British RAF
| British Royal Air Force | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Air Force: British Royal Air Force | |||
| Division: Unknown | |||
| Wing: Unknown | |||
| Active: 1944-145 | |||
| Theater Europe | |||
| Motto: Unknown | |||
| Number 3 150 ordered, cancelled before delivery | |||
Link to Invaders by Country
The British Royal Air Force expressed an interest in acquiring Douglas Invaders. A single Inavder was sent to England to their Aeroplane & Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE). This plane, A-26B 41-39158, was tested from Jul to Sep, 1944. It was destroyed 4 Sep 1944 during and accident while being operated by 2 Group RAF.
The RAF used another Invader, 43-22479, which they assigned RAF serial number KL690. This plane was used by A&AEE for armament testing from Jan to Mar 1945. It was eventually returned to the US and given to the Navy in Jun 1947.
A third Invader, 43-22482, was given RAF serial number KL691 and was given to British company Cunliffe-Owen for weapons modifications and demonstrations between Jul to Aug 1945. It was also returned to the US and given to the Navy in Jun 1947.
Initially the RAF decided to outfit 2 squadrons with Invaders: 88 Squadron, and 342 Squadron. The British Invaders were to have modifications based on the results from testing carried out by 2 Group earlier. Among the modifications included, moving the bomb release panel from the pilot station to the bombardiers station, installing British Gee and GH navigation radios, and allowing the provisioning of 2 additional 500lb bombs. These requirements were sent to Douglas, who set to work building the British Inavder (BI) variant.
A fourth Invader, 43-22604, was given RAF serial KL692 with the intention of being transferred to England, but the transfer was never completed despite the aircrafts record stating "to Brit". In Sep 1945 it was given to the US Navy. It was used for publicity purposes and several photos of it where taken with RAF markings.
Two other RAF serial numbers were allocated to Inavders in Dec 1944. TW222 was assigned to 43-22482, and TW224 was assigned to 43-22479. Neither of these planes were actually ever used by England.
All of the BI Invaders that Douglas completed were eventually diverted to the US Navy and became JD-1s.
The RAF only wanted C model Invaders. The list of Invaders that Douglas built as BI models is below. None of these were given to the RAF due to the RAF cancelling the contract as the war wound down. They all made their way into service with the Navy.