Boeing KB-29 Superfortress

what is it?

The Boeing KB-29 was a modified Boeing B-29 Superfortress for air refueling needs by the USAF. Two primary versions were developed and produced: KB-29M and KB-29P. The 509th and 43d Air Refueling Squadrons (Walker AFB, NM and Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ respectively) were created in 1948 to operate the KB-29M tankers. The 303d Bombardment Wing at Davis-Monthan AFB flew B-29s and KB-29s from 1951 to 1953 that provided training for strategic bombardment and air refueling operations to meet SAC's global commitments. Deployed at Sidi Slimane AB, French Morocco, 5 Oct – 6 November 1952.

🔎How to recognise it: 4 piston engines with propellers · 43.1 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 644 km/htop speed
• size 62.8 tmax take-off weight
• built 282made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🏎️Top speed is 5.0× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 43.1 m: about 10 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🐘Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 10 African elephants (~6 t each).
• 🏔️Can fly 1.3× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight

—

introduced

1948

status

retired

number built

282

role

strategic tanker

engines

4× Wright R-3350

length

36.6 m

wingspan

43.1 m

height

9 m

max take-off weight

62.8 t

top speed

644 km/h

cruise speed

507 km/h

range

—

ceiling

11,582 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.