In September 1945, immediately after the surrender of Japan, all contracts for further production of the B-29 were terminated after 3,970 aircraft were accepted by the USAAF. Uncompleted airframes at the Boeing Plant in Wichita, Kansas plant were stripped of all government furnished equipment and scrapped on the flightline. A vast majority of the B-29s were stored by a new process of cocooning. However, this process trapped heat and moisture, resulting in numerous airframes being damaged by this process. Between 1946 and 1949, many early and high-time combat veteran aircraft were sold or scrapped. None were released to civilian use.
B-50 was introduced
While the B-29 was still considered useful in the post World War II inventory, the numerous problems with development, and the fear that the postwar US Congress would not fund the purchase of a design that still had significant quantity in storage, led to the radically redeveloped B-29D being redesignated the B-50A. While the B-50A looked similar to the B-29, Boeing had redeveloped the airframe with a new stronger alloy skin, redesigned main spar, taller vertical stabilizer, and improved engine cowlings. Additionally, the engines were changed to the R-4360, which produced higher power, had better cooling, and were less prone to failure.
Korean War and super bomber designs
In 1947, with the advent of the USAF, the B-29 was redesignated as a medium bomber. With the new heavy bombers in production Convair B-36 Peacemaker and Northrop YB-49 and the planned production of both the Boeing B-47 Stratojet and the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress becoming a reality, the Superfortress was quickly becoming eclipsed by technology. It was only the advent of the Korean War in 1950 which slowed down the retirement of the B-29. Once again, the Superfortress was pressed into combat; while for the first six months the B-29 was able to hold its own, the introduction of jet fighters such as the MiG-15 ended its usefulness; the B-29 was too slow and its defenses were inadequate against fast-moving jets. By 1953, except for some RB-29s, they were withdrawn from combat. The remaining B-29s in service were then redesignated as Training, Photo Recon, Air-Sea Rescue, and refueling/tanker aircraft. The last USAF flight was in September 1960.
Loaned to the UK
As a stop-gap measure between the Lancaster and Lincoln propeller-driven heavy bombers and new jet V bombers, the Royal Air Force operated 88 leased B-29s in the early 1950s. These received the service nameWashington Bomber Mark I. The Washingtons were largely replaced in service by English Electric Canberra bombers by 1955, the last leaving service in late 1958 when they were retired and returned to the United States. Several Washingtons were given to Australia, but within one year they were retired and scrapped.
The B-29 did enjoy limited success postwar as a flying testbed, being used with NACA to carry the early rocket aircraft, prototype jet engine testing, electronic test ships, and High Altitude Atmospheric tests. During the early 1970s, NASA sold their P2B-1S and for numerous years this aircraft flew under civil registration until it was grounded by spar corrosion.
Museum acquisitions of B-29s
The majority of the surviving B-29 came from airframes that had either been designated, initially, as target-tow aircraft, then unmanned target aircraft, finally as a ground target. Furthermore, B-29s were used at Aberdeen Proving Grounds as ground targets and survivability studies. In 1966, the then fledgling Commemorative Air Force, in their quest to gather an example of all the remaining World War II bombers attempted to track down a B-29. At this time, except for two noted museum aircraft, the B-29 was considered an almost extinct aircraft. Rumors of B-29s existing at Aberdeen Proving Grounds revealed several airframes, but due to the closeness of ocean air these aircraft were corroded close to the point of unrestorability. Then, in 1970, came the discovery of the US Navy fleet of aircraft at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake – these aircraft being used/stored in the desert air were in much better shape. After a year of negotiation, the CAF was able to obtain their B-29. These same negotiations also allowed the Imperial War Museum to obtain an example as well. Since the early 1970s, numerous other B-29s have been recovered from Aberdeen as well as China Lake for museum displays – the last B-29 removed from China Lake in 2000 was restored to flying condition. There are still two partial airframes and one wreck at the NAWS China Lake site. Several other aircraft were noted as late as 1980 but these aircraft have disappeared – four having been used in the Disney Picture Last Flight of Noah's Ark, in which two of the airframes were destroyed during production. Additional aircraft have been discovered at both post-war crash sites and near World War II Pacific airfields. There is a search for the first B-29 to bomb Japan, Dauntless Dotty which crashed into the Pacific Ocean on take-off during her return flight to the United States. If the airplane is found there are plans to recover and restore it for display. In 1995 an attempt to recover the Kee Bird, which had crashed in 1947 in northern Greenland, resulted in the almost complete destruction of the plane's fuselage by fire, allegedly started by a malfunctioning Auxiliary power unit in the tail.
