraft, naming it 'Enola Gay' after his mother just days before the mission. The aircraft operated out of Tinian Island, a strategic US airbase located in the Pacific Ocean.
Carrying 'Little Boy'
The aircraft carried 'Little Boy', a highly complex uranium-235 gun-type fission weapon. Despite its innocent nickname, the bomb possessed an explosive yield equivalent to 15,000 tonnes of TNT, holding unprecedented destructive potential.
The 31,000-Foot Drop
At exactly 8:15 AM on August 6, 1945, the Enola Gay released the bomb from an altitude of 31,000 feet. It took 43 seconds for the weapon to fall before detonating roughly 1,900 feet above the Shima Surgical Clinic.
The 155-Degree Escape Turn
Immediately after dropping the payload, Tibbets executed a violent 155-degree diving turn to escape the blast radius. The aircraft was located 11.5 miles away when the shockwave hit, violently shaking the massive bomber twice.
The Devastating Aftermath
The single blast destroyed five square miles of Hiroshima, instantly killing an estimated 70,000 to 80,000 people. The Enola Gay returned safely to base, cementing its controversial legacy as the aircraft that launched the nuclear age.
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