North American B-25J 'Mitchell'
HISTORY
- Best known as the bomber used by Jimmy Doolittle for his raid against Tokyo, Japan on April 18, 1942, the North American B-25 Mitchell became the backbone of the U.S. Army Air Force medium bomber campaigns during WWII.
- Along with its counterparts, the Martin B-26 Marauder and the Douglas A-26 Invader, the B-25 performed up to and beyond its original design expectations. During the war, B-25s served in both the European and Pacific Theaters of Operations flying a wide variety of missions, including medium and low altitude bombing overland and anti-ship operations at sea. Very heavily armed for both defensive and offensive purposes, the B-25 could be fitted with as many as 18 heavy .50 caliber machine guns or a 75 mm cannon and up to 14 machine guns, thus turning the bomber into a very formidable gun platform for strafing missions against shipping and ground targets, including strong fortifications and armored units.
- During WWII, North American Aviation produced over 10,000 Mitchell bombers in a total of 10 major variants at plants in Inglewood, California and Kansas City, Kansas. In addition to service with the U.S. Army Air Force, those bombers were also used to good effect by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps and the air forces of 17 foreign countries. The last operational B-25 was finally retired from the U.S. Air Force inventory in January 1959.
DISTINCTION
- Planes of Fame Air Museum's North American B-25J Mitchell was built in Kansas City, Kansas and delivered on January 16, 1945. Although it did not see combat, the Museum’s B-25 served with the U.S. Air Force as a test aircraft until 1958. Brought to Davis-Monthan AFB for storage, in 1959 it was purchased by a private owner. The aircraft was acquired by the Museum in the early 1960’s. It has appeared in countless films & TV programs including Forever Young, Pearl Harbor, Once an Eagle, Salvage One, Highway to Heaven, Con Air, Turbulence, and the TV mini-series Catch22. It also flies as a camera platform for photographers and filmmakers, being used as such in the movies Always and Air Force One, and is an Air Show favorite.
SPECIFICATIONS
Status: Flyable |
Manufacturer: North American Aviation |
Year: 1945 |
Model: B-25J-25-NC Mitchell |
Registration Number: N3675G
|
Serial Number: 44-30423 |
Crew: 6 |
Max T/O Weight: 41,800 lb. |
Span: 67 ft. 7 in. |
Length: 52 ft. 11 in. |
Height: 16 ft. 4 in. |
Maximum Speed: 272 mph |
Cruise Speed: 230 mph |
Rate of Climb: 980 ft/min
|
Power Plant: 2-1,850hp Wright R2600-92 Cyclone 18-cylinder radial engines |
Range: 1,350 miles |
Service Ceiling: 24,200 ft. |
Armament: Eleven 0.50-cal machine guns & 6,000 lbs. of bombs |