Milestones
- September 1940
The first $3.6 million contract to cover the construction of 2 XB-29s and 1 static test article was signed on 6 September. An amendment was done on 14 December to provide funds for an additional flyable XB-29. - June 1941
A contract was signed for the production of 14 YB-29s at a cost of $1,403,623.86 per unit. Subsequent production of Boeing-Wichita B-29s was covered under supplements to this contract, identified as W535 AC-19673. - September 1942
In September 1942, when the first XB-29 finally took off, the government had already allocated $1.5 billion for B-29 airframes and placed orders for 1,665 B-29s and related spare parts. Of these orders, Boeing had contracts for 1,065 (765 from its Wichita facility and 300 from its Renton plant), Bell had contracts for 400, and GM-Fisher had contracts for 200. - 10 June 1946
The end of World War II led to the cancellation of more than 5,000 unfulfilled B-29 orders in September 1945. Despite this, some B-29s that were already in advanced stages of production were completed. Essentially, production continued until June 1946, with the final B-29 being delivered on the 10th of that month.
B-29 Contract List
| Designation | Manufacturer | Number | Contract # | Approved |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XB-29-BO | Boeing Seattle | 2 | AC 15429 | 09/06/40 |
| XB-29-BO | Boeing Seattle | 1 | AC-15429* *Amended | 12/14/40 |
| YB-29-BW | Boeing Wichita | 14 | AC 19673 | 06/16/41 |
| B-29-1-BW | Boeing Wichita | 50 | AC19673 | 09/06/41 |
| B-29-5-BW | Boeing Wichita | 50 | AC19673 | 09/06/41 |
| B-29-10-BW | Boeing Wichita | 50 | AC19673 | 09/06/41 |
| B-29-15-BW | Boeing Wichita | 50 | AC19673 | 09/06/41 |
| B-29-20-BW | Boeing Wichita | 50 | AC19673 | 09/06/41 |
| B-29-25-BW | Boeing Wichita | 50 | AC19673 | 01/31/42 |
| B-29-30-BW | Boeing Wichita | 50 | AC19673 | 01/31/42 |
| B-29-35-BW | Boeing Wichita | 50 | AC19673 | 01/31/42 |
| B-29-40-BW | Boeing Wichita | 100 | AC19673 | 01/31/42 |
| B-29-45-BW | Boeing Wichita | 100 | AC19673 | 01/31/42 |
| B-29-50-BW | Boeing Wichita | 100 | AC19673 | 01/31/42 |
| B-29-55-BW | Boeing Wichita | 50 | AC19673 | 01/31/42 |
| B-29-1-BA | Bell Atlanta | 14 | AC27730 | 07/19/44 |
| B-29-5-BA | Bell Atlanta | 16 | AC27730 | 07/19/44 |
| B-29-10-BA | Bell Atlanta | 20 | AC27730 | 07/19/44 |
| B-29-15-BA | Bell Atlanta | 50 | AC27730 | 07/19/44 |
| B-29-20-BA | Bell Atlanta | 50 | AC27730 | 07/19/44 |
| B-29-25-BA | Bell Atlanta | 50 | AC27730 | 07/19/44 |
| B-29-30-BA | Bell Atlanta | 29 | AC27730 | 07/19/44 |
| B-29B-30-BA | Bell Atlanta | 41 | AC27730 | 07/19/44 |
| B-29B-35-BA | Bell Atlanta | 70 | AC27730 | 07/19/44 |
| B-29B-40-BA | Bell Atlanta | 45 | AC27730 | 07/19/44 |
| B-29-40-BA | Bell Atlanta | 4 | AC27730 | 07/19/44 |
| B-29B-40-BA | Bell Atlanta | 12 | AC27730 | 07/19/44 |
| B-29-1-MO | Martina Omaha | 1 | AC117 | 06/30/44 |
| B-29-5-MO | Martina Omaha | 7 | AC117 | 06/30/44 |
| B-29-10-MO | Martina Omaha | 8 | AC117 | 06/30/44 |
| B-29-15-MO | Martina Omaha | 16 | AC117 | 06/30/44 |
| B-29-20-MO | Martina Omaha | 28 | AC117 | 06/30/44 |
| B-29-25-MO | Martina Omaha | 50 | AC117 | 06/30/44 |
| B-29-30-MO | Martina Omaha | 69 | AC117 | 06/30/44 |
| B-29-35-MO | Martina Omaha | 18 | AC117 | 06/30/44 |
| B-29A-1-BN | Boeing Renton | 20 | AC19673 | 09/19/42 |
