The B-29 Enola Gay dropped the “Little Boy” atomic bomb over Hiroshima on August 6, while Bockscar delivered the “Fat Man” weapon over Nagasaki on August 9. The missions opened the atomic age after the United States became the first country to develop, test and employ such a weapon.
The operation was the culmination of Project Silverplate, the classified weapon-delivery arm of the Manhattan Project. Its central flying unit was the 509th Composite Group, a predecessor of the 509th Operations Group assigned to the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri.
The group was activated at Wendover Army Air Field in Utah on December 17, 1944, under Lt. Col. Paul W. Tibbets Jr. It was organised as a self-contained formation with dedicated transport and engineering service squadrons to protect operational security.
Crews trained with specially modified B-29 Superfortresses stripped of most armour and defensive turrets, retaining only the tail gun. The reduced weight allowed the bombers to fly faster and operate at higher altitudes.
Aircrews used conventional concrete-filled “pumpkin bombs” to practise high-altitude visual bombing and the steep escape manoeuvres required after releasing an atomic weapon. Those procedures were intended to place the aircraft beyond the most dangerous effects of the detonation.
The 509th deployed to North Field on Tinian Island during the summer of 1945 before launching the two missions against Japan. The bombings were followed by the end of combat in the Pacific on August 15 and the formal conclusion of World War II on September 2.
Strategic Air Command was established on March 21, 1946, with responsibility for the country’s strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile forces. It transferred to the newly created U.S. Air Force after the service was established on September 18, 1947.
Strategic Air Command subsequently expanded U.S. nuclear weapons and delivery capabilities while potential adversaries developed their own systems. The Air Force said the resulting enterprise created the global reach, readiness and deterrence capacity maintained today.
Eighth Air Force now oversees the Joint-Global Strike Operations Center and the strategic bomber fleet, while Twentieth Air Force operates the country’s intercontinental ballistic missile units and complexes. Together, they manage the air- and land-based components of the U.S. nuclear triad.
The Air Force said military personnel, civilian employees and contractors remain central to sustaining the readiness of those forces. Their work supports the ability to conduct strategic force projection while keeping the two components modernised and prepared.
Current modernisation programmes are intended to align the nuclear force with the national security strategy and the 2026 National Defense Strategy. The Air Force said adapting strategic assets to a changing security environment was necessary to maintain a strong and secure deterrent.
