The B-17E, the first mass-produced model Flying Fortress, carried
nine machine guns and a 4,000-pound bomb load. It was several tons
heavier than the prototypes and bristled with armament. It was the
first Boeing airplane with the distinctive - and enormous - tail for
improved control and stability during high-altitude bombing. Each
version was more heavily armed.
In the Pacific, the planes earned a deadly reputation with the
Japanese, who dubbed them "four-engine fighters." The Fortresses
were also legendary for their ability to stay in the air after
taking brutal poundings. They sometimes limped back to their bases
with large chunks of the fuselage shot off.
Boeing plants built a total of 6,981 B-17s in various models, and
another 5,745 were built under a nationwide collaborative effort by
Douglas and Lockheed (Vega). Only a few B-17s survive today; most
were scrapped at the end of the war. Some of the last Flying
Fortresses met their end as target drones in the 1960s - destroyed
by Boeing Bomarc missiles.

First flight: July 28, 1935
Model number: 299
Classification: Bomber
Span: 103 feet 9 inches (B-17G)
Length: 74 feet 9 inches (B-17G)
Gross weight: 65,000 pounds (B-17G)
Top speed: 287 mph (B-17G)
Cruising speed: 150 mph (B-17G)
Range (max.): 3,750 miles (B-17G)
Ceiling: 35,600 feet (B-17G)
Power: Four 1,200-horsepower Wright R-1820-97 engines
(B-17G)
Accommodation:2 pilots, bombardier, radio-operator, 5
gunners (B-17G)
Armament:11 to 13 machine guns, 9,600-pound bomb load
(B-17G).