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Air Power |
The B-25 Mitchell, a twin-engine bomber that became standard equipment for the Allied Air Forces in World War II, was perhaps the most versatile aircraft of the war. It became the most heavily armed airplane in the world, was used for high-and low-level bombing, strafing, photoreconnaissance, submarine patrol and even as a fighter, and was distinguished as the aircraft that completed the historic raid over Tokyo in 1942.
It required 8,500 original drawings and 195,000 engineering man-hours to produce the first one, but nearly 10,000 were produced from late 1939, when the contract was awarded to North American Aviation, through 1945.
Basically, it was a twin-tail, mid-wing land monoplane powered by two 1,700-hp Wright Cyclone engines.
Normal bomb capacity was 5,000 pounds. Some versions carried 75 mm cannon, machine guns and added firepower of 13 .50-caliber guns in the conventional bombardier's compartment. One version carried eight .50-caliber guns in the nose in an arrangement that provided 14 forward-firing guns.
The B-25 was a very versatile medium bomber that was used on all fronts. An example of its versatility can be seen in its use by Jimmy Doolittle, who led a raiding group of B-25s off of the deck of the carrier Hornet to bomb the Japanese home islands in April 1942. Armament continually changed during the evolution of the B-25, from the B model with a glass nose and a single fifty caliber machine gun, to the G model that carried a 75mm cannon in the nose, to the later version of the J model that had a solid nose with eight .50 calibers, fuselage blisters with four more forward-firing .50s, and six more .50s in other fuselage positions. The USAAF was not the only service to use the B-25. Over 700 Mitchells were delivered to the U.S. Navy and Marines, under the designation PBJ. Many Allied nations also used the B-25, some continuing in use until the 1960's.
Specifications:
Manufacture: North American Aviation
Primary Role: Medium Bomber
Engines: Two 1,700-hp Wright R-2600-92 Cyclone radial piston engines
Crew: 5
Number Built: 9,889
Number Still Airworthy: ~34
Dimensions:
Weight: Empty 19,480 lbs., Max Takeoff 35,000 lbs.
Wing Span: 67ft. 7in.
Length: 52ft. 11in.
Height: 16ft. 4in.
Performance :
Maximum Speed at 13,000 ft: 272mph
Ceiling: 24,200 ft.
Range: 1,350 miles
Armaments:
12 12.7-mm (0.5-inch) machine guns
4,000 pounds of bombs
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