For those that are not all that familiar with the Douglas A-26 Invader, a few details that could be incorporated into an AHII version of the plane:
Details:
Type: Attack/Medium Bomber
Performance
Normal Range: 1400 miles (1,200 nm, 2,300 km)
Cruise Speed: 284 mph
Max Speed: 355 mph (308 knots, 570 km/h) at 15,000 feet
Ceiling: 22,100 feet (6,700 m)
Rate of climb: 1,250 ft/min (6.4 m/s)
An altitude of 10,000 feet could be attained in 8.0 - 8.2 minutes
Wing loading: 51 lb/ft² (250 kg/m²)
Power/mass: 0.145 hp/lb (108 W/kg)
Armament
Guns - typical, late model A-26B
8× 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns in the nose
6 × 0.50 in M2 machine guns (internally mount)
2× 0.50 in M2 machine guns in remote-controlled dorsal turret
2× 0.50 in M2 machine guns in remote-controlled ventral turret
Bombs: 6,000 lb (2,700 kg)-4,000 lb in the bomb bay and 2,000 lb external on the wings.
C-model typically was built with 2 forward firing .50's, plus 2-twin barbettes and additional guns were added to the wings once delivered for operations in the field. C-models performed as pathfinders and observation aircraft often, and were fewer in production numbers.
Original A-26B from Original Pilot’s Training Manual was listed as having 6 configurations for the "All Purpose Nose" (The B model) – not counting the original two "4-pack" gun pods (8 total .50's) option that could be mounted under the wings (before the 6 internal .50's - 3 per wing - were done with/after 45-block production):
* 6 -.50s (later upped to 8) – most commonly ordered configuration
* 1 - 37mm and 4 - .50's
* 1 - 37mm and 2 - .50's
* 2 - 37mm’s (gah!)
* 1 - 75mm and 1 - 37 mm (Racks held 20 rounds for manually loaded 75mm)
* 1 - 75mm and 2 -.50's (first 30 planes initially ordered and deployed with USAAF from the factory in this configuration)
Unsure if any of the other configurations were ordered, deployed, or retrofitted in the field later. That was one great thing about the A-26, you could swap nose components in and out in hours.
Ammo capacity reported to be 500 rounds-per-gun in the barbettes, 400 rounds-per-gun in the nose. 75mm had racks for 20 rounds, manually loaded by loader in jump seat in cockpit. Although initial order came with 75mm and flew in PTO and ETO in evaluation flights, I've no record of the 75mm being used in combat.
Ordanance:
Up to 6,000 lb, consisting of 2 × 2,000 lb max in 2 internal bays, plus 4 underwing hardpoints rated at 500 lb each. Total of 20 hard points, but maximum of 16 could be used at any one time points.
Loadout was generally:
* 4 × 1,000 lb, or
* 8 × 500 lb, or
* 8 × 250 lb, or
* 12 × 100 lb internal
* 4 × 500 lb or 4 × 250 lb under the wings additional typical, 4 X 100 lbs possible
Torpedoes/rockets: 14 × 5 inch rockets under the wings instead of bombs.
(Original Training Guide also lists 2 torpedoes carried internally (doors open), but I don't think it was ever used this way in WWII, since by that time, Axis fleets were mostly done, and an A-26 low and slow for torps is not a good use of that plane.)
Diving Speeds:
26,000 lbs gross --- 425 IAS
32,000 lbs gross --- 400 IAS
35,500 lbs gross --- 360 IAS
Fuel capacity
Internal 6.056 l, plus provision for 1.173 l if the ventral barbette was omitted (mostly the Pacific theater) Fuel capacity external 1.741 l in two drop tanks.
Normal fuel consumption at cruise approx 150 GPH
• Main Tanks, 300 gals each
• Aux Tanks 100 gallons each
• Bomb Bay Tank 125 gallons
Total Normal = 925 gallons
• Ferry Tank 675 gallons
Total Ferry = 1600 gallons
• Ventral barbette was dropped for an additional fuel tank with 258.1 Imp gal (310 US gal/1.173 l) in some cases for Pacific operations.
• Option of 460 US gal fuel in two wing mounted drop tanks, 1 hard point each.
********************************************************
Envisoned A-26B and A-26C in-game.
With one airplane modeled, you can actually create two perked bombers for use in-game to spend bomber perk on. The only real difference was the nose configuration.
A cheaper, C-model, meant for level bombing attacks with medium bombers. Priced at about 1/3rd the cost of a Ar-234 Arado in perks? Would have the Norden bomb site.
A more expensive B-model, attack bomber, priced at about 1/4 the cost of a Me-262 in perks? Suppose trying to use the Norden bombsite from solid nose would just give you a black screen, or leave it enabled since buff drivers would not have Pathfinder A-26C's as lead bomber to control the drop, as they normally did.
The A-26 won't dominate in-game as it did in the real theaters of combat, Invaders did not have to contend with swarms of La-7's, Ponies, Spit-16's, and Niki's during the war. The gun-heavy B-model would be the "lord of the HO", but it won't take long for folks to figure that is the wrong direction in which to approach an Invader. And as any perk icon does, it will invite attacks.
Ordnance Load out for both the B and C models would be the same.
Internal:
* 4 × 1,000 lb
* 8 × 500 lb
* 8 × 250 lb
* 12 × 100 lb
* 2 x torpedos (an option, but probably not ever actually used, so this is a throwaway if needed for Hangar screen simplicity)
Wings (here's were it gets convoluted, and choices need to be made for Hangar screen simplicity):
* clean wing
* 2 - 230 gallon drop tanks
* 14 x 5-inch rockets
* 8 X 5-inch rockets and 2 -230 gallon drop tanks
* 4 × 500 lb
* 4 × 250 lb
* 2 x 500 lb and 8 x 5-inch rockets (yes, they would carry mixed loads like this, have pics)
* 2 x 250 lb and 8 x 5-inch rockets
(not sure wing could take load of fuel tank and partial bomb combination -- doubt it -- , so I don't use it here) A lot of variety here is possible, a very versatile platform.
Ammunition for C-model:
500 rpg for each twin-.50 barbette
400 rpg for 2 forward nose .50's and 6 wing-mounted .50's
Ammunition for B-model:
500 rpg for each twin .50 barbette
400 rpg for 6 wing-mounted .50 cal MG
options for nose
* 6 - nose mounted .50's w 400 rpg
* 8 - nose mounted .50's w 400 rpg
* 1 - 75mm cannon w 20 rds, 3-5 second load time (manual) plus 2 x .50's with 400 rpg
(no 37mm options ever ordered from factory I am aware of, and may have been originally intended for the Lend-Lease Program....so I left them out).
Some AHII pilots been wanting a big-cannon armed bomber for a long time..... here it is. Maybe. 75mm with 20 rds and slow manual loading. 30 for sure were built and fielded..... no idea what conversions were done later on. No proof that they were ever used in combat either, or fitted to any later model A-26. 30 75mm equipped A-26 Invaders were shipped to the PTO and ETO and evaluated there. The 75mm was intended for anti-shipping operations, and USAAF later found that 14 - .50's with API rounds was more effective than 1 manually loaded 75mm in that role. I simply present it as an interesting option. The twin 37mms would be better IMHO, but none were ever produced or shipped in that configuration. Doubt any were retrofitted that way in the field. It would be interesting, but not necessary.
Had the nukes not been dropped, the A-26 Invader would have seen a lot more action over Japan. Possibly they may have seen the return of the 37mms or 75mm configurations for some missions. But, even limited to .50's, the rest of the ordnance options and two main versions still makes for a bag of tricks for buff drivers and attack plane pilots to play with.
