HiTech, We would like to see a A-26 in AH, Please

[Airscrew]

http://www.csd.uwo.ca/~pettypi/elevon/baugher_us/a26i.html
http://www.csd.uwo.ca/~pettypi/elevon/baugher_us/a26-12.html


If we cant have a B-25H or J, how bout the A-26,
We got the Mossie and the 110.

Specification of Douglas A-26B-15-DL Invader:
Powerplant:  Two Pratt & Whitney R-2800-27 or -71 air-cooled radials, each rated at 2000 hp for takeoff and 1600 hp at 13,500 feet.
Performance: Maximum speed 355 mph at 15,000 feet. Cruising speed 284 mph. An altitude of 10,000 feet could be attained in 8.1 minutes. Service ceiling 22,100 feet. Normal range 1400 miles, maximum range 3200 miles.
Dimensions:  Wingspan 70 feet 0 inches, length 50 feet 0 inches, height 18 feet 6 inches, wing area 540 square feet.
Weights:  22,370 pounds empty, 27,600 pounds loaded, 35,000 pounds maximum.
Armament:  Six forward-firing 0.50-inch machine guns in nose. Forward-firing armament could be supplemented by eight 0.50-inch guns mounted in four-gun twin packages mounted underneath the outer wing panels. Two 0.50-inch machine guns in remotely-controlled dorsal turret. Two 0.50-inch machine guns in remotely-controlled ventral turret. An internal bomb load of 4000 pounds could be carried. Maximum total bomb load of 6000 pounds.


Specification of Douglas A-26B-60-DL Invader:
Powerplant: Two Pratt & Whitney R-2800-79 air-cooled radials, each rated at 2000 hp for takeoff, 2350 hp with water injection.
Performance: Maximum speed 355 mph at 15,000 feet. Cruising speed 284 mph. An altitude of 10,000 feet could be attained in 8.1 minutes. Service ceiling 22,100 feet. Normal range 1400 miles, maximum range 3200 miles.
Dimensions: Wingspan 70 feet 0 inches, length 50 feet 8 inches, height 18 feet 6 inches, wing area 540 square feet.
Weights: 22,362 pounds empty, 26,000 pounds loaded, 41,800 pounds maximum.
Armament: Eight forward-firing 0.50-inch machine guns in nose. Three 0.50-inch machine guns mounted in each of the outer wing panels. Two 0.50-inch machine guns in remotely-controlled dorsal turret. Two 0.50-inch machine guns in remotely-

[Airscrew]

Some more A-26 stuff

A new all-purpose nose was installed beginning with the A-26B-10-DL. Initially, the USAAF was undecided about exactly what armament this version should carry. As originally planned, it was expected that the A-26B would be fitted with a variety of alternate solid nose sections, and that one deemed to the best would be selected. Options that were tested on early A-26Bs included one 75-mm cannon to starboard and two 0.50-inch machine guns to port, one 75-mm cannon to starboard and one 37-mm cannon to port, 2 37-mm cannon with one on each side of the nose, or one 37 mm cannon to starboard and two 0.50-inch machine guns to port; four 0.50-inch guns starboard and one 37-mm cannon to port; or four 0.50-inch guns to starboard and two 0.50-in guns to port. Eventually at the end of 1944, the USAAF finally made up its mind and decided that the solid-nosed A-26B would have six machine guns. with 400 rounds per gun. The guns in the two turrets had 500 rounds each.

Beginning with the A-26B-15, the forward-firing armament could be supplemented by eight 0.50-inch guns mounted in four twin packages underneath the outer wing panels.

Five aircraft from the initial Fiscal Year 1941 A-26 production batch were completed as A-26C-DL bombers with transparent noses and two nose guns. These were destined to be the only A-26Cs to be built at Long Beach, all the remaining A-26Cs being built at Tulsa.

The first 500 Invaders (up to A-26B-40-DL) were built at Long Beach. A parallel production line was established at Tulsa, Oklahoma for 500 aircraft ordered on March 17, 1943. The first Tulsa-built A-26Bs appeared in January of 1944. Of the Tulsa-built Invaders, 205 were delivered as A-26Bs with the rest being built as A-26Cs with glazed noses. Most of these Tulsa-built A-26Bs were powered by the Ford-built R-2800-71 engine with a revised ignition system.

