The Enola Gay (Model number B-29-45-MO, Serial number 44-86292, Victor number 82) was built by the Glenn L.
The last survivor of its crew, Theodore Van Kirk, died on 28 July 2014 at the age of 93. Since 2003, the entire restored B-29 has been on display at NASM's Steven F. The cockpit and nose section of the aircraft were exhibited at the National Air and Space Museum (NASM) on the National Mall, for the bombing's 50th anniversary in 1995, amid controversy. In the 1980s, veterans groups engaged in a call for the Smithsonian to put the aircraft on display, leading to an acrimonious debate about exhibiting the aircraft without a proper historical context. Later that year it was transferred to the Smithsonian Institution, and spent many years parked at air bases exposed to the weather and souvenir hunters, before being disassembled and transported to the Smithsonian's storage facility at Suitland, Maryland, in 1961. In May 1946, it was flown to Kwajalein for the Operation Crossroads nuclear tests in the Pacific, but was not chosen to make the test drop at Bikini Atoll. Clouds and drifting smoke resulted in a secondary target, Nagasaki, being bombed instead.Īfter the war, the Enola Gay returned to the United States, where it was operated from Roswell Army Air Field, New Mexico. Enola Gay participated in the second nuclear attack as the weather reconnaissance aircraft for the primary target of Kokura. The bomb, code-named " Little Boy", was targeted at the city of Hiroshima, Japan, and caused the destruction of about three quarters of the city. Lewis during the final stages of World War II, it became the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb in warfare. On 6 August 1945, piloted by Tibbets and Robert A. The Enola Gay ( / ə ˈ n oʊ l ə/) is a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, named after Enola Gay Tibbets, the mother of the pilot, Colonel Paul Tibbets. National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Paul Tibbets waving from the Enola Gay 's cockpit before taking off for the bombing of Hiroshima For other uses, see Enola Gay (disambiguation). You can spot an Airsoft player in plain sight if they are wearing EG.This article is about the bomber. This technology will trickle down into our Airsoft products giving the game ever more detail.ĮG is not only a manufacturer of high-quality grenades for simulated combat, but also a designer of carry systems and casual clothing for Airsoft players. EG has refined how it functions and the patented design operates more quietly and efficiently than that of a current frontline grenade. The process to fire the grenade is different and is not regulated the same as percussion ignitions.
The Mil-X series of grenades uses a fly off lever ignition (spoon) that is identical to that of a real grenade.
In acknowledgment of this, EG has developed a professional line of products that cross over from Airsoft into police and military training. The company continues to work with all European states, and with the USA and Canada to ensure new products entering the market have the correct certifications for use.Īirsoft’s goal of recreating realistic combat scenarios has led to many police forces and militaries adopting it as a means to train personnel in combat situations. Millions of Enola Gaye fragmentation grenades have been used in Airsoft since the concept was introduced without injury, and the game has changed for the better as a result.Įnola Gaye works closely with authorities and governments to educate them and enable Airsoft grenades to be used in their respective countries. The current range of pyro grenades from Enola Gaye has now expanded to include various noise-based products, including the thunder flash and flash grenades.Įvery grenade that EG has designed for Airsoft, or any other type of combat simulation, has been designed from a safety point upwards. EG grenades are designed to safely eliminate players whilst providing a realistic battlefield effect. The development of the frag grenade over the years has seen various sizes, styles and noise types, with each iteration bettering the last. EG first introduced frag grenades in 1996, shortly followed by smoke grenades. To truly mimic a combat situation and give it that true immersive feel, every similarity needs to be covered, excluding the trauma of real combat.Įnola Gaye is often credited as a smoke bomb company, but actually began by introducing frag grenades to the Airsoft and paintball.