List of Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress variants
specific variant model of the B-17 bomber family
The following is an extensive catalogue of the variants and specific unique elements of each variant and/or design stage of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, a heavy bomber used by the United States Army Air Forces and other Allied air forces during World War II.
Boeing Model 299 (B-17)
The Model 299 was the original aircraft built by Boeing to fulfill an August 1934 requirement by the United States Army Air Corps for a bomber capable of carrying 2,000 lb (910 kg) of bombs 2,000 mi (3,200 km) at 200 mph (320 km/h). The 299 was powered by four 750 hp (560 kW) Pratt & Whitney S1EG Hornet radial engines, giving a maximum speed of 236 mph (380 km/h) and a maximum gross weight of 38,053 lb (17,261 kg). It carried a bomb load of up to eight 600 lb (270 kg) bombs, with a defensive armament of five .30 in (7.6 mm) machine guns, with one in a nose turret and one each in dorsal and ventral mounts and two in waist blisters. In 1935, Boeing's Model 299 competed with entries from other aircraft companies at an evaluation at Wright Field near Dayton, Ohio, USA.
On its flight from Seattle, Washington to Wright Field for the competition, the 299 set a nonstop speed record of 252 mph (406 km/h). Though it crashed and burned on takeoff during a demonstration, the crash was due to flight-crew error, when unreleased gust locks prevented flight surfaces from moving, not from any technical flaw in the aircraft. Subsequently, a mandatory pre-flight checklist prior to take-off was required. Despite the crash and its much higher unit cost, the Army Air Corps leaders was impressed by its performance, so Boeing was awarded a development contract. The aircraft has since been referred to as the XB-17, but this designation was not contemporary or official.
Y1B-17 (YB-17)
Though still enthusiastic about the Boeing design, despite it being disqualified from the fly-off contest following the crash of the Model 299 prototype, the Army Air Corps cut its order from 65 service test YB-17s to just 13. On November 20, 1936, the bomber's normal acquisition funding was changed to "F-1", indicating funding outside of normal annual allocations, and the heavy YB-17 bomber was redesignated "Y1B-17", as a result.
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