| B-29A-5-BN | Boeing Renton | 30 | AC19673 | 09/19/42 |
| B-29A-10-BN | Boeing Renton | 50 | AC19673 | 09/19/42 |
| B-29A-15-BN | Boeing Renton | 50 | AC19673 | 09/19/42 |
| B-29A-20-BN | Boeing Renton | 50 | AC19673 | 09/19/42 |
| B-29A-25-BN | Boeing Renton | 50 | AC19673 | 09/19/42 |
| B-29A-30-BN | Boeing Renton | 50 | AC19673 | 09/19/42 |
| B-29-35-MO | Martina Omaha | 67 | AC117 | 06/30/44 |
| B-29-40-MO | Martina Omaha | 33 | AC117 | 06/30/44 |
| B-29A-35-BN | Boeing Renton | 100 | AC19673 | 06/30/44 |
| B-29A-40-BN | Boeing Renton | 100 | AC19673 | 06/30/44 |
| B-29A-45-BN | Boeing Renton | 100 | AC19673 | 06/30/44 |
| B-29A-50-BN | Boeing Renton | 100 | AC19673 | 06/30/44 |
| B-29A-55-BN | Boeing Renton | 100 | AC19673 | 06/30/44 |
| B-29A-60-BN | Boeing Renton | 100 | AC19673 | 06/30/44 |
| B-29A-65-BN | Boeing Renton | 100 | AC19673 | 06/30/44 |
| B-29A-70-BN | Boeing Renton | 100 | AC19673 | 06/30/44 |
| B-29A-75-BN | Boeing Renton | 19 | AC19673 | 06/30/44 |
| B-29-55-BW | Boeing Wichita | 50 | AC19673 | 06/13/44 |
| B-29-60-BW | Boeing Wichita | 100 | AC19673 | 06/13/44 |
| B-29-65-BW | Boeing Wichita | 100 | AC19673 | 06/13/44 |
| B-29-70-BW | Boeing Wichita | 100 | AC19673 | 06/13/44 |
| B-29-75-BW | Boeing Wichita | 100 | AC19673 | 06/13/44 |
| B-29-80-BW | Boeing Wichita | 50 | AC19673 | 06/13/44 |
| B-29B-40-BA | Bell Atlanta | 5 | AC27730 | 07/19/44 |
| B-29-40-BA | Bell Atlanta | 1 | AC27730 | 07/19/44 |
| B-29B-45-BA | Bell Atlanta | 42 | AC27730 | 07/19/44 |
| B-29-45-BA | Bell Atlanta | 25 | AC27730 | 07/19/44 |
| B-29B-50-BA | Bell Atlanta | 23 | AC27730 | 07/19/44 |
| B-29-50-BA | Bell Atlanta | 23 | AC27730 | 07/19/44 |
| B-29B-55-BA | Bell Atlanta | 24 | AC27730 | 07/19/44 |
| B-29-55-BA | Bell Atlanta | 24 | AC27730 | 07/19/44 |
| B-29B-60-BA | Bell Atlanta | 24 | AC27730 | 07/19/44 |
| B-29-60-BA | Bell Atlanta | 23 | AC27730 | 07/19/44 |
| B-29B-65-BA | Bell Atlanta | 25 | AC27730 | 07/19/44 |
| B-29-65-BA | Bell Atlanta | 24 | AC27730 | 07/19/44 |
| B-29-40-MO | Bell Atlanta | 35 | AC117 | 06/09/44 |
| B-29-45-MO | Martina Omaha | 39 | AC117 | 06/09/44 |
| B-29-50-MO | Martina Omaha | 55 | AC117 | 06/09/44 |
| B-29-55-MO | Martina Omaha | 55 | AC117 | 06/09/44 |
| B-29-60-MO | Martina Omaha | 48 | AC117 | 06/09/44 |
| B-29-80-BW | Boeing Wichita | 50 | AC19673 | 06/30/44 |
| B-29-85-BW | Boeing Wichita | 50 | AC19673 | 06/30/44 |
| B-29-86-BW | Boeing Wichita | 50 | AC19673 | 06/30/44 |
| B-29-90-BW | Boeing Wichita | 50 | AC19673 | 06/30/44 |
| B-29-90-BW | Boeing Wichita | 50 | AC19673 | 01/13/45 |
| B-29-95-BW | Boeing Wichita | 65 | AC19673 | 01/13/45 |
| B-29-96-BW | Boeing Wichita | 20 | AC19673 | 01/13/45 |
| B-29-97-BW | Boeing Wichita | 15 | AC19673 | 01/13/45 |
| B-29-100-BW | Boeing Wichita | 30 | AC19673 | 01/13/45 |
Further reading
- Boeing B-29 Superfortress Facts: 11 things to know
- Manufacturing Marvel: The Story of the B-29’s Production
- Building the B-29: The Subcontractor’s list
Bibliography
- Boeing B-29 Superfortress: The Ultimate Look: From Drawing Board to VJ-Day by William Wolf
- B-29 Superfortress in Detail and Scale, Part 1: Production Versions by Alwyn T. Lloyd
- Encyclopedia of U.S. Air Force Aircraft and Missile Systems Volume II: Post-World War II Bombers 1945-1973 by Marcelle Size Knaack
