B-29 Bomber: Costliest weapon of World War II, costlier than the nuclear bomb

World War II was an extravagant affair. But when people discuss costliest weapon of World War II, they tend to think, it is the Manhattan project. But in reality Boeing's B29 bomber, drew more resources than anything during that period. While the Manhattan Project’s cost was $1.9 billion, the cumulative cost of designing and producing the B-29 Superfortress was around $3 Billion in 1940s valuations. It redefined strategic bombing and shaped the future of aviation.

In 1940, with the war looming, the United States was looking for an aircraft which would be able to reach Europe and Asia without needing to refuel. The radical design put forward by Boeing was powered by advanced Wright 4 engines, remote-controlled gun turrets, equipped with a pressurised cabin and could fly higher and faster. More than 3900 bombers were produced at a cost around $50 billion in today's valuation.

Costliest weapon of World War II

The start was somewhat rocky, with engines overheating and inflamed occasionally. A desperate crash programme known as Battle of Kansas was launched with thousands of workers in 1943, to make the bomber combat ready.

By 1944 deep into World War II, the B-29 bomber became central to the US operations in Japan and the Pacific War. Its long range made it extremely suitable over the seas, where the distances were enormous. Under General Curtis LeMay, the bombers shifted from high-altitude precision strikes to low-level night raids with incendiary bombs, devastating Japan’s cities.

But it is most known for dropping the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Enola Gay and Bockscar the two bombers dropped the Little Man and the Fat Boy, which led to Japan's surrender and end of the tragic war.

Legacy of the B-29 Bomber

After the end of the war many of the engineering from the B-29, like the pressurised cabin and the long range were adopted in civil aviations. It is also assumed that the Soviet Union reverse engineered a captured B-29 Bomber to manufacture the Tupolev Tu-4 during cold war. The B-29 Fortress was not just a bomber it became the symbol of US industrial power, just like the Manhattan project started the Nuclear Age, the B-29 became the blueprint of post-WW II skies.