By comparison, the B-29 would require substantial modifications from its "factory settings" to make the grade. Called "Project Silverplate," this was a top-secret project during World War II to modify B-29 bombers to carry atomic bombs. The U.S. Army Air Forces initiated the project to develop the capability to deliver atomic bombs by air. PA474, based at Coningsby, Lincolnshire, U.K., is operated by The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF). The other, named "Vera" (coded VR-A, FM213), is in Canada and is operated by the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Mount Hope, a suburb of Hamilton, Ontario. The B-29 had a maximum range of around 5,830 miles (9,382 km), while the Avro Lancaster had a maximum range of approximately 2,530 miles (4073 km). Additionally, the service ceiling of the B-29 was around 31,850 feet (9,707 meters), while the service ceiling of the Avro Lancaster was around 24,500 feet (7,500 meters). By the middle of December, scientists working on the Manhattan Project would send scale models of the "Little Boy" and "Fat Man" weapon designs to Wright Field, where technicians would alter the B-29 and outfit it for use in bomb flight tests. Plans were employed to either add extra fuel tanks or conduct mid-air refueling, but its lower service ceiling and slower speed could have left the aircraft prone to being exposed to the nuclear blast.

It replaced the aging British Halifax and Stirling, two more frequently used bombers, as the type was built in more significant quantities by the Royal Air Force (RAF), the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), and squadrons from other Commonwealth and European countries operating under the RAF. After the war, Lancasters continued to be used as patrol bombers well into the 1950s, and a Lancastrian civilian airliner version was manufactured in modest quantities. How many Lancaster bombers got shot down in World War 2?The first use of atomic weapons led to the creation of the nuclear deterrence concept and the development of large nuclear arsenals by many countries, as well as efforts to limit the spread of nuclear weapons and negotiate arms control and disarmament agreements. Some Lancasters had receivers for the "Gee" and "Oboe" radio guidance systems and H2S ground-mapping radar starting in 1943 and subsequently upgraded H2X radar. When targeting targets close enough to Britain to be directed by the radio bombing aids, radar-equipped Lancasters could bomb at night with high accuracy by the spring of 1944. The Germans termed this weapon Schrage musik, or "jazz music," and Bomber Command was never able to establish a reliable defense against it. As a result, numerous British heavy bombers were destroyed by German fighters firing covertly at close range. The legacy of the "Dambusters" lives on as a symbol of the bravery and sacrifices made by those who fought in the war. How many Avro Lancasters survive today?

The Army Air Forces Materiel Command at Wright Field, Ohio, received instructions from the United States Army Air Forces on November 30, 1943, for a highly secret B-29 modification project. Additionally, the B-29 had been used extensively in bombing campaigns in the Pacific Theater during World War II. It was well suited for the long-range and high-altitude bombing mission required for the atomic bomb drop.

Today, only a handful of these magnificent planes survive, serving as a testament to the skill and dedication of the engineers and airmen who designed, built, and flew them. On December 2, the first B-29 arrived in Wright Field, Ohio, where the bomb bay received major modifications. Engineers removed the B-29's four bomb bay doors and the fuselage portion between the bays and replaced them with a single 33-foot (10-meter) bomb bay to handle the length of the gun-type weapon.