How many planes were set to drop the atomic bomb?

Answer 1

One plane was used to actually make the drop on each city. However, there were additional planes used as support and observation on each mission. The Hiroshima mission used seven planes, and the Nagasaki mission used six planes. See Sources and related links for more information.

Answer 2

None, the hydrogen bomb (more correctly known as a fusion bomb) did not exist in a form that could be delivered by plane until 1954 (9 years after the end of WW2) when it was developed from the Runt device tested in Castle Romeo shot. And then this bomb was so big that it would only fit the bombbay of the B-36, a plane not operational until after the war. The bomb available in 1954, the EC-17 would explode before the delivery plane could escape and so its blast would tear the B-36 that delivered it to pieces. In 1955 a ribbon parachute was added to slow the fall of the bomb, updating these bombs to MK-17 bombs allowing the B-36 to fly far enough to escape the blast and return to base.

Assuming you meant fission bomb, 6 planes in total: there were 2 missions (Hiroshima & Nagasaki) with 3 planes each - one strike plane carrying the bomb and two instrumentation, recognizance, observer planes to collect data, take photos and films, etc. of the attack.

Answer 3

One B-29 plane scorted by two B-29 planes. That is why the Japanese thought it was not an attack. They thought those were weather planes.

Answer 4

The Japanese had 414 aircraft that strafed and/or bombed Pearl Harbor.

Answer 5

It was only one escorted by two more.