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Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

From Kennedy Hickman, About.com

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

Photograph Courtesy of the US Air Force

Boeing B-17

  • Nation: United States
  • Type: Heavy Bomber
  • Wartime Service Dates: 1941-1945
  • Range: 2,000 miles
  • Airspeed: 287 mph
  • Crew: 10
  • Payload: 17,600 pounds (maximum), 4,500-8,000 pounds (typical)
  • Power plant: 4× Wright R-1820-97 "Cyclone" turbosupercharged radial engines, 1,200 hp each
  • Notes: One of the backbones of the American strategic bombing campaign in Europe, the B-17 became a symbol of US airpower. B-17s served in all theaters of the war and were renowned for their ruggedness and crew survivability.
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