North American B-25 “Mitchell”

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 engines

WEIGHTS: 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

SPEEDS: Maximum – 275 miles per hour at 15,000 ft.
Cruising – 230 miles per hour

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. This B-25 now serves as part of a Doolittle Raiders exhibit at the Museum.