Did the B-29 cost more than the Manhattan Project?
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Did the B-29 cost more than the Manhattan Project?
The $3 billion cost of design and production (equivalent to $43 billion today), far exceeding the $1.9 billion cost of the Manhattan Project, made the B-29 program the most expensive of the war.
How much did the B-29 program cost?
His fears were real, for at $3 billion, the B-29 was the war’s most expensive program. It was also the most vital, for only the Superfortress could deliver the atom bombs created by the war’s second most costly program, the $2 billion Manhattan Project.
Where was the B29 built?
Building this advanced bomber required massive logistics. Boeing built new B-29 plants at Renton, Washington, and Wichita, Kansas, while Bell built a new plant at Marietta, Georgia, and Martin built one in Omaha, Nebraska.
What replaced the B29?
A strategic reconnaissance version of the B-50B, the RB-50, was developed in 1949 to replace the aging RB-29s used by SAC in its intelligence gathering operations against the Soviet Union. In 1953 the Air Force started replacing its aging WB-29 weather reconnaissance aircraft with modified B-50Ds.
Was the B29 any good?
A post-war official report credited B-29s with 914 victories against 72 losses in over 31,000 sorties flown in the 13 months from August 1944 to August 1945. Despite the effort that went into developing the B-29’s central fire control and its operational success, it was not always seen as an essential system.
What was the outcome of the Manhattan Project?
The Manhattan Project left behind a complex legacy. In the immediate aftermath of World War II, it sparked a nuclear arms race during the Cold War. The Manhattan Project also influenced other nuclear programs, not only in the Soviet Union, but in the United Kingdom and in France, among other countries.
Why was New Mexico chosen for the Manhattan Project?
Robert Oppenheimer, the scientific director of the bomb laboratory, suggested Los Alamos that the site was chosen. It fulfilled the selection criteria, and Oppenheimer was keen to locate the bomb-production facility at Los Alamos because of its natural beauty.
Was the b29 any good?