By Editorial Staff Military History | Published: October 31, 2004 at 2:05 pm
The B-25 medium bomber was one of America’s most famous airplanes of WW II. It was the type used by General Doolittle for the Tokyo Raid on April 18, 1942. Subsequently, it saw duty in every combat area being flown by the Dutch, British, Chinese, Russians and Australians in addition to our own U.S. forces. Although the airplane was originally intended for level bombing from medium altitudes, it was used extensively in the Pacific area for bombing Japanese airfields from treetop level and for strafing and skip bombing enemy shipping.
More than 9,800 B-25s were built during WW II. The airplane on display was rebuilt by North American to the configuration of the B-25B used on the Tokyo Raid and was flown to the Air Force Museum in April 1958.
Span: 67 ft. 7 in. Length: 52 ft. 11 in. Height: 15 ft. 9 in. Weight: 28,460 lbs. loaded Armament: Five .50-cal. machine guns; 5,000 lbs. of bombs Engine: Two Wright R-2600s of 1,700 hp. ea. Cost: $96,000 Serial Number: 43-3374 (B-25D) Displayed as (S/N): 40-2344 (B-25B)
PERFORMANCE
Maximum speed: 275 mph. Cruising speed: 230 mph. Range: 1,200 miles Service Ceiling: 25,000 ft.
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