Douglas A-20 Havoc

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_A-20_Havoc

The Douglas A-20 Havoc (company designation DB-7) is an United States attack,
light bomber, intruder and reconnaissance aircraft of World War II.

It served with several Allied air forces, principally the United States Army Air
Forces (USAAF), the Soviet Air Forces (VVS), Soviet Naval Aviation (AVMF), and
the Royal Air Force (RAF) of the United Kingdom. Soviet units received more than
one in three (2,908 aircraft) of the DB-7s ultimately built.

It was also used by the air forces of Australia, South Africa, France, and the
Netherlands during the war, and by Brazil afterwards.

In British Commonwealth air forces, bomber/attack variants of the DB-7 were
usually known by the service name Boston, while night fighter and intruder
variants were usually known as Havoc. An exception to this was the Royal
Australian Air Force, which referred to all variants of the DB-7 by the name
Boston. The USAAF referred to night fighter variants as P-70.

In March 1937, a design team headed by Donald Douglas, Jack Northrop, and Ed
Heinemann produced a proposal for a light bomber powered by a pair of 450 hp
(336 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior radial engines mounted on a shoulder
wing.

It was estimated that it could carry a 1,000 lb (454 kg) bomb load at 250 mph
(400 km/h). Reports of aircraft performance from the Spanish Civil War indicated
that this design would be seriously underpowered, and it was subsequently
cancelled.

Later the same year, the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) issued its own
specification for an attack aircraft. The Douglas team, now headed by Heinemann,
took the Model 7A design, upgraded with 1,100 hp (820 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-1830
Twin Wasp engines, and submitted the design as the Model 7B. It faced
competition from the North American NA-40, Stearman X-100, and Martin 167F. The
Model 7B was maneuverable and fast, but did not attract any US orders.

The model attracted the attention of a French Purchasing Commission visiting the
United States seeking aircraft for the modernization of the Armee de l'Air in
the wake of the Munich Crisis. The French discreetly participated in the flight
trials, so as not to attract criticism from American isolationists. The Air
Corps, which controlled the aircraft's development, but had been excluded from
negotiations between the French, the Production Division, and the Navy's Bureau
of Aeronautics, was directed by the White House on 19 January 1939 to release
the DB-7 for assessment in contradiction of its own regulations. The "secret"
was revealed when the Model 7B crashed on 23 January while demonstrating
single-engine performance. The French were still impressed enough to order 100
production aircraft, with the order increased to 270 when the war began. Sixteen
of those had been ordered by Belgium for its Aviation Militaire.

Although not the fastest or longest-range aircraft in its class, the Douglas
DB-7 series distinguished itself as a tough, dependable combat aircraft with an
excelente reputation for speed and maneuverability. In a report to the British
Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (AAEE) at RAF Boscombe Down,
test pilots summed it up as: "has no vices and is very easy to take off and land
.... The aeroplane represents a definite advantage in the design of flying
controls ... extremely pleasant to fly and manoeuvre." Ex-pilots often consider
it their favorite aircraft of the war due to the ability to toss it around like
a fighter. The Douglas bomber/night fighter was found to be extremely adaptable
and found a role in every combat theater of the war, and excelled as a true
"pilot's aeroplane".


Role
Light bomber

Manufacturer
Douglas Aircraft Company

Designer
Ed Heinemann

First flight
23 January 1939

Introduction
10 January 1941

Retired
(USAF) 1949

Status
Retired

Primary users
United States Army Air Forces
Soviet Air Force
Royal Air Force
French Air Force

Produced
1939–1944

Number built
7,478

Developed into
Douglas DC-5

In 1940, the US military's indifference to the type was overcome by improvements
made for the French and British Commonwealth air forces.

The USAAC was impressed enough by the A-20A's high power to weight ratio and
easy handling characteristics. Two variants were ordered, in a tranche of more
than 200 aircraft: the A-20 for high-altitude daylight bombing and the A-20A for
low- and medium-altitude missions. It was intended that the high-altitude
variant would be fitted with turbosupercharged Wright R-2600-7 engines; after a
prototype suffered technical problems, the USAAC changed its order and an
initial shipment of 123 A-20As (with less-powerful R-2600-3 engines) and 20
A-20s (R-2600-11) entered service in early 1941. A further 59 aircraft from this
first order were received as P-70 night fighters, with two-stage supercharged
R-2600-11 engines.

The A-20B, another high-altitude bomber variant – lacking heavy armor and
self-sealing fuel tanks – received a significant order from the USAAC: 999
aircraft (although two-thirds of these were exported to the USSR). With the
lessons of the Pacific in mind USAAF ordered A-20G in June 1942.

Specifications (A-20G-20-DO)

General characteristics
Crew: 3
Length: 47 ft 11?1/7/8 in (14.63 m)
Wingspan: 61 ft 4 in (18.69 m)
Height: 17 ft 7 in (5.36 m)
Wing area: 464 ft² (43.1 m²)
Empty weight: 16693 lb (7708 kg)
Loaded weight: 24127 lb (10964 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Wright R-2600-23 "Twin Cyclone" radial engines, 1,600 hp (1,200
kW) each

Performance
Maximum speed: 317 mph (276 kn, 510 km/h) at 10,700 ft (3,260 m)
Cruise speed: 256 mph (223 kn, 412 km/h)
Range: 945 mi (822 nmi, 1,521 km) (Combat range)
Service ceiling: 23,700 ft (7,225 m)
Climb to 10,000 ft (3,050 m): 8.8 min

Armament

Guns: 6× fixed forward firing 0.5 in (12.7 mm) Browning machine guns in the nose
2× 0.5 in (12.7 mm) Browning machine guns in dorsal turret
1x flexible 0.5 in (12.7 mm) Browning machine gun, mounted behind bomb bay

Bombs: 4,000 lb (1,800 kg)





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