Boeing B-29 on assembly line at Renton Plant
Production Sites for the B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress, a technologically advanced bomber for its time, required a massive and coordinated production effort to meet the demands of World War II. Boeing, the aircraft’s designer, could not handle the production volume alone, leading to contracts being divided among multiple manufacturers and production sites.
B-29 production was concentrated at four primary sites:
- Boeing-Wichita: Located in Wichita, Kansas, this government-owned plant was Boeing’s primary production facility for the B-29. It was responsible for building a total of 1,630 B-29s, including the 14 YB-29 service test aircraft. Production at Boeing-Wichita began in September 1943 and continued until October 1945. This site was so heavily involved in B-29 production that it earned the nickname “Home of the B-29”.
- Boeing-Renton: Situated in Renton, Washington, this US Navy-owned plant, known as Plant 3, was tasked with producing the B-29A variant. A total of 1,119 B-29As were produced at this site, with the first one rolling off the assembly line in December 1943 and the last one in May 1946. While Boeing produced B-29s at other sites, the Renton plant exclusively built the B-29A.
- Bell-Atlanta: Based in Marietta, Georgia, Bell Aircraft Corporation’s Plant 6 facility contributed to the B-29 production effort. It produced a total of 668 B-29s and B-29Bs.
- Martin-Omaha: Located in Omaha, Nebraska, the Glenn L. Martin Company’s facility was responsible for producing 536 B-29s, including the specialized Silverplate B-29 atomic bombers. The Omaha plant also built 65 Silverplate B-29s.
In addition to these four primary production facilities, a vast network of subcontractors throughout the United States contributed components and subassemblies for the B-29. These subcontractors played a vital role in meeting the large-scale production demands of this complex aircraft.