Douglas A 26 / B 26 Invader Light Bomber & Ground Attack Aircraft | WW2, Korea, Vietnam.1942 - 1980

The Douglas A-26 Invader (designated B-26 between 1948 and 1965) is an American twin-engined light bomber and ground attack aircraft. Often confused with the B-26 Marauder because of the designation, it was built by Douglas Aircraft Company during World War II, the Invader also saw service during several major Cold War conflicts. A limited number of highly modified United States Air Force aircraft served in Southeast Asia until 1969. It was a fast aircraft capable of carrying a large bomb load. A range of guns could be fitted to produce a formidable ground-attack aircraft.

A redesignation of the type from A-26 to B-26 led to confusion with the Martin B-26 Marauder, which first flew in November 1940, some 20 months before the Douglas design's maiden flight. Although both aircraft were powered by the widely used Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp 18-cylinder, double-row radial engine, they were completely different and separate designs, with some 5,300 Marauders produced to 2,503 Invaders.
The A-26 was Douglas Aircraft's successor to the A-20 (DB-7) Havoc, also known as Douglas Boston.
Designed by Ed Heinemann, Robert Donovan, and Ted R. Smith, the innovative NACA 65-215 laminar-flow airfoil wing of the A-26 was the work of project aerodynamicist A.M.O. Smith.
The Douglas XA-26 prototype (AAC Ser. No. 41-19504) first flew on 10 July 1942 at Mines Field, El Segundo, with test pilot Benny Howard at the controls. Flight tests revealed excellent performance and handling, but engine-cooling problems led to cowling changes and elimination of the propeller spinners on production aircraft. During testing, the nose wheel was found to be structurally inadequate, thus the nose gear was redesigned and made more structurally sound.

The A-26B gun-nose could be equipped with a combination of armament, including .50 caliber machine guns, 20 or 37mm auto cannon, or an experimental 75mm pack howitzer (never used operationally). The 'B' gun-nose version housed six (and later, eight) .50 caliber machine guns, officially the "all-purpose nose", later known as the "six-gun nose" or "eight-gun nose".
The A-26C's "glass" "Bombardier nose", contained a Norden bombsight for medium-altitude precision bombing. The A-26C nose section included two fixed M-2 guns, but those were eliminated after underwing gun packs or internal guns in the wings proved effective during colder weather.

General characteristics

Crew: 3
Length: 50 ft (15 m)
Wingspan: 70 ft (21 m)
Height: 18 ft 6 in (5.64 m)
Wing area: 540 sq ft (50 m2)
Airfoil: NACA 65-215
Empty weight: 22,370 lb (10,147 kg)
Gross weight: 27,600 lb (12,519 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 35,000 lb (15,876 kg)
Fuel capacity: 925 US gal (770 imp gal; 3,500 l) normal + optional 675 US gal (562 imp gal; 2,560 l) ferry tank in the bomb bay; Oil capacity 60 US gal (50 imp gal; 230 l) in two nacelle tanks
Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney R-2800-71 Double Wasp or -27s, or -79s 18-cylinder air-cooled two-row radial piston engines, 2,000 hp (1,500 kW) each for take-off
Propellers: 3-bladed Hamilton Standard Hydromatic, 12 ft 7 in (3.84 m) diameter constant-speed fully-feathering propellers
Performance

Maximum speed: 359 mph (578 km/h, 312 kn) at 16,700 ft (5,100 m) (normal rated power)
Cruise speed: 266 mph (428 km/h, 231 kn) at 5,000 ft (1,500 m) (62.5% rated power)
Range: 1,600 mi (2,600 km, 1,400 nmi) without ferry tank at 5,000 ft (1,500 m) at 206 mph (179 kn; 332 km/h)
Combat range: 700 mi (1,100 km, 610 nmi)
Ferry range: 3,000 mi (4,800 km, 2,600 nmi) with ferry tank at 5,000 ft (1,500 m) at 210 mph (180 kn; 340 km/h)
Service ceiling: 28,500 ft (8,700 m) ; 14,400 ft (4,400 m) on one engine
Time to altitude: 10,000 ft (3,000 m) in 8 minutes 6 seconds
Wing loading: 51.1 lb/sq ft (249 kg/m2)
Power/mass: 0.145 hp/lb (0.238 kW/kg)
Armament
Guns:
6 or 8 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns in solid, "all purpose" nose: or 2 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 machine guns in glass "bombardier" nose
Up to 8 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 machine guns paired in four optional under wing pods: or 3 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 machine guns in each outer wing panel
2 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 machine guns in remote-controlled dorsal turret
2 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 machine guns in remote-controlled ventral turret
Rockets: Up to 10 5-inch (12.7 cm) HVAR rockets on "zero length" launch pylons, five under each outer wing panel
Bombs: Up to 6,000 lb (2,700 kg) capacity - 4,000 lb (1,800 kg) in the bomb bay plus 2,000 lb (910 kg) carried externally on underwing hardpoints

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