Although both the Long Beach and Tulsa plants had started building both Invader versions, it was decided in late 1944 that this was an inefficient arrangement and that it would make better sense for the Long Beach plant to build only A-26Bs and the Tulsa plant to build only A-26Cs. This was indeed done, and the Long Beach plant stopped producing A-26Cs after only five were built.

During production, a number of improvements were introduced on the line. The oil cooler inlets on the wing leading edge were redesigned. The dorsal turret was modified to eliminate empennage buffeting. Initial combat reports from the field had complained about poor visibility from the cockpit, especially to the side. In order to improve visibility, the original flat-topped cockpit canopy which opened upward on the right side of the cockpit was replaced by a raised canopy opening in clamshell-fashion in two separate frameless transparent elements hinged at the sides of the fuselage. The canopy was a bit narrower on the pilot's side of the aircraft than it was on the copilot's. The new canopy enabled the pilot to see over both engine nacelles and towards the tail surfaces and it made it possible for him to check whether both main landing wheels were down. This new canopy was at first hand-built and fitted to a few early aircraft, but was introduced as standard equipment beginning with the A-26B-30-DL block.

Beginning with the A-26B-45-DL block, the engines were switched to Ford-built R-2800-79 with water injection, raising the war emergency power to 2350 hp.

The forward-firing armament of the early A-26B was found to be insufficient, especially in the Pacific theatre. Beginning with the A-26B-50-DL production block, a new eight-gun nose was fitted, and six internally-mounted 0.50-inch guns were mounted in the outer wing panels so that bombs or rockets could be carried underneath the wings. However, the eight-gun nose and the internal wing guns were often retrofitted to earlier A-26B versions, so the mere presence of these features cannot be used as a positive identification feature.

In aircraft destined for service in the Pacific (-51-DL, -56-DL, -61-DL, and -66-DL), the remotely-controlled ventral turret was replaced by a 125-US gallon auxiliary tank for extra range.

[Airscrew]

looks mean dont it,.........

[Airscrew]

HO me baby,...

[Airscrew]

Feel those G's

[Innominate]

Screw the a26 untill we have a complete a20!

[Airscrew]

bah!,   A-26 is prettier, faster, and deadlier than the A-20 it replaced...

[nuchpatrick]

Bad thing about A26's is they suffer wing failure from heavy wing loading... Just like it's little brother the A20.

[Sabre]

Eee-Gads! What a monster! (Yes, please:D)

[brady]

No, not another US buf/strike plane untill we get some stuff for Japan, Russia and Italy please, it is a cool plane though.

[bioconscripter]

No, not another US buf/strike plane untill we get some stuff for Japan, Russia and Italy please

I agree. And is there market for this type of planes? I don't see the A-20 or the Boston III getting much use.

[WldThing]

The invader brings back some Air Warrior memories

[whgates3]

that thing was a brute - no wonder it was still in use during vietnam (what other WWII plane was?). great combination of speed, payload & armament - no wonder the wings suffered - look at the size of the engine nacelles relative to the wings.
adding it or the P-61 (which could survive a high g pullout after a divebomb run - w/ the A-26 you get a level bomb site or the 8 x 0.50 nose, but not both) would light up this board with complaints just like the La-7

[hyena426]

well lets see,lots of them in vietnam,,there was the f4u corsair,,,, c47,,,,f6f hellcat,,,,tbm,,,,b25's,,,,spitfire,,,,,you will find most ww2 planes were still in use during vietnam,,,we had so many of them,,we had to use them all up some how ,,,they used the he111 in spain till 1967,,lol,,,,,just goes to show we dont faze out old stuff that fast,,lol

[whgates3]

...i had no idea - i've seen a lot of viet nam combat footage, but never ant of those birds (admittedly i might not recognize a C-47 as well as the rest) - i know corsairs were in combat in central america in the late '60s (aircraft recognition during the soccer war musta been a 8itch)... USN Privateers (modified B-24s) are still in use as fire retardant bombers (one would think they would be more valuable as warbirds...guess not)