Named after the controversial champion of U.S. Airpower, General “Billy” Mitchell, the B-25 is best known for the April 18, 1942 bombing of Tokyo. Led by Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle, and flown from the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Hornet, 16 B-25s successfully completed the first strike on Japanese soil during World War II.
The Lyon Air Museum B-25 Mitchell, “Guardian of Freedom,” flew combat patrol missions in Alaska and around the Aleutian Islands during World War II before coming home to be used as a trainer for our country’s next generation of pilots and crew members.
Manufacturer:
North American Aviation
Model:
B-25J Mitchell
Army Air Corps Serial Number:
44-29465
Prototype First Flight:
August 19, 1940
Crew:
Six-Pilot, Co-pilot, Navigator/Bombardier, Turret Gunner/Engineer, Radio Operator/Waist Gunner, Tail Gunner
Power:
Two 1,700 horsepower, Wright Cyclone R-2600 14-cylinder radial piston engine
Weight:
Basic Empty Weight – 19,480 pounds, Gross Weight – 35,000 pounds
Fuel Capacity:
974 gallons
Range:
1,350 miles (2,200 miles with ferry tanks)
Wing Span:
67 feet, 7 inches
Length:
52 feet, 11 inches
Height:
16 feet, 4 inches
Service Ceiling:
24,200 feet
Typical Armament:
Twelve .50 caliber machine guns
Typical Bomb Load:
4,000 pounds
Number Built:
Approximately 9,985
Speed:
Maximum – 275 miles per hour at 15,000 ft. Cruising – 230 miles per hour