The B-17 Flying Fortress became a symbol of the power of the United States and its air force. There were 12,731 B-17s built between 1936 and 1945. Though most B-17s were scrapped after the war, we are fortunate to have one on exhibit at the Air Mobility Command Museum in Dover, Del. Several other B-17s remain air‑worthy to this day. There are only 20 B-2 bombers in the Air Force's fleet, according to a service fact sheet, meaning that putting one out of commission can cause a notable impact to bombing missions. Each B-2 On December 8, 1969 North American Rockwell and General Electric were announced as the winners of the respective airframe and engine contracts for the B-1A. The original program called for 2 test airframes, 5 flyable aircraft, and 40 engines. This was cut in 1971 to one ground test aircraft and 3 flight test articles (74-0158/0160). The Air Force plans to replace the B-1s as well as 20 radar-evading B-2s with a new stealth bomber, the B-21. The service still is mulling how many B-21s to buy. Although electronic countermeasures were also employed by the B.1 (designated B.1A) and B.2 from circa 1960, the Avro 698 Vulcan was always vulnerable to air attack. All of the 134 production aircraft (45 B.1 design / 89 B.2 design) were built at Avro Woodfood Factory in Cheshire between 1948 and 1965, although one aircraft remained on the The B17, B24, and B29s were the heavy bombers of WWII. The B52 was the heavy bomber of the Vietnam War. How many b-17 bombers were shot down during World War 2? Three B-52s fell to the ground in flames, including two B-52Ds with the latest AN/ALT-22 jammers and one B-52G with an older AN/ALT-6B. Two bombers were hit during or after their outbound turn. A total of 384 bombers with various modifications and assignments were created. On all the bombers starting with the Convair B-36D model, four additional J47-GE-19 jet engines were installed. For this reason, the B-36 is on the record as an airplane with 10 engines consisting of two different types. In early summer, the 509th will receive a new, improved model of the B-2–the first Block 20 airplane. General Marcotte said that the Air Force is “on track” in its plans for the B-2 squadron to become an operational unit of US Strategic Command in March 1997. In that month, it will take its place alongside the B-52 in the bomber leg of B-17 Intro Video. The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and the Consolidated B-24 were the United States' two standard heavy bombers until the arrival of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress in 1944. The B-17 served in almost every theater of World War II, but it was used mostly by the US Eighth Air Force, based in the UK, to bombard German targets. 06byh.